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?

  • chocrates@piefed.worldEnglish
    1·
    21 minutes ago

    Just use the fiber modem, it’s gonna be a huge pain and fight with your ISP to use your own modem likely.

  • FlexibleToast@lemmy.worldEnglish
    13·
    2 hours ago

    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.

    • hendrik@palaver.p3x.deEnglish
      2·
      35 minutes ago

      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…

  • CallMeAl (Not AI)@piefed.zipEnglish
    7·
    2 hours ago

    This is working fine with no issues.

    It seems like a lot of time and effort with no upside except having one device in the place of two. Is there more you are hoping to accomplish with this proposed change?

  • eleitl@lemmy.zipEnglish
    2·
    1 hour ago

    Protectli sells opnsense firewalls with SFP+ support. Make sure these can handle gigabit data rates.

    You can also terminate SFP with a switch and route that at L2 (VLAN) level to your firewall’s NIC.

  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    3·
    2 hours ago

    Is this worth the effort?

    In terms of electricity cost?

    I wouldn’t do it myself.

    If you want to know whether it’s going to save money, you want to see how much power it uses — you can use a wattmeter, or look up the maximum amount on the device ratings to get an upper end. Look up how much you’re paying per kWh in electricity. Price the hardware. Put a price on your labor. Then you can get an estimate.

    My guess, without having any of those numbers, is that it probably isn’t.

  • truthfultemporarily@feddit.orgEnglish
    3·
    2 hours ago

    This may not be so easy, what protocol does the ISP use over fibre? Honestly the network card that you will probably need might already pull more than the modem.