Designing a router for future ISP needs involves anticipating upcoming technologies and standards.
Designing a router for future ISP needs involves anticipating upcoming technologies and standards.
Currently I run my network using a PFSense APU box, and it handles 200MB/s. The fastest speed I can achieve is 1Gbps, but that won’t last long—at least the next two years. I’m thinking about making a router that’s ready for the future and wondering what internet speeds we should expect in 2022. Maybe a 10GbE card would be wise right now?
The rollout of 10Gb isn't likely to reach most users for another 5 to 10 years. While there are some areas with limited access, this is not the general trend. If you haven't seen 1Gb in about two years or more, it's probably safe to delay expecting 10Gb soon.
You're looking for a hardware capable of handling high-speed LANs, similar to modern AX routers. It's unclear if they offer cards in the 1 to 10 gigabit range, and whether a 5 gigabit card is necessary or beneficial.
You might surpass even the top consumer routers using simple hardware. Their performance is limited in CPU and RAM areas. Adding a 10Gb port would only make sense if you need multiple 10G connections at home or want to combine several 1G networks. For WAN, once you reach Gigabit speeds, 10G won’t be common any more. The expense is likely not justified.
You might want to act now because a better router could be beneficial. Right now you have a 10Gb connection, but if you don’t need it immediately, purchasing a 10Gb NIC later would be a huge loss. Prices are dropping, so buying now is a smart move.
Upgrade the APU when it arrives. It handles a lot of data, but a 10g connection really benefits from better hardware if you want quality performance. You don’t need a powerful router CPU for fast Wi-Fi—APUs should manage multi-gigabit routes, though LAN transfers aren’t forwarded through the APU side.
Ten gigabits won’t become common anytime soon... actually, one gigabit seems too much for most people today.