u/ChrisAlbertson

I see that it is possible to run Docker on OpenWRT (https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/virtualization/docker\_host). I have a use case for it, but I want to know if my reasoning is valid. Yes, I know I'd need the RAM and CPU to make it run. Likely X86.

I have a growing Thread network, and it needs to be routed to Ethernet and then to a server. The usual way is to buy a Border Router ("BR") device. Apple and others build these BRs into consumer products like the Apple HomePod. The HomePod costs $100 and connects to the 2.4 GHz WiFi band only, with no Ethernet or 5 GHz. But it is reliable, and that is what I started with.

So I look at the route the data takes from a Thread device:

Device --> Thread Border Router --> WiFi --> OpenWRT --> Ethernet --> server

With the border router inside OpenWRT/Docker, I get:

Device --> Thread Border Router --> OpenWRT --> Ethernet --> server

The packet never goes over WiFi. This should help with latency and, with many devices, keep the traffic from many devices off my WiFi. Although, on the other hand, Thread is a low-data-rate network.

The plan would be to flash an "Open Thread Radio CoProcess (aka "RCP")" onto an ESP32 device, connect that via USB to OpenWRT, and then pass the USB device to Docker, where the Border Router runs. The border router routes the IPv6 Thread traffic from the RCP to a virtual network interface.

As it turns out, I think OpenWRT sees the exact same number of packets, but now they come in via a virtual network rather than one of the access points.

My question: Am I working hard to shave microseconds of latency, or will I save tens of milliseconds?

All that said, (1) there is a branch on GitHub that attempts to merge Thread with OpenWRT. There is quite a lot there, and it is active. Maybe I just wait and it goes mainline, and (2) I did a scan for Thread devices near me this morning and found that the neighbors have Eero routers, and these routers appear to already support Thread. I found five of these things.

Summary: Looking for budget 2.4G AP, don't need 5g. Mostly used as an educational tool.

Longer version...

I'm new to OpenWRT and want to play with it a bit before I deploy it "for real." I think I have a productive way to learn.

I do some development work using ESP32 and thought I would set up a dedicated 2.4GHz SSID on its own subnet just for testing ESP32 devices.

I installed OpenWRT in a Proxmox container on an old laptop. The laptop connects to my normal house network over WiFi, and the Ethernet port is unused. I want to connect an access point to the laptop's Ethernet. I assume this is all possible. Setting this up will let me learn about OpenWRT. I will eventually set up a couple of Thread Border Routers to route this with a small Thread network. The devices I'm working on talk Thread and/or Wi-Fi.

The test network will be 2.4GHz only and does not need to be very large, just one room.

Question: I want an access point, and I think it needs to run OpenWRT. My guess is that, because I need only 2.4GHz, I can make do with a pretty low-end, low-cost AP. But I want one that is like what I will eventually deploy.

My target system for early 2027 is Wi-Fi 7, likely three APs, a switch that can do 10GBE, and pretty strong WireGuard performance for remote access to a NAS and keeping the development LAN. My goal is to be well-educated in OpenWRT configuration before 2027. My technical background: A software engineer with not much networking experience, but old enough that I was a computer science student at UCLA when the 7-layer OSI model was a new idea, retired now.

So, looking for a representative AP that is cost-effective. Actually, I want two so I can learn how roaming works.