I watched Mikrotik boards, but they seemed to me big.
In the end, I ordered an GL-AR750S-Ext. Thanks for the help in choosing!
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I use a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ with 128GB SD card and a USB3 TP-Link Archer T2U Nano v3 (Realtek chipset) for 802.11ac . $35 for the Pi and $15 for the TP-Link. This TP-Link does not allow client and AP concurrently, the onboard wifi does - but only the same channel being repeated.
It will do OpenVPN at 55Mbps. Wireguard would be a ton faster - but it does not provide the features I need.
Originally I tried OpenWRT but the driver used for the Realtek chipset on TP-Link is ancient and does not work - this also severely limited what else I could do with the device.
I ended up setting it up with straight Raspbian and the most up to date driver for the TP-Link.
This allows me to do multiple configurations.
If ethernet is available for WAN I use the onboard radio as a 2.4GHz AP and the TP-Link as a 5GHz AP
If I have 5GHz WAN available I'll configure the onboard radio as a repeater / client and AP for 5Ghz and the TP-Link for 2.4GHz AP.
Or if I only have 2.4GHz as WAN available I will use the onboard radio to repeat it and the TP-Link for 5GHz AP.
Using a device with only one radio as a repeater will cause the wifi speed to be cut in half.
Under normal idle conditions it will draw about 400mA. Maxing out all 4 CPU will pull 1.2A
Using Raspbian I can also use Docker, encrypted storage on the SD, and a Bluetooth serial console that I can connect to from Android or laptop to debug without physically connecting to it.
System setup in this case will be much more complicated than with OpenVRT?
This setup, yes. I just found that the hardware available in microrouters is laughable and overpriced compared to current ARM 'maker' devices available
There is a OpenWRT image for the PI if that is all you need. If you want to find a 2nd different USB radio that is supported by OpenWRT that would be easier than the route I took, but for me the flexibility was worth it.
Also with OpenWRT on the Pi 3b+ - it runs OpenVPN at 65Mbps - because it is running in 64bit mode. The Pi 4 will do 85Mbps from what I've seen.
Yes, I also drew attention to this. Perhaps there is some hidden reason?
What do you mean by flexibility? What can not be done on OpenWRT?
I just think its a function of scale. The Pi and maker boards basically use a cellphone chips which are hugely produced and therefore cheaper than the much smaller MIPS / router market.
The examples I put at the bottom of my first post. Docker, encryptfs for encrypted storage, bluetooth serial console. I could put Kodi on it and hook it to a TV and have a media center at the same time, do game emulation, use the IO pins on the Pi etc etc...
OpenWRT is a purpose built appliance OS.
This is a cool battery pack for the Pi as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19K1OfmRy7Y
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Yes, in the case of a wearable device, OpenWRT is enough.
Yes, this is a very cool battery pack for the Raspberry Pi! Much more compact than mine with the 18650.
Perhaps it even fits in a standard case?