Points of Entry

A point of entry is how a device connects to the StartWRT network and receives its Security Profile. There are three types of entry points, each mapping to a profile.

Ethernet

Each physical Ethernet port on the router maps to a Security Profile. The port a device plugs into determines its profile. See Ethernet.

Wi-Fi

StartWRT uses one Wi-Fi network (one SSID) with multiple passwords. Each password maps to a different Security Profile. The password a device uses to join the network determines its profile. See Wi-Fi.

Inbound VPN

Each WireGuard VPN server on the router maps to a Security Profile. Remote devices connect to a VPN server and receive the corresponding profile, as if they were physically present on the network. See Inbound VPNs.

Why Entry Points Matter

Traditional routers require you to think in terms of VLANs, firewall rules, and subnets. StartWRT replaces all of that with a simple mental model: how you connect determines what you can access. Whether a device plugs into a specific Ethernet port, uses a specific Wi-Fi password, or connects through a specific VPN server, the result is the same — it gets assigned a profile that governs its network access.