There have been a bunch of these, although if you’re really that concerned, you might as well go all in with tor
A modern version of this: https://github.com/grugq/portal
In Attackers can decloak routing-based VPNsgrugq
portal
OPEN SOURCE2013–2024
grugq / portal
portal
Personal Onion Router To Assure Liberty
17Distinct people
17Mentions
0Explicit recommenders
835GitHub stars
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What it is
Personal Onion Router To Assure Liberty
GitHub
Where it is used
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Also in these discussions
- grugq/portalofpi · linked in 4 of the same discussions
Mentioned in the same Hacker News threads. That is not proof they are substitutes.
This week on Hacker News
Nov 7–Nov 14 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/14/2026, 5:04:57 PM UTC.
No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.
Mentions over time
HN mentions by year17 dated mentions
Observed mentions: 2013-06-15 00:09:18 UTC to 2024-05-06 22:18:21 UTC.
Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.
View mention counts and date ranges
| Period | Start (UTC) | End (exclusive, UTC) | Mentions | Submissions | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2013-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2014-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2014 | 2014-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 8 | 1 | 7 |
| 2015 | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
From the project README
An excerpt from the repository, fetched Nov 13, 2026.
Read the project’s introduction
P.O.R.T.A.L.
Personal Onion Router To Assure Liberty
Overview
PORTAL is a project that aims to keep people out of jail. It is a dedicated hardware device (a router) which forces all internet traffic to be sent over the Tor network. This significantly increases the odds of using Tor effectively, and reduces the potential to make fatal mistakes.
On Hardware
There are two ways to construct a PORTAL: using a chipped router (recommended), or using "the /overlay trick". Using a modified router (with sufficient onboard flash) provides the most flexibility for internet connectivity (either WiFi or 3G) as well as ensuring that the Tor process has sufficient RAM to run. A chipped router provides the best overall experience. The /overlay trick enables a stock router to union mount a microSD card for additional storage space. This allows for multiple microSD cards to provide different configurations (also possible with a chipped router), but has the downside of requiring a 3G modem with onboard microSD slot.
Supported Devices
Chipped Routers
TP-LINK MR11U - 8mb flash storage, 64mb RAM
TP-LINK WR703N - 8mb flash storage, 64mb RAM
Stock Routers
TP-LINK MR11U - 4mb flash, 32mb RAM
TP-LINK MR3040 - 4mb flash, 32mb RAM
TP-LINK MR3020 - 4mb flash, 16mb RAM [WARNING: almost unusable]
TP-LINK WR703N - 4mb flash, 32mb RAM
It is highly recommended to use a modified router. The modified MR11U and WR703N provide a better experience than the stock routers due to the additional RAM. The severe space constraints of the stock router make them very challenging to work with. Due to the lack of usable space, it is necessary to use an external disk to store the Tor packages. The stock router has only a single USB port, and the best option is to use a microSD in a 3G modem.
PORTAL Constuction Guide: Modified Router
Requirements
Router (modified)
3G modem or USB WiFi adapter
(optional) microSD card (for extended storage on 3G modem)
HOW TO
step 0. Flash OpenWRT. If the router does not already have OpenWRT, then flash a stock OpenWRT build onto the router. Use the Attitude Adjustment development line. See the OpenWRT wiki for details.
step 1. Flash the PORTAL firmware image onto the router.
step 2. Configure the PORTAL: set a root password, set a WPA2 password for the wifi, configure the internet uplink
step 3. Done
PORTAL Construction Guide: Stock Router
Requirements
Router (see: Supported Devices)
3G modem w/ microSD slot (known working: ZTE MF680, Huawei E176, SierraWireless)
microSD card (any size, faster is better)
HOW TO
step 0. Flash OpenWRT. Flash the trunk development line as it has a reduced footprint compared to the Attitude Adjustment line (no LuCi, etc.)
step 1. Install the following packages:
usb-modeswitch usb-modeswitch-data
kmod-usb-serial-option kmod-usb-serial-wwan
kmod-fs-ext4 kmod-scsi-core
comgt chat
block-mount
step 2. Format the microSD card as an ext4 filesystem. Make sure you pass the -O "^has_journal" option to mkfs.ext4.
$ sudo mkfs.ext4 -O "^has_journal" /dev/$DEVICE
Insert the microSD into the 3G modem and the modem into the router.
step 3. Configure the microSD card to appear as an overlay on the router. Edit /etc/config/fstab to contain a section for /dev/sda1 with a mountpoint of /overlay, set to automatically mount. Reboot the router. See the OpenWRT wiki for details, specifically the New external overlay variant (pivot overlay) section.
step 4. Install the following packages:
tor-alpha tor-alpha-geoip
ipt-mod-conntrack ipt-mod-conntrack-extras
step 5. Configure Tor. For an example see this OpenWRT forum post. Most of the configuration options are included in the PORTAL files/etc/ in this project.
