Quick Start
To start using AMENDMENT1 Secure WiFi Privacy Router just follow these 3 simple steps:
1 Plug the included black network cable into your DSL or Cable Modem (or any active network port) and the port labeled “NET” on the AMENDMENT1
2 Plug the included USB power cable into a power source (use the included A/C Power Adapter, a USB Powerbank, your Laptop or PC USB Slot, or a powered USB Wall Socket) and the port labeled “POWER” on the AMENDMENT1
3 Wait for the Green “SECURE” light to illuminate and then log in via WiFi – you will see a new secure WiFi network “AMENDMENT1” on your device. Use default password “cheeseandgrits” to log in from your WiFi-Enabled devices. Attach as many devices as you feel prudent – there is no limit except your network bandwidth!
You’re done! All traffic from any connected device will now flow over an anonymized Tor connection, protecting your identity and anonymizing your location while encrypting all connections. To verify manually, open a web page (on your connected device) and navigate to: https://check.torproject.org
Do’s and Don’ts
- Do use it at the Hotel, the Library, the Cafe, at Work or anyplace you don’t want to be monitored
- Don’t use it to stream Netflix because they block private traffic.
- Do use it to protect your family, friends, and coworkers when searching online, participating in public forums, or shopping for the best prices
- Don’t use it to try to buy drugs or engage in illicit activity on the “Dark Web”
- Do use it the next time you visit a political site, register for a rally or protest, or express opinions on such sites
- Don’t use it to intimidate or harass others, engage in hateful speech, or libel your neighbors.
- Do use it to write Fan Fiction, supplement Head Cannon, or participate in artist communities
- Don’t use it to illegally share files or start a bit torrent – it may expose you.
- Do use it in conjunction with secure email, messaging, and video platforms
- Don’t make the mistake of thinking you are immune from viruses, trojans, and malware simply because you are anonymous – careful what you download!
- Just remember, it is one thing to exercise your 1st Amendment right to Free Speech but it is quite another to consciously bring the scrutiny of law enforcement to your online activity.
Basic Operation
Startup
As soon as you provide power to the AMENDMENT1 it will begin operation. The first indication that things are working correctly is that you will see small flashing red and green lights inside the box – just look in the A-hole to see them working. After a few seconds you will see the startup procedure for the diagnostic, network, and anonymizing processes begin. First the yellow light labeled “OFF” will flash to validate the On/Off button is working. Second, the red light labeled “POWER” will flash to indicate all systems are normal. Third, the green light labeled “SECURE” will flash to indicate the AMENDMENT1 is starting privacy mode. The system will then probe the network for an address and attempt to connect to the anonymizing network software. If a successful connection is made and secured, the green light labeled “SECURE” will illuminate to indicate your connection is encrypted and anonymized on the Tor network. If the AMENDMENT 1 finds a network connection but cannot create a secure, anonymized, and encrypted connection the green light labeled “SECURE” will flash to indicate the connection is insecure or broken. AMENDMENT1 will probe for up to 2 minutes to try to create a secure, encrypted, and anonymized connection, at which point it will cease trying and the green light labeled “SECURE” will remain dark.
Use
AMENDMENT1 uses a very stable and robust micro operating system and can run for months or years without any need for restarts or “power cycling”. The radius of the WiFi Router created varies by environment but you will find that the AMENDMENT1 creates a strong WiFi signal that will be accessible anywhere in most homes. Plug it in and leave it operating – when you feel like a secure connection, simply switch to the AMENDMENT1 network on your device. AMENDMENT 1 supports all modern devices running MacOS, Windows, iOS, Android, or Linux.
Shutdown and Restart
To safely shutdown your AMENDMENT1 hold the POWER button for 5 seconds. The yellow light labeled “OFF” will begin to flash after the POWER button is depressed for 5 seconds. When you release the button the yellow light labeled “OFF” will cease flashing and AMENDMENT 1 will release the secure encrypted and anonymized connection, turn off the WiFi Hub, and shutdown. Once all three lights are off, it is safe to disconnect the power.
Restart
Once your AMENDMENT1 is safely shut down, simply press the power button once and release and it will begin the startup sequence above. If you have removed the power connection, the AMENDMENT1 will begin startup as soon as power is supplied.
Basic Troubleshooting
My Connection Seems Slow
Connection speeds will almost certainly be slower than without an encrypted secure and anonymized network. However, most users will not see a significant decrease in performance – especially for recommended uses. If on any given use performance seems unusually slow, it is possible your secured encrypted and anonymized network circuit is simply degraded. Try turning the AMENDMENT1 Off and On again.
The Lights are not Working
If none of the lights flash on startup (yellow, red, green) then there is a problem with your AMENDMENT1. During a normal Startup (see Startup above) there are numerous indications of what is happening with the hardware and software. Please make note of this process and contact us for help or a return
The Red Light is Not Working
This indicates a hardware or software issue with the power switchboard. During a normal Startup (see Startup above) there are numerous indications of what is happening with the hardware and software. Please make note of this process and contact us for help.
The Green Light is Not Working
If only the Green Light fails to illuminate or simply flashes (or sits idle for an extended period of approximately 2 minutes), this indicates problems with your network. To be sure it is not something simple check all your cable connections and Try turning the AMENDMENT1 Off and On again.The Green Light Flashing means a secure, encrypted, and anonymized connection is not possible from the current network location (where you plugged in the black network cable – see Quick Start above). If the Green Light stays off, it implies (strongly) the physical location is disabled for network use. Ideally, you should simply try another physical network plug – even if it is in the same building. Additionally, it may indicate someone really doesn’t want you to be anonymous (and is taking measures to actively prevent it). Simply move the AMENDMENT1 to a new location because you are clearly being monitored.
