Home-Rolling WWAN-to-Ethernet Bridge & WiFi AP Box

[Kermee]

Hi All,

I'm trying to build something that will integrate a Netgate SG-1100 into my network. I would like something that's all-in-one in a small box/case which can feed into the WAN part of the Netgate SG-1100. Here are the following requirements.

Requirements:

1. I have the new T-Mobile (USA) 100GB data plan so some type of 4G LTE-A WWAN. (5G WWAN would be a bonus but have a feeling they're relatively expensive).
2. A dedicated 2.4/5GHz WiFi 6 WWAN for when WiFi is available nearby to use for the WAN port on the Netgate (bridged).
3. A dedicated 2.4/5GHz WiFi 6 WWAN which operates as an AP which would be plugged into the LAN port on the Netgate (bridged).
4. All wired Ethernet ports should be at least GbE.
5. I'm most familiar with Linux and more comfortable with CLI than GUIs, so OpenWrt or OpenWrt/LEDE supported or similar would be nice.
6. I'm guessing with three different radios (LTE WWAN, WiFi #1, WiFi #2), I'm looking at a minimum of 6 antennas so the case/box would have to support at least 6 external antenna ports or easily hack antenna ports by drilling holes).

The following are nice to haves, but not necessary.

Optional:

1. 4x4 MIMO instead of the typical 2x2 for WiFi, but knowing I'd be going from 6 antennas to 10 antennas total.
2. 4-port "built-in" GbE switch which are all independent of each other and supports VLANs.
3. Relatively easy to run off of 12VDC (This setup is going into a vehicle).

To be clear, the firewall/routing would be done at the Netgate SG-1100 level. The purpose of the box is to basically bridge either LTE or nearby WiFi as a WWAN to the WAN port of the Netgate SG-1100 and to operate a wireless AP for the LAN section.

And yes, I know there are off-the-shelf solutions available for all the requirements above, but I like hand-rolling my own stuff when it comes to these types of projects. This is going into a vehicle and operating off of a large LiON 2,000Wh battery bank so while total wattage isn't too big of a concern for me, going for the most power efficient way would be nice too.

Any help, ideas, comments, suggestions, criticisms, welcomed. Thanks in advance.

Cheers!

[Didneywhorl]

Mega Build. I'd have to think on that. Hopefully someone can chime in quick.

[lod411]

well i use a homebrew gateway/router. with ClearOS 7.7

1- HP Z420 with E5-2670 v1 CPU, 32gb memory, crap msi 6800 graphics card & PNY 240gb ssd (system about $299)
2 - HP NC523SFP DUAL PORT 10Gb network cards. ($25 per card on ebay used)(one 10gbe port is used for my comcast 1gb connection with an arris s33 modem- WWAN)
1 - PEXG6I Silicom 6-Port PCI-E Gigabit network card. ($42 used on ebay)
1 - D-Link AC3200 DIR-890L/R set to access point mode for wi-fi ($40 used on ebay)
2 -SFP+ direct connect cable ($15 per cable)
1 - SFP+ to RJ45 adaptor ($45)
7 - Cat6 of various lenghts

ClearOS 7.7 allows for multi wan with priority settings for multi wan with a simple app install. All network cards are bridged and you can setup vlan in the clearOS gui. some command line editing is needed on a couple of the more advanced settings.

i am currently trying to mutli wan my WG1608 router with an em12-g lte modem on at&t carrier as a backup internet.

the only down fall with clearOS is the centOS/redhat kernel it runs on is old (3..x) and does not support wi-fi 6, but that is no real downfall because with a stand alone AP you can position it better than trying to move a PC to the best location.

I built this setup mainly for SPEED. when you cross over to the 10GBe network. trying to find a router that will handle the traffic for a reasonable price is nearly impossible. the ones i bought could either handle that 10GBe internal traffic or not at all. 100% CPU saturation. they couldn't handle the 1GB internet. with this setup my options are endless.

you probably don't need such a overkill computer. you probably could get away with an old pc you have laying around.

[LoveMeSomeCALTE]

you probably don't need such a overkill computer. you probably could get away with an old pc you have laying around.

The setup cost for that would be low, sure but for a system that runs 24x7, the running costs catch up fast.

I use low power PCs that they use at call centers - the bean counters there ensure the running costs are as low as possible so these low power PCs use 7W all in, and I can buy 3-4 year old ones used from the local recycler.

An x64 system that runs at 7W - 11W peak - beats a lot of modern routers!