Free IoT Security Platform Runs on OpenWrt Routers and the Raspberry Pi

By Eric Brown

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Minim announced a free spin-off of Minim, its cloud-managed Wi-Fi and security Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. Minim Labs is designed to work with a new open source software agent called Unum that runs on Raspbian and OpenWrt Linux devices. Optimized images are available for the OpenWrt-based Gli.Net GL-B1300 router and Raspberry Pi. The first 50 sign-ups will get the B1300 router for free (see below).

Minim Labs setup screen
(click image to enlarge)The Minim Labs toolkit “secures and manages all connected devices in the home, such as the Google Home Hub, Sony Smart TV, and FreeRTOS devices,” providing “device fingerprinting, security scans, AI-powered recommendations, router management, analytics, and parental controls,” says Minim. By signing up to a Minim Labs account you receive a MAC address to register an Unum-enabled device.

The GitHub hosted Unum agent runs on the Linux router where it identifies connected devices and securely streams device telemetry to the Minim platform. Users can open a free Minim Labs account to register up to 10 Unum-enabled devices, offering access to Minim WiFi management apps and APIs. Alternately, you can use Unum with your own application server.

The GL-B1300 and Raspberry Pi builds are designed to walk “home network tinkerers” through the process of protecting devices with Unum and Minim Labs. More advanced developers can download a Unum SDK to modify the software for any OpenWrt-based router.

“By open sourcing our agent and giving technologists free access to our platform, we hope to build a global community that’ll contribute valuable product feedback and code,” stated Jeremy Hitchcock, Founder and CEO of Minim.

Gli.Net’s OpenWrt routers

Gli.Net’s GL-B1300 router runs OpenWrt on a quad-core, Cortex-A7 Qualcomm Atheros IPQ4028 SoC clocked to 717 MHz. The SoC is equipped with a DSP, 256MB RAM, 32 MB flash, and dual-band 802.11ac with 2×2 MIMO. The SoC and supports up to 5-port Ethernet routers abd provides Qualcomm TEE, Crypto Engine, and Secure Boot technologies.

 
GL-B1300 (left) and GL-AR750S
(click images to enlarge)The GL-B1300 router has dual GbE ports, a WAN port, and a USB 3.0 port. The $89 price includes a 12V adapter and Ethernet cable.

The testimonial quote below says that the GL-AR750S Slate router, which is a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree, will also support Unum and Minim Labs out of the box. The $70 GL-AR750S Slate runs on a MIPS-based, 775MHz Qualcomm QCA9563 processor and is equipped with 128MB RAM, 128MB NAND flash, and a microSD slot.

The Slate router provides 3x GbE ports and dual-band 802.11ac with dual external antennas. Other features include USB 2.0 and micro-USB power ports plus a UART and GPIO. The router supports WireGuard, OpenVPN, and Cloudflare DNS over TLS.

Gli.Net router comparison chart, including GL-B1300 and GL-AR750S
(click image to enlarge)In addition to its routers, Gli.Net also sells the OpenWrt-on-Atheros/MIPS Domino Core computer-on-module. The Domino Core shipped in a Kickstarter launched Domino.IO IoT kit back in 2015.

“We are glad that Minim is going to launch open-source tools for DIY users and increase awareness of personal Internet security,” stated GL.iNet CTO Dr. Alfie Zhao. “This initiative shows shared value and vision with GL.iNet. We are happy to provide support for Minim tools on our GL-AR750S Slate router and GL-B1300 router, both of which have support to the latest OpenWrt.”

Further information

The free Minim Labs security platform is available for signup now, and the open source Unum agent is available for download. Minim is offering the first 50 Minim Labs signups with a free startup kit containing the GL-B1300 router. More information may be found at the Minim Labs product page.

This article originally appeared on LinuxGizmos.com on January 9.

Minim | www.minim.co

 

Sponsor this Article