Hello,
I'm making a full-blown wireless router out of iKoolcore R2, and need advice on the subject.
The goal of the project is a super-tiny wireless router that delivers as good as possible 2.5G LAN to 802.11be WLAN performance.
iKoolcore R2 has 2x m.2 slots - m.2 m key 2242, and m.2 e key 2230 right below it. My original plan was to use m-key slot for an AP-grade WLAN adapter - Wallys DR7915 for the time being, to be later replaced by Compex WLE7002E56 or comparable MTK-based 802.11be product, via m-key riser & m.2 m-key to miniPCIe adapter - and e-key slot for a 16GB Optane m.2 2242 module, via ae key to m key riser with fpc ribbon cable connection.
AFAIK on this board, m.2 m key slot delivers up to 10W (3.3V 3A), while m.2 e key slot up to 6.6W (3.3V 2A). I sadly don't have access to the board schematics.
To keep the project compact, I will raise the upper lid of the case, that is also used as a heatsink, via stand-offs, mounting antenna pigtail brackets on the sides.
My concerns:
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Will using a microSD card inside a super-compact USB 2.0 microSD card-reader (i.e. pretty slow - but allows minimal size increase and puts almost no stress on the usb port) instead of optane module for storage, to free up m.2 e key slot for other uses, result in any noticeable difference in performance, or affect the device in any other noticeable way?
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Does it make sense to use some client WLAN adapter eg MT7922, MT7925 in m.2 e key slot for 2.4G guest network, or will it be too weak?
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How risky is it to connect a full-blown AP-grade card rated for 8W-9W max power consumption to m.2 e key slot rated for 6.6W? What scenario should I expect when WLAN adapter tries to pull more current than the board is capable of delivering - the board suffering hardware damage, or WLAN adapter suffering reduced performance and/or stability issues?
built in wifi on x86 will be more expensive, and underperforming, compared to a plastic box router/AP.
BE wifi isn't supported by the Openwrt kernel, yet.
heat and power could be additional issues.
plainly put, don't do it.
1 Like
@frollic thank you!
I already have the hardware except 802.11be AP-grade cards, and overall willing to pay extra for the very compact size.
Why would such a setup be underperforming for my usage scenario (i.e. massive LAN to WLAN traffic, not WAN to LAN/WLAN), as long as WLAN AP card used is comparable to WLAN in a plastic box readily available wireless router signal strength-wise? The SoC in my box is N300, not N100 btw.
I know, but it will be supported sooner or later, and to have a working 802.11be setup I want as soon as support catches up, need to start building it now and ironing out possible issues.
I can definitely deal with any and all possible heat issues given the case configuration.
Power-wise I can definitely afford one AP-grade WLAN adapter. Not sure about the second one, as described in question #3 - but that was not in my initial concept anyway.
I currently use an ARM-based 802.11ax DIY wifi AP running OpenWRT - and it's the only wireless router device I have been more or less happy with.
I also have a couple newer ARM platforms I could use instead of this x86 - but they look much worse for the task, in all regards...
Overall, I can't buy a device I want (and have been waiting for years), it doesn't exist. My only option is to build one myself. I don't have that much experience with OpenWRT or WLAN AP hardware&firmware - hence the (probably stupid) questions. Please, kindly help me avoid stupid mistakes due to my lack of experience & understanding, and achieve my goal!
The one given, you dismissed.
1 Like
@frollic thank you!
Would your advice be exactly the same if I had Radxa E25 / FriendlyElec R5S / similarly sized dual 2.5GBe generic ARM SoC device as base?
Or BPI R3 mini, which should accept a 802.11be card in addition to built-in 802.11ax?