I’m going to begin with a limited-edition custom network bridge/gateway built into a vintage lunchbox.  I have a nice A-Team one that I can use.  It’s smallish, it’s shielded, it’s better than a black metal box.  I don’t know if I can use a vintage antenna or not.  The ugly black plastic post of a typical router wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it is less than elegant.

I think the hardware is pretty simple for a quick prototype.  The firmware, of course, will turn out to be a nightmare, but if I can get the hardware tested and working, I might be able to sell the boxes for hobby use to support further development.