Custom setup vs router

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
1

Hello,
I live in the UK and I am looking to buy my first openwrt router, but I am not sure which one to get or if I should build a custom setup altogether.
My internet speeds are around 330/51 mbits
I only have 5-6 devices.
I need wifi 6
I would also like to have SQM with cake.
My current options are a custom setup:
Lenovo Thinkcenter M73 Mini PC i3 4130T 4GB RAM 256GB SSD
TP-Link 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch
NETGEAR AX1800 Wireless Access Point
This comes to a total of 78gbp

OR

Cudy WR3000 AX3000 Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Router
for 40gbp

Or if you have any other better suggestions?
Please let me know also if the custom build will work and what else I need to consider, I already have usb to ethernet adapter I can use for it.

2

If you're going to tinker with the system and add/subtract pieces and generally experiment with networking, then option 1 is the way to go. If you want to "set it and forget it", go with the all-in-one.

1 Like
3

On power consumption alone (the specs for the M73 indicate that it has a 240W power supply -- if it uses even 1/4 of that when not taxed, that's still 60W), I'd opt for a plastic box all-in-one style wifi router.

2 Likes
4

Thanks. Power consumption is something that escaped my mind completely!
I looked at some tests, it looks like it uses 12W on idle and about 40W on full
load.
I also found HP ProBook 430 G3 14.1" Intel Core i5-6200U 2.40GHz - 12GB RAM - 240GB SSD which uses 9W on idle and about 25W on full load.

Is the WR3000 enough for SQM at 330mbit?
Is there a better value router than it?

1 Like
5

Will you have a outboard AP for wifi or are you expecting to use something built into an x86 box if you go that route?

I'm not the right person to ask this question -- I don't use any SQM for my connection, so I can't help with performance expectations around SQM.

6

Banana Pi BPI-R3:

  • 4.9W on idle and about 11W on full load with both WiFi 6 bands enabled.
  • You can use SQM CAKE up to 500 Mbps and without SQM up to 2500 Mbps.
  • You can add a SFP GPON Stick and replace your ISP's ONU.

Reviews:

7

I will use external AP, AX1800 (wax214)from netgear, used are pretty cheap.

8

thats a bit outside my budget, the pi alone is 100£ here

10

In UK there should be Mercusys MR90X which has MT7986, this one should have no problem with your SQM requirement.