OpenWRT - Build a 10Gbps x86 OpenWRT Router PC

In this video, I will build a 10 Gbps x86 OpenWRT router PC with Mellanox Connect x3 SFP+ Ethernet adapter. There are different SFP+ adapter manufactures: Intel, HP, Mellanox, etc. After checking the price and driver compatibility, I decided to go with Mellanox Connect since it was fully supported with OpenWRT 21.02, plus the pricing for OCP form factor (Open Compute Project) is much more cheaper compare to the PCIE form factor.
In order to connect the network adapters together, I used DAC (Direct Attached Cable) due to the price. Of course you can use SFP+ module & Fiber cable, but this will make the cost very high.
Finally, to get the SFP+ Ethernet card up and running on OpenWRT, I just need to install kmod-mlx4-core (for Mellanox Connect x3) or kmod-mlx5-core (for Mellanox Connect x4).
Unfortunately, one of the OCP to PCIE adapter I received was faulty and the card was detected as x1, instead of x4. This made the throughput limited to 6 Gbps on WAN to OpenWRT side.
In the video, I have performed iperf test from WAN and OpenWRT router to the client PC. I have also run the same test with Flow Offloading enabled. At the same time, Open Speed Test was run but due to the limited on the server side, the speed is limited to ~ 6000 Mbps. At the end of the video, I did a simple power consumption test with a Tuya smart plug.

Video timeframe:

00:00 - Intro
01:16 - Mellanox Connect x3 SFP+ Ethernet Adapter & DAC Cable
03:29 - Network Diagram
04:43 - Hardware Installation
07:24 - Download & Write firmware to USB drive (ubuntu)
11:06 - Boot up the x86 OpenWRT Router PC & Configure WAN
13:45 - Install driver & Configure Mellanox Connect x3 Card (kmod-mlx4-core)
17:08 - Access LuCI & Network Interfaces Overview
19:37 - OpenSpeedTest and iperf3 test
26:01 - Speedtest with Software Flow Offloading
27:56 - Another setup - Configure Mellanox Connect x3 as LAN ports
30:16 - Same OpenSpeedTest and iperf3 test, but on Windows 10
31:56 - Power Consumption of the x86 OpenWRT Router PC

Thanks for watching and see you all in the next video!

[examen]

I am an OpenWRT enthusiast and I approve this video :).
Jokes aside, wonderful video and great presentation.

I am curios why you need 10gb networking, also, did you try load balancing/sqm on 10gb connection ?

[maxheat]

Sir i really like your videos! By the way, what's your take on DIY routers like this video, high end consumer routers and enterprise routers?

[lingehmuhamed]

Please how can you configure openwrt on a pc so that it broadcast a WiFi signal for wireless devises to connect?

[roddelfernando]

Can you show how to install openwrt in a chromebox? They are cheap machines that are powerfull x86

[stevanguily]

Hi, I was wondering where did you find the ocp to pcie adapter?

[m.m.m.c.a.k.e]

Thank you for the very nice review. Can you confirm if we can install on laptop using USB or thunderbolt 2 Gb or 2.5 Gb ethernet? Thank you!

[arseniyp]

what do you think about atom x5 x7 with mpcie or something +- like pcie x1? old "i7" ulv laptops/tablets? =+-1150/1151 celerons?

there many old mb thin mini itx, but only 1-2 m.2 slots, so pcie 2-3ver. x4 max. maybe m.2->(2-4+)pcie x1 riser card. but this, I think, wil be x1 ver. pcie.

maybe old laptops with bigger diy cooler mod with 90+mm slowly fans. so 1-2+- m.2 slots. and 1 of them for new wifi6-7 mtk card with soft ap mode drivers. but 10-25Gbs enough, imho.

[keilinx]

Bro, i installed the openWRT on my linksys WRT1900ac, the same one as urs. But the wifi signal is weak, compared to my other professional Netgear AC1900 router. What could be the issue ?

[trungveso]

Hi, i'm using openwrt as 10gb switch (there are plenty alternative OS, but I want to use openwrt for now). However, I got only around 6.4 GB/s (iperf3); do you know any setting to get higher throughput? Thank you!

[_AnimeTV]

Muchas gracias por tus videos educativos.. May u teach us how to redirect all traffic petitions (port 80) to my IP in a local server. On the other hand, is it possible to get certificates for local server in other to trust it by other computers or cellphones in the same local network?

[TechKerala]

Why my comments deleted? Or flagged as spam? Did is posted anything bad? 😀

[jithinsankar]

Can i make a good openwrt router for 300mbps connection with good load balancing using the below hardware
An intel Pentium dual core cpu
4gb ram
A 120 gb ssd