After hearing about Web3, I started thinking about and trying to understand how the Internet works, something we use every day and that has already become such a fundamental part of our lives.
I had heard about DePIN, and everything seemed so confusing because I didn’t even understand the basics of how Web2 infrastructure worked. Soon after that, I enrolled in a Computer Networks course, bought a router and an Arduino, and created a Linux VM to set up services and learn, through practice, how all of this actually works.
After a few labs, and as I was beginning to create some beginner-level projects, whether developing for microcontrollers or creating and hosting my own services. I decided to move to a new place. Because of that, I also had to change my Internet Service Provider (ISP).
When I contacted the new provider, I discovered that their contract would not allow me to put their router into bridge mode, and I would not have access to its configuration panel either. I was worried because I already had a small homelab running, using my own OpenWrt router to forward ports to my local services.
I decided to do some research and realized that a DMZ might solve the problem. So, before signing the contract, I asked the ISP if this configuration would be possible. They told me it was, so I signed up without any major concerns.
However, this became a problem from the very first day.
During the installation, I asked the technicians about setting up the DMZ. They looked confused and said they didn't know what I was talking about, and that I should contact support.
After the Internet was installed, I spent a few hours talking to several WhatsApp bots until I finally reached a support agent, and only then was I able to request the DMZ configuration.
They configured it and even showed me a screenshot of their router with the settings supposedly configured correctly. But I was never able to access my services through port forwarding again.
I still don't have enough technical knowledge to say exactly why this happened, and even the ISP's technicians were unable to solve it. Sometimes it feels like ISPs try to protect their users a little too much, and in doing so, they end up taking away their autonomy.
It's like those parents who don't let their children explore because they're afraid they might get hurt. The problem is that, if the child is never allowed to explore, they don't learn how to handle the world on their own when they grow up.
At least, this whole problem made me look for other solutions.
I installed a VPN on my router, and through the VPN I was able to make port forwarding work again, accessing my services directly through the tunnel without having to go through the ISP's router.
My Internet connection is actually more secure now, but there is a downside: if I want to share one of my services with a friend, I first have to convince them to join my VPN.
Maybe this is not the most elegant solution, but it was a good reminder that sometimes, when the ISP closes one door, you have to learn enough about networking to build another one.
