Hardware recommendations for a custom router is needed
by finalizer from LinuxQuestions.org on (#6QPY1)
Hello there,
I want to make a fully customizable internet router with FreeBSD or Linux operating system. This should be a small and thin fanless box with following capabilities:
1. one SFP port that supports 1.25 Gbps SFP modules for fiber connection to ISP
2. one or more 1+ Gbps Ethernet ports
3. one bootable USB port (for OS installation)
4. one console port to control installation and configuration locally by a laptop computer
5. WiFi with antennas inside the box
6. internal NVME storage of at least 128 GB or just an NVME port
P.S. A long time ago I made a custom router from an old desktop PC. It had two Ethernet cards - one for LAN and another for an ADSL modem that worked in a bridge mode. I installed a regular x86 FreeBSD on that computer and configured PPPoE connection, DHCP, NAT and BIND (as my independent DNS server, since I didn't want to use DNS of my internet provider). This worked great and I had a full control over my router through a local console (monitor and keyboard) and through SSH inside my LAN. The only disadvantage was that it was a full size desktop PC. It took up a lot of space, was noisy and I had to periodically clean it from dust due to active cooling. And for WiFi I used a separate device, connected to LAN.
Now I want to build something very similar but fanless, with native SFP support and in a box with size of regular router. I've a wall embedded communication cabinet, this is why the router's size is critical. I want to install FreeBSD or Linux on it and configure it by myself exactly as I want. As a compromise I can agree to such a router even without WiFi. In this case I will buy a separate WiFi access point device.
Regular home internet routers are vendor locked embedded devices. They are very limited in what and how they could be configured and also what OS and other software could be installed on them. This is why I want to go away from such routers.
I want to make a fully customizable internet router with FreeBSD or Linux operating system. This should be a small and thin fanless box with following capabilities:
1. one SFP port that supports 1.25 Gbps SFP modules for fiber connection to ISP
2. one or more 1+ Gbps Ethernet ports
3. one bootable USB port (for OS installation)
4. one console port to control installation and configuration locally by a laptop computer
5. WiFi with antennas inside the box
6. internal NVME storage of at least 128 GB or just an NVME port
P.S. A long time ago I made a custom router from an old desktop PC. It had two Ethernet cards - one for LAN and another for an ADSL modem that worked in a bridge mode. I installed a regular x86 FreeBSD on that computer and configured PPPoE connection, DHCP, NAT and BIND (as my independent DNS server, since I didn't want to use DNS of my internet provider). This worked great and I had a full control over my router through a local console (monitor and keyboard) and through SSH inside my LAN. The only disadvantage was that it was a full size desktop PC. It took up a lot of space, was noisy and I had to periodically clean it from dust due to active cooling. And for WiFi I used a separate device, connected to LAN.
Now I want to build something very similar but fanless, with native SFP support and in a box with size of regular router. I've a wall embedded communication cabinet, this is why the router's size is critical. I want to install FreeBSD or Linux on it and configure it by myself exactly as I want. As a compromise I can agree to such a router even without WiFi. In this case I will buy a separate WiFi access point device.
Regular home internet routers are vendor locked embedded devices. They are very limited in what and how they could be configured and also what OS and other software could be installed on them. This is why I want to go away from such routers.