Soft router basics before installing plugins
Plan gateways, DHCP, DNS and routing before turning a home router into a proxy gateway.
A soft router should make policy clear, not merely add more plugins. Keep a recovery path before changing the gateway for every device at home.
Main router and side router
A main router owns dialing, DHCP, DNS and the default gateway. A side router is safer for experiments but makes address and gateway conflicts easier to create.
Draw the topology
Record every gateway, switch, access point and DHCP server. This map is the fastest way to locate a failure when the network stops resolving names or assigning addresses.
Start with simple rules
Begin with explicit direct destinations and a small set of proxied destinations. Add large rule sets only after the basic route is stable.
Choose an upstream
A soft router still needs upstream nodes. Compare provider demos for convenience or use a self-hosted VPS for control.