Advice for an OpenWrt-based home network

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
1

Hi,
I am setting up a home network with several devices.
My requirements are:

  • 8 Ethernet devices running at 1G
  • 2 Ethernet devices running at 10G
  • 5 mobile phones + 5 Wi-Fi cameras
    The entire house is wired with 10G-ready cabling.
    I have a symmetrical 1G fiber optic connection.

What equipment do you recommend I buy?
A high-end router with many ports and Wi-Fi?
Or a simple router + switch + Wi-Fi access point?
I want the entire network to be controlled by OpenWrt. I do not want any devices with proprietary firmware.

I would prefer not to spend more than €500 on all the components.

Thank you very much for your help.

2

Not enough information.

  • Is it going to be a flat network, without any segmentation (such as a separate IoT VLAN or virtual access point)? If there is segmentation, which devices need access to the 10G network - i.e., does the router need to route 10 Gbps between different VLANs?
  • What's the WiFi speed requirement? What's the area to be covered? Is it all on one floor? Where are walls located?
  • Does the "no proprietary firmware" requirement also apply to the switch?
  • Are there any constraints like "this thing has to be compatible with a 12V DC UPS and provide at least 6 hours of runtime"?

But at this point my suggestion would be a well-supported router with WiFi + a switch (VLAN-aware if you need segmentation) for Ethernet devices.

3

Thank you very much for your reply.

  • It is a flat, unsegmented network. Just one VLAN.
  • All Ethernet devices connect to an unmanaged switch.
  • A switch with eight 1G ports and two 10G ports is sufficient.
  • The router's function is to provide Internet access to the switch and the access point.
  • The switch and the access point must be able to connect directly to the router via Ethernet.
  • The high-speed Wi-Fi devices are mobile phones and two laptops; the rest are slow devices: HD cameras, a scanner, and a printer.
  • The mobile phones are Wi-Fi 6E (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 2x2 MIMO).
  • The laptops use Intel Killer 1675 (AX211) cards: Wi-Fi 6E, 2400 Mbps, 2.4G/5G/6G.
  • The two 10G devices would be computers that share large files.
  • I want to copy data from one computer to the other at 10G speeds.
  • All Wi-Fi and Ethernet devices have Internet access.
  • It is a single-story, 120-square-meter apartment with brick walls and several rooms.
  • The idea is to place the access point or Wi-Fi router in a central area so that it covers the entire space.

thank you!!!

4

Given the restriction that all devices must run OpenWrt, there's at the moment only 1 switch that would fit your requirements: Zyxel XGS1250-12.
Regarding the AP: If you want a device which supports 6GHz, you should take a look at this.

5

There is still one unanswered question about the total area and signal conditions.

If there is only one floor, and the signal never has to travel through more than one wall, and 400 Mbps of the real WiFi throughput is enough, then my recommendation is: GL.iNET Flint 2 as a router, no separate WiFi access point, and an unmanaged switch of your choice. It will easily provide gigabit throughput for wired clients and even for 160 MHz capable WiFi clients in the same room. The downside is that it sacrificed the 6 GHz band.

Another option is the ASUS ZenWiFi BT8, which does come with 6 GHz, but this is not supported by OpenWrt for the USA-region variant of the device. And it downgrades the 5 GHz WiFi from 4x4:4 to 3x3:3.

6

I guess, i missed that...but: as far as i know, you'll need a managed switch if you want to use VLAN.
Without VLAN, you could choose a Zyxel XGS-1010-12 but you'd need 2 10G-Ethernet-SFP+ modules to connect your 10G-capable computers.

7

Sorry, I forgot to provide the information about the space:

  • It is a single-story, 120-square-meter apartment with brick walls and several rooms.
  • The idea is to place the access point or Wi-Fi router in a central area so that it covers the entire space.
8

This one: https://openwrt.org/toh/acer/predator_w6 fulfills the AP requirements with 6E, but not for the 10G connections and a switch would be needed.

9

So, a little bit larger.

I fear, that won't work. Even in our little flat (half the size) we do need 2 AP to cover everything.

10

That is 3 10G ports.

How about a map to make it easier to show.

11

120 square meters and brick walls is not a joke. This makes my plan invalid. Amendment (if you are OK with removing 6 GHz): one GL.iNET Flint 2 per room, plus a switch of your choice.

The Acer Predator W6 is indeed a good suggestion if you can still find it. What shows up is W6X, which is different but still supported: https://openwrt.org/toh/acer/predator_connect_w6x, but lacks 6 GHz support in hardware. And it is more expensive than GL.iNET Flint 2, with zero advantages.

12

Why? I don't understand your conclusion...

13

One in, one to each priority 10G device.

It would have shown in a diagram or drawing.

14

So, there're only these 2 computers with 10G. The OP doesn't mention anywhere that he wants to access one or both of these with 10G.
But that's just how i understood it...

15

Are the floors also brick?

Do you think that is air you are breathing?
One, open central staircase and flat/wide-focus..

People never think up/down.

16

I figured that two high demand machines would choke if they could only get outside information from a 1G pipe.

17

In my case, yes.
Edit:
Sorry, that's a mistake from my side.
It's not brick, but worse: reinforced concrete.

How do you call a mixture of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% of some other gases?

We're talking about a single floor flat / appartment.

Because that's not relevant in this case.

18

we didn't know until we asked because you act like this a dentist's office and won't show your teeth.

People ask for help and tell us we don't need to know.

Oh, there you are asking...

You need one radio with 6 detachable antennas replaced with patch antennas spread out symmetrically pointing down from the highest place you can get them.

Make sure OpenWrt can beam form them.

19

mark it solved.

20

Apologies for my English:

  • It is important for me to have access to all three bands: 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz.
  • It is important that the router, switch, and access point are fully compatible with OpenWrt.
  • If I have to choose between OpenWrt and 6GHz support, I would prefer OpenWrt and stick to just the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
  • Privacy is a concern for me, which is why I want OpenWrt.
  • I use a Pixel 9a phone running GrapheneOS.

Would this be the logical choice?

  • GL.iNet GL-MT6000 [165€]
  • ZyXEL XGS1250-12 [200€]

This way, I avoid having to buy a separate access point.
I can place the router in the center of the apartment to cover the entire area.

I currently use an Asus RT-AC87U router in that spot, and the signal is good. I only lose signal at the far ends of the house, but I don't usually spend much time there.

I don't mind spending a bit more to buy an access point. My budget limit is €500, so I still have some wiggle room.

I currently have two computers equipped with 10G Ethernet network cards.
For the time being, I am not using a 10G NAS.

My internet connection is fiber-optic with symmetrical 1Gbps speeds.
This connection is solely for internet access; I do not need to communicate with networks outside my home.

A 1Gbps connection between the router and the switch is sufficient.

Thank you very much for your advice and help.