So, I decided to mess around with this “wireless bullet” thing. I’d heard about it and thought, “Why not?” I started by gathering my stuff. I’m not gonna lie, I felt like a mad scientist at my workbench. I had:
- A Raspberry Pi (I used a 3 B+, ’cause that’s what I had lying around).
- A decent Wi-Fi dongle. Needed something that could handle a bit of work.
- A power bank. Gotta keep this thing running without being tied to a wall.
- Some basic tools – wires, soldering iron (didn’t end up needing it, thankfully), that kinda thing.
Getting Started
First thing I did was flashed the Raspberry Pi with the latest OS. There are a thousand tutorials on how to do that, just find whatever is current. It took some time, as It always does with any Pi.
Next, I got the Wi-Fi dongle set up. Plugged it in, made sure the Pi recognized it. This part was surprisingly smooth. I was expecting more of a fight, to be honest.
The Hard Part (Or So I Thought)
Now, the tricky part was supposed to be setting up the Pi as a wireless access point. I was dreading this, picturing hours of messing with config files. I followed a few guides, and, wouldn’t you know it, it worked! I mean, I had to reboot the thing a couple of times, but it actually connected. My phone saw the new network, and I was able to connect to it. Progress!
Making it “Bulletproof” (Kinda)
I wanted this thing to be somewhat portable, so I hooked up the power bank.
Zip-tied the whole mess together.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was functional.
I could walk around my apartment, and the connection held up.
I felt like I’d accomplished something, even if it was kinda silly.
The Result?
So, what did I end up with? A clunky, homemade Wi-Fi hotspot that runs off a battery. Is it practical? Not really. Was it fun to build? Absolutely. I learned a bit about networking, messed around with some hardware, and ended up with something that actually works. I might try to refine it later, maybe put it in a proper case, make it look less like a bomb. But for now, I’m calling it a win.