This paper presents the development of an unsupervised, project-based networking subject at the Bendigo campus of La Trobe University. With a view of producing work-ready IT graduates, the advanced subject requires students to build an end-to-end ADSL broadband infrastructure, commonly used by Internet service providers. Unlike other project-based subjects, the subject content is well structured, with documentation prepared for both students and lecturers. Seven milestones are clearly defined to ensure students make steady progress over the semester. This paper describes the subject delivery method, milestones, and the setup of equipment for experiments. The subject gives students the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of how ADSL services are provided. This unsupervised project-based subject is designed to meet the challenge faced by many universities to deliver sustainable, cost effective, and yet high quality subjects for a very small number of students. ß 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 24:16-26, 2016; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary. com/journal/cae;