Read the full README on GitHubWhat Hacker News says
17 sourcesEdit: Other commenters report that Android will silently re-enable cell data under various conditions, so this isn't a surefire solution, either.
The Grugq created a tool for this a decade ago (sadly unmaintained): https://github.com/grugq/portal as part of a presentation about operational security for hackers. It's a great watch if you're interested in how various (in)famous hackers thought they were secure and got busted anyway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XaYdCdwiWU
In DNS traffic can leak outside the VPN tunnel on AndroidIt worries me to find this in the repo:
-- No logs - No crime --
See https://github.com/grugq/portal/blob/master/openwrt-35017-to...
In Portal: Personal Onion Router to Assure LibertyPortal: Personal Onion Router to Assure Liberty
61 points · Open discussiongrugq released this 5 years ago...
https://github.com/grugq/portal
https://github.com/grugq/PORTALofPi
In Critical Tor flaw leaks users’ real IP addressIn the same vein, P.O.R.T.A.L.[0] mitigates against leaks by running Tor on a separate hardware router. In principle, it should reduce the risk of geolocation, as VM esape to dom0 is not possible. Annual success of pwn2own should tell you that all browsers are thoroughly compromised. If your adversary can escape to dom0, they should be able to reveal your real source IP. Whonix seems to provide this as an option[1], but not by default.
--
[0] https://github.com/grugq/portal
[1] https://www.whonix.org/w/index.php?title=Dev/Build_Documenta...
In Tails 1.3.1 is outPORTAL 'tor router' software provides what AnonyBox failed to deliver
2 points · Open discussionBetter advice is to use the grugq's PORTAL: https://github.com/grugq/portal
In Kickstarter Freezes Anonabox Privacy Router Project for Misleading FundersThe aim of the project was to make a transparent Tor proxy simple to use, reducing the chance for mistakes to happen. The Tor Browser does not route all of your traffic through Tor, only web traffic.
There are other options though, namely you've been able to configure OpenWRT to do this for years and of course https://github.com/grugq/portal. This project would just make it much simpler and easy to use, but they haven't inspired much confidence in the security aspect.
In Anonabox has been suspended by KickstarterThe same model is listed on AliExpress http://www.aliexpress.com/item/World-Smallest-Portable-Mini-... Unless that's a massive coincidence, they're buying off-the-shelf and modifying it.
But there are other projects that use off-the-shelf components with custom software. E.G. Portal https://github.com/grugq/portal
Which can run on one these http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Portable-Mini-TP-LINK-TL-WR70...
In Anonabox has been suspended by Kickstarterhttps://mobile.twitter.com/kpoulsen/status/52246310994522931...
All they did was smear away the logo in photochop, though their OEM might have provided this image. Anybody can make their own Anonbox with a Cubieboard or similar Allwinner A1x/A20 box for under $60. Or use thegrugqs PORTAL on a chipped TP-Link router you can find plenty on amazon/ebay for $40 https://github.com/grugq/portal/blob/master/README.md
In Privacy Router Anonabox Gets $600K in Crowdfunding and Huge BacklashAlso see the PORTAL travel router: https://github.com/grugq/portal
It uses the GL-Inet travel router. They already run OpenWRT by default and have both LAN and WAN ports. Eliminates the problems of Kickstarter.
I may do this tonight, as I have a few of them at home (they're great for "need a wifi bridge", "need a repeater", "friend needs a replacement router" type tasks).
http://www.amazon.com/Gl-iNet-Router-Openwrt-Mobile-Control/...
In Anonabox: a Tor hardware routerYou could try setting up TheGrugq's PortalofPi and route your computer through the Pi.
https://github.com/grugq/PORTALofPi
"A dedicated hardware device which forces all internet traffic to be sent over the Tor network. This significantly increases the odds of using Tor effectively, and reduces the potential to make fatal mistakes. "
https://github.com/grugq/portal
In Tor in Google Summer of Code 2014Have you talked to The Grugq about this?
Sounds like a beefed up version of PORTAL:
https://github.com/grugq/portal
In BlackphonePlease, use something open source and truly secure: PORTAL on a Raspberry Pi.
Developed by @thegrugq, reviewed and trusted by many. For a really lighter pricetag (the price of a RPi).
https://github.com/grugq/PORTALofPi
P.O.R.T.A.L. Personal Onion Router To Assure Liberty https://github.com/grugq/portal
A Linux router that connects to Tor over one interface and shares the connection over another one. Simple and secure.
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