2026-07-10 –, Decentralized Hardware @ Hackers Lab
In this workshop we will discuss and try TollGate, a protocol that enables anyone with a router to operate as an internet service provider.
In this workshop we will discuss TollGate, a protocol that enables anyone with hardware that is capable of routing to operate as an internet service provider by delivering transport in exchange for bearer instruments.
In this workshop we will start with a short motivation followed by a demo and a hands on session where we flash the package on OpenWRT routers and configure them according to our needs. Feel free to bring your router, especially if its already supported.
In the context of TollGate, "Cobrador" leans into the gritty, nostalgic "debt collector" persona often found in urban folklore, turning a once-feared figure into a guardian of the community commons. It’s high-tier meme material: transforming the router from a passive box into a digital street-collecter that ensures the network stays fueled and sustainable. By reclaiming the title, it signals a shift from corporate extraction to a grassroots "pay-what-is-fair" system, making the act of contributing bandwidth as iconic and culturally rooted as the neighborhood collector.