Does this config need x86? Gen feedback appreciated

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
1

Long story short, I live on the edge between farmland and civilization, and "real" internet connections with fiber/cable/etc are not available unless I want to pay an ISP to run about 2 miles of fiber to my doorstep (not gonna happen). Close to civilization, but not close enough. I am also on the edge of 5G cellular coverage between 3 different major ISPs that have unlimited data plans, so I get poor signal but data rates are at least 5-10x my previous 6Mbps, so improvement. I was on the waiting list for YEARS to get Starlink, and that finally got delivered last month, not great bandwidth and actual throughput varies significantly throughout the day and weather conditions (expected), but again, improvement. SO, now that I finally have Starlink as a decent-ish 2nd ISP connection to complement the low-signal strength 5G TMobile, time to attempt Multipath TCP/MPTCP. Now that my whining and complaining is done, on to the tentative design and my Q's.

NOTE: I use OpenWRT (love it!) for just about everything other than my main router which is usually pfSense. I am more familiar with pfSense for setting up VPNs dedicated to specific VLANs, but pfSense IIRC is based on FreeBSD, and IIRC neither currently support MPTCP, so it is a no-go for this. I haven't attempted setting up a remote site before (VPS server as member of overall network), so please correct any misconceptions I (probably) have, any pointers appreciated.

Here's the tentative idea I want to morph the WAN-side of my network to, which includes stuff I want to play with (home lab) alongside my day-to-day internet for home:

20230625-TentativeMptcpWAN
20230625-TentativeMptcpWAN1573×1107 180 KB

Q's:

  1. What hardware should I target for my main local router? Is x86 necessary?
  2. Is my desire for "single-NAT traversal for all traffic regardless of exit gateway" possible?
  3. What is the best way to connect to the remote VPS server / expose as MPTCP interfaces over separate ISPs, or however the configuration needs to be, without NAT traversal (labeled as "MPTCP Interface X" in diagram)?
  4. Any thoughts/corrections/pointers/etc are appreciated. I've messed around with a lot of different things, but I am a Newb on many of the subjects at hand.

Appreciate any feedback you may have, thanks!

2

That mostly depends on the aggregate (and individual) throughput of the three connections you want to merge (plus some healthy performance margin on top), the closer you get to 'fast' connectivity, the more reasonable x86_64 becomes.

3

Thanks for the feedback

Starlink is usually around 60Mbps, but Ive seen it peak over 200. Currently installed on roof with no obstructions, so it is as good as it will get. The current 5G cellular is a different story, usually around 45Mbps but Ive seen it peak at 260Mbps even with cheapo omnidirectional antennas when I take the router outside, hang upside down by one leg with an arm extended, and the planets align just perfectly. Currently working on installing outdoor long distance 5G antennas, also looking around to pick up a SIM card to evaluate a possible 3rd ISP/WAN3 option (assuming I can get MPTCP working, otherwise would be a waste). If ISPs extend their mmWave AKA "Ultrawideband" coverage just a few more miles my direction, then I might be able to pick up enough faint signal....... Eh, I'll set that dream/fantasy aside for now.

So, ultimately I won't know actual real-world bandwidth until I finish building the thing, including the router. The main issue with router hardware is that I have no idea what the best way to securely connect the local router to remote VPS via multiple ISPs ideally with no NAT inbetween, and generally don't have a grasp of the overhead/hardware load for various crypt and/or packet handling, etc for the overly-complicated network config I want to play/learn with.

Don't know what type of tunnel I should be reading up on.