Other Questions
Technology can be fantastically empowering… or profoundly frustrating! AMENDMENT1 is designed to be as user-friendly as possible but feel free to contact us with other questions.
Advanced Use
Anonymous Browsing
For peace of mind, your AMENDMENT1 is configured simply as a client. This means that it only sends your traffic over the Tor network. While it is conceivable some entity with listening devices at both ends of your anonymized connection might be able to identify your unique traffic, it is very unlikely. Of course, using any website or application service that uses identifying technology (logins, cookies, etc) may increase this likelihood. In short, if you want to remain anonymous, don’t log into any accounts using your real identity. However, if you do, your traffic will be anonymized and encrypted even though the service you logged into will recognize your login.
Administration of the AMENDMENT1
The AMENDMENT1 is designed so that you will never have to do anything at all. The micro operating system is very stable and can run for literally years without anything but an infrequent restart (advisable but not necessary).
However, if you are an adventurous user you might wish to experiment. Within the administration portal are all the components you need to make the AMENDMENT1 into anything you wish or install any additional software you might like. Be advised, changing software packages may interfere with the AMENDMENT1 but if you manage to “break” the software, simply download and reinstall from our GitHub pages.
Administration Portal
First connect to your AMENDMENT 1 over the WiFi network “AMENDMENT1” from any device with a web browser. Once connected, open the web browser and type the following in the URL Bar: https://192.168.42.1:10000
You will likely see an alert that your browser does not recognize the security certificate of the device. This is normal and to be expected. It is simply telling you the certificate is not authorized by a central authority your browser knows (that wouldn’t be very anonymous, would it?). The link is encrypted and secure – simply tell your browser (Firefox, Explorer/Edge, Chrome) you know what you are doing.
Next, simply log in using the Administrator credentials: user=”root” and password=”cheeseandgrits”.
Welcome to your AMENDMENT1 administration portal. Be careful – it is quite powerful. You are in charge and can access and control almost all functions of your device from this portal.
Change User Password
Once you have logged onto the Administration Portal you can control almost every aspect of your device. However, the most important thing you can do is to update your administrative password because everyone who buys an AMENDMENT1 has the same administrative password when they receive it. Now, don’t panic… The administration portal is not available unless the user is logged onto the “AMENDMENT1” WiFi network (and thus, likely standing in your Living Room). Still, let’s be safe and change it to something you can remember. It’s easy.
Just select “System” from the main menu and then select “Change Passwords”
The user we are concerned with here is “root” (that’s you) so select “root” from the menu. Pick a password you can remember or write it in a safe place. Type in the new password in each field and press “change”. This will affect your login to the administrative portal as well but that’s ok, just repeat the process above to log back in with the new password.
Change WiFi SSID and/or Password
When you get your AMENDMENT1 and look for the new WiFi network, you may notice other networks in your vicinity (coffee shops, stores, neighbors, etc) and while you may or may not be able to log onto them everyone can see them. Maybe you don’t want others to know you have an AMENDMENT1. Maybe you are creative and just want to change the name that shows up when users look for a WiFi connection (SSID). More importantly, maybe you want to have a secret password only you know to help control access to your secure encrypted anonymous WiFi hub. To update your WiFi SSID or Password, log into the Administrative Portal as shown above. Once logged in navigate to “Servers” in the main menu and select “HostAP”.
Now change them to whatever you like. Even though when it shipped, the WiFi password and root (administrative user) passwords are the same there is no reason they need to be or should be the same. You should change them both but it is better if they are not the same. So, be creative… For some reason I was thinking of my late Grandmother’s signature holiday dish when I made the default password (but it is easy to remember). Change yours to whatever you wish (it_is_best_to_avoid_blank_spaces) and press “Save”; press “Cancel” if you change your mind.
Note the password is in cleartext so you can easily see what you actually typed. Likewise, changes will not take effect until you reboot the AMENDMENT1 to prevent being immediately disconnected from the WiFi. So, once you are satisfied, we need to reboot the AMENDMENT1. Let’s use the Administrative Portal to do this because it is fun (but you could use the POWER button). Select “System” from the main menu and then select “Bootup and Shutdown”. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the “Bootup and Shutdown” menu and press “Reboot System”. Remember, now all your password changes and updates will take effect so make sure you remember your changes!
Set Exit Nodes for another Country to Bypass Service Bans
Specifically, this works well to fight for Net Neutrality or fight the TikTok Ban. First, log into your AMENDMENT1 through the Administration Portal as outlined above. Once you have logged in, you will want to change the settings of your Tor configuration to only use Exit Nodes in a certain country – for this example Canada. Start by following along in the image below and select “Others” from the main menu. Then select “File Manager” and in the main window, select “etc”.
Once inside the “etc” folder, you want to edit the configuration in the folder for the Tor application services. That folder is on the 4th page of folder results within the “etc” folder. Click to open the Tor folder.
Inside the Tor folder, you want to edit the “torrc” file. To edit the “torrc” file, simply Right-Click on the “torrc” file and select “Edit”.
Selecting “Edit” will bring up an edit dialog. You want to change your configuration to match the one in the image below. You will add these lines to the existing configuration:
FascistFirewall 1
ExitNodes {ca}
StrictNodes 1
Click on the “Save” icon (the little disk) in the top right corner and then reboot the AMENDMENT1. Now all your traffic will exit from the Tor Network in Canada. To the world at large, it will appear you are in Canada. Similarly, you can expand or contract this list by adding country codes to the StrictNodes list. Here is a handy guide.
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