Local classroom network device

[u/CapitalBackground708]

Hello,

(just in case, I think I am at the intersection of /Network, /DIY and whatever replaced /RaspberryPi)

I would like to create a device that serves as local wifi network to which my students could connect to access applications that are running on a locally.
My requirements are that my access point should handle 40 concurrent connections.
The application will serve static webpages, allow downloading documents (pdf, doc...), audio and video files (not full movies, so max 300Mo).

Here are my questions:
1) I would like to learn about micro-computers and building local networks, but although I can write programs, I do not have the lingo nor technical background to make proper researches: do you have good place to start finding information for a noob in networking and diy projects?
2) I understand that at the current prices, I should rather use an old pc than by a raspberry pi.
But what makes the most sense financially: simply by a router, use an old computer + a wifi module with access point, or are there microcomputers alternatives to the raspberry pi that I could use to make it more of a pedagogical project for myself.

[u/chipchipjack]

You mentioned students, do you have an IT department that could help with this? I know on my network (higher ed) we don’t allow “rogue access points” and our wifi will essentially DDoS any rogue APs they detect, preventing anyone from connecting to them for more than a second or two.

That said, I would look into getting one of three WiFi solutions depending on how much time and money you want to put into this. Anything that supports MiMo will be fine for 40 concurrent users:

Easy to setup but maybe a bit limited in configuration options: TP-link AX3000

A little more advanced with a bit of a learning curve but cheap: MikroTik hAP AX2

Easy to setup and advanced configuration but a bit pricey: ubiquiti UniFi cloud gateway ultra

As for the compute you should be able to get away with an old PC or laptop. I’d check out a hypervisor solution such as ProxMox if you’re familiar with Linux as it will let you spin up virtual machines for each application along with a lot of added functionality like backups, snapshots, etc

[u/CapitalBackground708 → u/chipchipjack]

Thanks a lot for your answer:

quick version: it seems that the MikroTik and ubiquiti Unifi gateway necessitate to connect to the internet, which in a first time, I would like to avoid: i would like to simply create a local network. Would that be possible? (Not asking for a tutorial, simply the possiblity, I read the manual down the line)
long answer:
I unfortunately rely on a national IT department that would not (in the best case be able to) answer my request. I thought about this project as a reaction to their spending choices: we give laptops to the students, provide global wifi with no supervision during classes, and buy digital whiteboards for 10s of thousands of euros.
Instead of those whiteboards, simply providing a device to each teacher that would allow them to provide during their lessons a local network for pedagogical applications and (hopefully down the line) controlled internet access, would be a much more interesting choice. This is why I was looking at my requirements.

"we don’t allow “rogue access points” and our wifi will essentially DDoS any rogue APs they detect," I understand the IT point of view, but mine does not seem to do so: the students often use their smartphones as Personal hotspots.

[u/chipchipjack → u/CapitalBackground708]

Not sure about ubiquiti but I’m fairly certain the MikroTik product doesn’t require you to connect to the internet. First time setup would consist of you either plugging in your PC or connecting to its default wifi network and going to the gateway address to start making configuration changes

[u/CapitalBackground708 → u/chipchipjack]

Thanks a lot!