Wifi 6 mini pcie cards?

[Patrick M. Hausen]

OK, I'll ask this. Suppose I buy an ax version AP like this one https://mikrotik.com/product/cap_ax ... Why does it need all of the router OS to run it if the firewall/router is handling all the vlans and stuff? This is an area that I just haven't need to get into.

This device works perfectly well as an access point. I have it running like this. They just ship it with RouterOS so it might serve as your uplink router and AP if you prefer.

About every consumer device I know does this starting with the infamous Fritz!box. Configure as "LAN Client" - voila, AP mode.

My main home lab switch is a CSR326 made by them and - suprise - runs RouterOS. That's just their universal platform.

The Mikrotik AP is comparatively cheap for what you get and runs a well established OS.
I am not in any way affiliated with Mikrotik.

[Greg_E]

I have a couple Mikrotik products in production, I like them even though I'm not really using all the features. I keep thinking of phasing out my old Cisco stuff and going with Mikrotik as the replacement, this is all lab stuff and working with Cisco is an ever diminishing return as I get closer to retirement age.

[Marinoz]

in reply to anyone telling me to buy a router or ap i will probably not. The reason is because almost none under 200 euros ap/router has a 2.5 gbps port which i need to transport the data at the same speed as my firewall can. So just buying a wiif pcie card and making it act as an ap inside the mini pc not only i dont save money but i gain speed too. If someone of you has ever run openwrt can you make a wifi ap interface easily inside a virrtual environmnent because many have told me that its not suggested.

[doktornotor]

Uh. You will not get anything near 2.5 Gbps over wifi. Virtualized AP - yeah, that will completely rock with with mini-PCIe card sitting inside some machine inside a rack, guarantees excellent wifi coverage over extensive areas. This debate is getting increasingly absurd. 

[Marinoz]

Uh. You will not get anything near 2.5 Gbps over wifi. This debate is getting increasingly absurd.

What do you mean? There are loads of over 2.4 gbps wifi cards routers and even aps. I dont get what you mean.

[doktornotor]

What do you mean? There are loads of over 2.4 gbps wifi cards routers and even aps. I dont get what you mean.

Yeah, plenty of those routers with those nonsensical marketing figures that that aggregate 2G and 5G theoretical throuput with absurd channel width settings and MIMO configurations not available on 99%+ of clients and not usable due to environment and interference.

Get one of them and run some iperf tests. LOL.

[Patrick M. Hausen]

2.4 GHz - not 2.4 Gbps ...

[Marinoz]

2.4 GHz - not 2.4 Gbps ...

Ohhhh damn. Thats what yall thought didnt you. No i actually meant 2.4 gbps as of 2400 mbps wireless as of 2400 mbits per second my man. I want dual band or triband if yall ask about frequency but no lol i didnt mean 2.4 ghz

[Patrick M. Hausen]

OK, WiFi 6 theoretically can do that - granted.

But fact is - there is no card that will turn your OPNsense into an AP capable of that. There are hardly any cards that work as an AP at all. OPNsense and FreeBSD have poor support for infrastructure mode, period.

If you insist on turning your mini PC into an AP instead of just buying an AP, most probably the best path is to switch from OPNsense to OpenWRT.

[Marinoz]

OK, WiFi 6 theoretically can do that - granted.

But fact is - there is no card that will turn your OPNsense into an AP capable of that. There are hardly any cards that work as an AP at all. OPNsense and FreeBSD have poor support for infrastructure mode, period.

If you insist on turning your mini PC into an AP instead of just buying an AP, most probably the best path is to switch from OPNsense to OpenWRT.

OR have them both. One as firewall (opn) and the other as wifi ap

[Patrick M. Hausen]

But why build an AP from a mini PC when you can have a cheaper and more reliable AP from a reputable vendor?

The hAP-ax2 is less then 100 $/€ and they have a "light" version that's less than 60 €/$. I would not want to waste my time trying to build an AP from scratch, but you do you.

And again: Mikrotik is far from the only choice.

[Marinoz]

But why build an AP from a mini PC when you can have a cheaper and more reliable AP from a reputable vendor?

The hAP-ax2 is less then 100 $/€ and they have a "light" version that's less than 60 €/$. I would not want to waste my time trying to build an AP from scratch, but you do you.

And again: Mikrotik is far from the only choice.

thats why (see attachemnt). I need OVER 2.4 Gbps (not to be confused with 2.4ghz i need 2400 mbits per second) on the 5ghz band (ON ONE BAND NOT THE SUM UP). Wifi cards offer these speeds at really low prices to be honest. check mt7916npd asiarf for example.Its supported for ap by openwrt. I got wifi 6 over 2.4 gbps on 5ghz band and its price is 40 euros and with transportation fees its 60!edit: forgot the attachment lol

[doktornotor]

thats why (see attachemnt). I need OVER 2.4 Gbps (not to be confused with 2.4ghz i need 2400 mbits per second) on the 5ghz band (ON ONE BAND NOT THE SUM UP).

Yeah, you will NOT get that.

[Marinoz]

thats why (see attachemnt). I need OVER 2.4 Gbps (not to be confused with 2.4ghz i need 2400 mbits per second) on the 5ghz band (ON ONE BAND NOT THE SUM UP).

Yeah, you will NOT get that.

why not? what do you mean my man?

[chemlud]

it's feasible on paper, at best...