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Mini PC to replace fiber modem and wifi router. How to proceed? (lemmy.umucat.day)
submitted 8 months ago by to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world
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My current internet setup is like this (which is common for most people).

fiber line from ISP <-> ISP fiber modem <-> Personal wifi router <-> switch

This is working fine with no issues. But I need to power two devices. I want to reduce this to a single device.

fiber line from ISP <-> Modem+Firewall PC <-> Switch <-> AP1,AP2...

From my initial research, what I need is an SFP module which can be attached to a PC which supports SFP. OPNsense should be able to handle most SFP modules.

What is the community's take on this? Is this worth the effort? Can I find a mini-PC which supports SFP? Will it be cost effective?

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[–] 28 points 8 months ago (11 children)

Those two devices are likely very low power arm devices. I wouldn't be surprised if a mini pc consumes more power than those two devices. If power is your concern you should probably measure how much they're actually pulling.

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  • [–] 5 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

    Maybe correct? Though my cable modem gobbles down some 15W... Without even doing the Wifi... So, I bet this isn't a universal truth, as a Mini-PC will comsume less and provide all kinds of extra services, networking, NAS...

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  • [–] 3 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    Wow, that's a power hungry modem... But, look into the power usage of those sfp modules. They can be ~10w on their own.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago

    Yeah, they often get quite warm. Some day I'll be in the same situation as OP. And I can't wait to throw out that supid modem. No clue, though what kind of SFP the fiber provider requires. I mean there's quite a selection available...

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  • [–] 4 points 8 months ago (5 children)

    I dunno, my newest cable modem chews up a boatload of power for no good reason - really pisses me off.

    It uses more power (50w) than my 2019 SFF desktop I run as a server, with an 8TB drive (20w).

    I know because they both sit on their own smart switches.

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  • [–] 6 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    50w... holy shit!

    My server with 1 SSD, 3 HDDs running multiple docker containers doesn't usually pull more than 35-40w.

    My router tops out at 8w and my wireless access point at 5w IIRC.

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  • [–] 3 points 8 months ago

    My consumer broadband router (which acts as a WAP, modem, and router) looks like it's rated for a 36W power supply. Putting a Kill-A-Watt wattmeter on it shows it currently using about 14W.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    This is something I completely forgot to account for. I heard that some SFP modules (10G) can consume a lot of power. I think the devices are pretty low powered. I'll have to get a smartmeter and rethink the setup. Thanks a lot!

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