- MediaTek Filogic 880 processor
- 1 x 10 Gigabit SFP port
- 1 x 5 Gigabit Ethernet port
- 4 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet port
- 1 or 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports
- WiFi 7 (tri-band)
OpenWrt Two is expected to sell for around $250 when it hits the streets in late 2025
But the first OpenWrt-branded device has only two Ethernet ports, which is an odd choice for a router.
Well, technically it’s the only choice for a router… We are getting so used to the router/switch combo we will forget what exactly is a router. Which is probably good, I guess.
I mean, technically there’s no reason a router can’t route between more than two networks. For example, I’ve got both fiber and cable Internet (for no real good reason – I ought to cancel one and save some money) and I’ve configured my OpenWRT router to have two different uplinks, reconfiguring one of the four LAN ports to WAN2 instead.
I’ve also got the other ports configured for separate VLANs (walling my untrustworthy Chinese ONVIF cameras off from being able to phone home, for example), but I think that’s technically not “routing” 'cause it’s OSI layer 2.
I assume it’s not common to have more that two networks being routed, especially in a SOHO environment, but it’s definitely not impossible.
That’s not entirely true. Having a router with multiple interfaces is useful for multiple physical networks like VoIP, OOB, dmz, etc. We use vlans a lot for that now, but it’s not fair to say only two ports is the only choice.
Routers can run just fine off only one port too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router_on_a_stick
Only some have an internal switch, others just have multiple NICs.
Are you too used to Cisco devices? Mikrotik routers also have multiple ethernet ports, that are not connected to an internal switch.
I was recently looking for a decent WiFi 7 router to replace my aging Archer A6. Then, looked up the table of hardware at toh.openwrt.org and almost none of the WiFi 7 routers from mainstream brands was supported. Glad to see something first-party releasing soon. I’ll definitely buy one when it releases.
I just want standalone wifi7 aps with openwrt
Interesting that it will only have 1 10GbE port, I’m not really sure how you’re supposed to use 10Gb internet service if you can’t get 10Gb out of the router into your LAN.
The idea is that you use the 10Gb port as a trunk, then you use your switch to split it into separate physical ports using VLANs.
Ah that makes sense, so not very useful if you have over 5Gb internet service I suppose.
The 10Gb is full duplex, so you can transfer at the full 10Gb though that is split between upload and download. These and the kind of ‘problems’ I wish I had to consider.
Fair, I guess the chances of needing simultaneous 10Gb download and upload on the internet connection are pretty slim.
My ISP does offer 6 Gbps, but 1 Gbps is far more than I need already. I would drop down to like a 500 Mbps plan if they had one but it jumps all the way to 100 Mbps.
From the image, it doesn’t seem like it has rack mounts, which is kind of an odd choice. There are lots of switches that have a similar form factor, but can be put in 10" or 19" racks depending on which rack ears you put on it
It really grinds my gears how many things could be almost trivially designed to be rackmountable, but aren’t for no good reason. I guess in some cases it’s for market segmentation so they can charge more for “enterprise” gear, but in a lot of cases they don’t make any of that stuff to begin with so it clearly isn’t.
I’m actually so fed up with it that I’m seriously considering learning how to do sheet metal fabrication so I can make my own damn rackmount cases for stuff (with blackjack and hookers).
Also, what I really want is a version of this thing that’s rackmountable but has no wifi, and then another in the form factor of a ceiling-mounted PoE access point.
(And yes, this is just for my house, not “enterprise.” It’s not even a very big/fancy house; I just like my tech to be cleanly installed.)
I could whip up rack ears but making threaded holes confounds me. Even got a tap and die set, still can’t figure it out.
I was literally just researching how to do that yesterday (told you I was serious). It turns out that those threaded holes in sheet metal with the little dimples so there’s more thread than the sheet metal thickness are made with “roll taps” or “forming taps,” not “cutting taps” (which is what your tap and die set probably is). Instead of creating chips, they push the metal out of the way to form the threads.
By the way, similarly thickened but unthreaded holes are made with something called a “friction drill.” It doesn’t have any flutes, so it just heats up the metal until it gets soft and gets pushed out of the way. Kinda neat.
Anyway, I just ordered a 6-32 forming tap off AliExpress; I’m gonna see if I can add some more motherboard standoff holes to one of my computer cases because it’s big enough for an EATX board but isn’t drilled for it.
I also wouldn’t use the built-in Wifi on this, but I can understand why they’d want to offer an all-in-one solution
I run an older half depth supermicro server with a sfp+ PCI card for my router. At this point, it feels like dedicated boxes just aren’t worth it for routers except for enterprise where I need a support contract.
I was just about to cough up for a Banana Pi R4, but I might wait for this now.
I have a bpi-r4, it’s fantastic, totally recommended.
No idea about its wifi 7 though, I didn’t buy the addon board, and went with unifi u7’s instead.
Also, looking at the specs of the upcoming openwrt two devices, with only a single 10g port, it won’t work well if you’re getting 10gig service from your ISP, and have a 10g lan as well
Have you heard of our lord and saviour the used Thinkcentre tinys? (Like m710)
Can you do “roaming” / “fast-transition” solutions with the openwrt one and/or two? (What is called “mesh” by e.g. tplink)
Sure, 802.11k,r,v is supported and Dawn/usteer can handle steering.
Awesome. Thanks. What is dawn/usteer?
Edit: nvm, I see it mentioned in the openwrt docs. I’ll check it out, thanks.
I’m in the process of setting up usteer myself but haven’t quite finished. I think Dawn is easier but usteer seems more complete. Dawn doesn’t require a central controller which usteer does, but the usteer central controller can run on an non AP install which makes for nice centralized information.
What would be a good alternative to go between the modem and a mesh access point?
Two Ethernet (gigabit) would be required.
250$?! I can buy n100 minipc with 90$ and wifi7 intel card for 20$
Will that minipc have those 10g/5g/2.5g ethernet ports? If you don’t need that ethernet bandwidth, we all know there are cheaper options.
You and me know, but not everyone, most people don’t even know what lemmy is
People reading about OpenWRT based network devices, probably know about their needs. They are usually already looking for devices with OpenWRT support, without being too expensive.
Also, people not knowing about Lemmy is completely irrelevant on this context. I highly doubt that all friends on the network engineering field know about Lemmy, but they surely know whether they need 10g or not. Besides that, you are talking about people not knowing about Lemmy ON Lemmy.
Where can you buy an N90 for 90$? Legit question.
Aliexpress
GMKtec G3 Mini PC Intel Alder Lake N100 Windows 11 Pro Mini PC 8/16GB DDR4 256/512GB PCIe M.2 SSD WiFi 6 BT5.2 Desktop Computer https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLn5rCb
1 Ethernet port does not a router make.
Router-on-a-stick would work, but I’d like a 10G SFTP for that.
Have you seen Xiaomi WiFi routers?
thats garbage marketing naming. that is an access point
Only 1 ethernet port.
They often only have 1 ethernet port that’s 1GbE or 2.5GbE at that price, and a wifi client card doesn’t make a very good AP.
With this kind of speed, we could invent Call of Duty games where the Zombies want slightly more than brains. Generative A.I. uses internet data for training so at first, the zombies will probably request Doja Kat in the racial chat rooms showing feet but human progress marches ever forward. Within a decade, Zombies might just want to get drunk and go to Popeyes.
Braaaaiiiinnns. And a 16 piece family deal, spicy, with a side of red beans, mashed potatoes, and extra biscuits.
