Hello,
I would like to replace my current network (powered by two wrt54g) with a more powerful router.  OpenWRT Kamikaze support would be preferred, but Debian would be okay too...

here's what I'd like:
- support for at least two MiniPCI interfaces (802.11a and 802.11g, with 802.11n in the future)
- 64 MB of RAM or greater (32 MB could be tolerable)
- fast enough to handle routing 10MBit of internet traffic with QoS of P2P and VoIP and some firewalling, along with light OpenVPN traffic
- (internet connection is PPPoE; could be done on-modem but the modem's implementation is slow)
- and WPA2/WEP across multiple SSIDs on Atheros cards
- internet traffic will flow mainly over Internet, but high-performance for wifi is preferred for file transfers/media playing
- with rflow and snmp
- with adequately sized onboard flash or support for CF, SD, IDE, or USB 2.0
- with two ethernet interfaces (lan and wan)

I have determined that the following devices could possibly work:
Soekris net5501
Soekris net4826
RouterBoard 532A
PC Engines WRAP 1e
Gateworks Avila

Does anyone have any experience with any of them or know of any other resources for this kind of stuff or other devices to consider?
I've heard that the Geodes have poor IO and/or CPU performance.  So far, one of the Gateworks boards look like the best choice with the RouterBoard in second.

The other option would be to go with PC hardware; however, I prefer something small, low-power, and passively cooled.
edit: I suppose an older laptop with two PCMCIA slots and/or miniPCI slots could suffice as well, if it had a ULV Pentium M or other similarly low-powered fanless CPU..

(Last edited by fdl4 on 8 Feb 2007, 01:30)

I am currently working with the Gateworks Avila and OpenWRT.  Kaloz, has been kind enough to get this port started. 

The 2348-4 board with its 533mhz processor outruns about everything in its class.  Once we get OpenWRT to use the built in encryption engine on this board it will be even faster. 

You can get everything you ask about working with OpenWRT Kamikaze, but it will require a fair amount of manual work.  If your looking for a GUI to do all that, I believe DD-WRT is supporting the Gateworks Avila boards also.

You can also use webif^2 on openwrt for a webif. The kamikaze port is still a work in progress but a lot of it works.

For the Gateworks, what does the encryption engine accelerate?

OpenWRT support is great, even if I have to work to get it running.  (I'd be willing to use Debian if OpenWRT wasn't available)

any recommendations on where to get the hardware (USA) and what to do for an indoor enclosure?  I can't seem to find anything.  I will be getting the 533MHz board.  This is for my own private residental use so it'll be single quantity....

and any antenna/wireless card suggestions would be appreciated (I haven't researched these that much yet)

I buy mine from http://www.bizsyscon.com.  Their prices have been very competitive. 

They are local to me and I buy everything over the counter, so I don't have any mail order experience with them.

You could use an old P3 and underclock and undervolt it. I am currently making a router with a 733MHz P3 underclocked to 550MHz and running on 1.3v. It has 384MB of RAM and will run off a custom DC/DC converter powered by an old 65w laptop power supply. (Expecting actual load under 45w.) I have plans to make a custom case from laser-cut steel and it has a front panel LCD. I also used a 2.5" hard drive (3GB) to reduce heat. It should need a very small fan for cooling at the most.
Very cheap and recycles some old hardware. You should be able to find someone who would give you one for free or sell it for a very low cost.

45w is a lot of power. My laptop is a Core Duo / 2 GB RAM / 7200 rpm HD and even at full screen brightness and CPU speed only uses at most 30w -- that's too much.

In order to be able to use a PC/laptop, I'd need to set up a VLAN for the WAN interface (which is in the same physical location as the router/access point will be) so that the router can be at a separate location from the access point, and then still buy hardware for the access point...

I don't think it will actually use 45w. The TDP of a stock 733MHz P3 is about 20W - comparable to modern mobile CPUs. Underclock and undervolt and it goes down. I will measure actual current draw when I'm finished building the router. (I highly doubt it's going to actually use anywhere near 45w based on heat output. The 45w is a worst-case calculation.)
Besides, with as little power as we're concerned here, hardware costs will wipe out any savings.

As for the WRAP 1e:

- support for at least two MiniPCI interfaces (802.11a and 802.11g, with 802.11n in the future)
It's got two of them.

