Ethashi

I kept running into the same annoying problem. I had devices with Ethernet ports but no WiFi, and devices with USB ports but no network access. I wanted a single, small adapter that could bridge Ethernet to WiFi and also act as a USB host for things like printers and external drives. So I built one.

Ethashi is essentially a compact network bridge and USB host rolled into one device. It takes an Ethernet connection and bridges it to WiFi, while also exposing a USB host port for peripherals. Plug in a printer, a USB SSD, or anything else, and it shows up on the network.

#How it works

At its core, Ethashi runs on a microcontroller that handles both Ethernet and WiFi networking stacks simultaneously. The Ethernet interface connects to your wired network, while the WiFi radio bridges traffic to a wireless access point or client connection. NAT and routing logic handles traffic between the two interfaces.

The USB host capability comes from the microcontroller’s USB OTG support. A software stack on the device enumerates connected USB devices and exposes them over the network, whether that’s a printer via standard network printing protocols or a storage device via SMB or similar file sharing.

#Features

• Ethernet to WiFi bridging in a compact form factor
• USB host port for printers, USB SSDs, and other peripherals
• Network printing support for connected printers
• File sharing for connected storage devices
• Low power consumption
• Small enough to tuck behind a monitor

#What’s next

I want to expand the USB device support and add a proper web interface for configuration. Right now setup requires some manual work, but the goal is a truly plug-and-play experience where you just connect everything and it works.