Seems like it might be time to build my next router before they become unaffordable. I’ve done some research, but I’d like to get the pulse of the community since other self-hosters may have a similar use care.
Should I use PFsense or OpenWRT? Should I use purpose built or minipc hardware?
This is for a home network (symmetric gigabit fiber). A few of the devices have 2.5LAN ports and it would be nice to make use of that speed locally. Primary uses include streaming Disney+ and YouTube, web browsing, and self-hosting a few services I connect to via wireguard. Sometimes I play games, but not competitively, so an extra ms of ping isn’t going to throw me into a rage. I do use a remote desktop feature like steam link to play gamed on my home office PC from my bedroom. Ping is currently acceptable according to the system with occasional slowdowns when my family is slamming the WiFi.
I will need to provide WiFi access. If my existing router(s) have an AP mode, I imagine I can just plug them in via ethernet?
What kind of wireless AP hardware do I need if I want connections to transfer between a basement and attic AP with minimal interruption?
For the router itself, I see people using what look like barebones routers and others using a minipc with dual LAN. What do you use and what advantages/disadvantages have you experienced as a result.
Can I set up a wireguard VPN server in either pfSense or OpenWRT?
Are there any enshittification risks or open-source purity concerns with either choice?
Is there a significant difference in popularity between pfsense and openwrt?
I will happily accept hardware recommendations for 2.5GB capable router hardware for a home network with 1GB fiber. It needs to be able to handle inbound and outbound wireguard connections. I’m overwhelmed by the many options between all the minipcs and purpose built hardware. Location is USA.
I appreciate any insight you may have. I’m a Linux guy, but networking has always been my weak point so I’m asking for help.
When I got 10 Gbit internet at home I didn’t like the prices of any of the 10G routers for sale so I built my own out of a $80 used ThinkCentre Tiny, $7 PCIe riser, and $20 dual-10G Intel NIC. My APs are the Ubiquiti UniFi APs I was already using (The router I switched from was a Ubiquiti USG3)
Initially I tried opnSense (and pfSense) but no matter what I did I couldn’t get 10G throughput, so I switched to OpenWRT which has been working great. I feel like the Linux kernel will have better support than FreeBSD since it has a bigger user base.
For a 1G/2.5G network you can probably get a way with even cheaper hardware.
If you got a $20 10g Ethernet, chances are you didn’t get one that is well supported on Freebsd. They currently lag behind Linux on the drivers for those. If you had a fully supported card, network throughput often beats Linux (with the caviat that it is going to depend on what you are doing with the firewall and QOS, obviously).