- 64 MB of RAM or greater (32 MB could be tolerable)
It's got 128.

- fast enough to handle routing 10MBit of internet traffic with QoS of P2P and VoIP and some firewalling, along with light OpenVPN traffic
Yep, should be.

- (internet connection is PPPoE; could be done on-modem but the modem's implementation is slow)
Can be done.

- and WPA2/WEP across multiple SSIDs on Atheros cards
Can probably be done. Might need two cards.

- internet traffic will flow mainly over Internet, but high-performance for wifi is preferred for file transfers/media playing
That can be done

- with rflow and snmp
Should be possible

- with adequately sized onboard flash or support for CF, SD, IDE, or USB 2.0
It's got a CF slot which can take a CF card or microdrive. There's pin headers for USB 1.1 on the board.

- with two ethernet interfaces (lan and wan)
Two NSC 10/100 ethernet sockets.

As for size: 16x16CM, and power usage <15w with cards in use.

Winstron CM9 (802.11a/b/g 90mw) or Compex WLM54g (b/g 200mw). Dual 6dbi antennas connected. That's the way I'd do it, at least.

I'm a little wary about the performance of the SC1100 CPUs.

see: http://forums.star-os.com/showthread.php?p=37062
I don't know how reliable that information is, but it shows the WAR2 (based on a 266MHz ARM IXP425 Gateworks board) performing two times better than the x86-based 266MHz Geode.  I don't know if it was limited to Soekris or WRAP boards, the network interfaces or their drivers, or the CPU itself, or perhaps just performance issues with older Linux 2.4 kernels, but I've read of performance problems with interrupt handling and such as well...

http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/ … /1435.html
that isn't very reassuring at all....

...and this irc log doesn't bode well for the wrap, either...
http://www.irclogs.ws/freenode/wireless … 005/6.html

...If the 266MHz Gateworks board with 2 mini PCI slots had 64MB of RAM, I'd be on it.  The cost of the Gateworks board makes the sc1100-based boards a little more attractive, though.

(Last edited by fdl4 on 11 Feb 2007, 19:20)

I wonder how the performance of the RouterBoard 532A compares to the Gateworks and SC1100 boards.  I didn't realize it had a CF slot in addition to two mini PCI slots.  It uses a MIPS CPU up to 400MHz.  It's cheaper and easier to find accessories for than the Gateworks board, and is easily upgraded for two or six more mini PCI slots.

(Last edited by fdl4 on 11 Feb 2007, 19:27)

The encryption engine attaches to the kernel's encryption libraries, so anything that relies on the kernel for encryption will benefit. 

From dmesg on a WiliOS loaded 2345-4 board:

ixp4xx crypto glue initialised.
IXP4XX HW crypto driver v1.0
H/w 'md5' registered successfully.
H/w 'sha1' registered successfully.
H/w 'aes' registered successfully.
H/w 'des' registered successfully.
H/w 'des3_ede' registered successfully.
H/w 'arc4' registered successfully.
H/w 'ccmp' registered successfully.

I have now actually measured the currents and I was actually very surprised. A system using a 733MHz P3 underclocked to 550MHz/1.3v (along with 512MB of RAM and 2 NICs, both active) drew a mere 0.5A at idle on 5v, rising to 1.6A at full load. Draw on 3.3v was 2A at idle, rising to 3A at full load. Draw on 12v was 0.3A largely independent of load. (Note that the 12v drawn by the motherboard itself is only 0.1A, with the OLED backlight of the front panel LCD and the CPU fan accounting for the remaining 0.2A. Also note that it does not include the main disk, although laptop hard drives draw about 0.5A to 1A on 5v and Flash cards draw 0.1A or less on 5v or 3.3v...)
Since I ordered 6A voltage regulators for the 5v and 3.3v, looks like the calculations suggest something way overkill, especially for the 5v... I'll get a nice safety margin, though...

(Last edited by star882 on 21 Feb 2007, 01:39)

I went ahead and got a RouterBoard RB532A, 400MHz version.  After a few initial troubles it's working and booting OpenWRT from a 2GB CF.

For the spec u require, may be i can suggest you to take a look at this product.

http://www.compex.com.sg/home/products1 … 0111032142

this is dual mini pci like what you want.

if iam not mitaken, it also support WRT, i read it from internet but forgot to take the link.