Planning a 2.5 Gb home network for a home server setup
A move to with 2 Gbit/s download and 800 Mbit/s upload makes the current ISP router feel like the weak point. The ISP router has few settings, a slow and unreliable control screen, and can stop working when the fiber link drops. The ISP box, Sosh’s Livebox 6, does not support bridge mode, so using another router behind it may create double NAT.
It is also unclear whether a personal GPON adapter can still replace the ISP box, since TV and internet phone service are not needed. The planned router is a Radxa E52C with two 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports, using the 2 GB or 4 GB memory model. The goal is to run OpenWRT with and probably containers for small services such as Pi-hole.
The home setup already includes a NAS for backup, media serving, , , and a seedbox, with two 1 Gb Ethernet ports and one used for IPMI. A later upgrade may add a 2.5 Gb Ethernet or SFP+ card to the NAS, while the gaming PC already has 2.5 Gb Ethernet, the Android TV box has 1 Gb Ethernet, and lower-speed wired devices such as a printer and Zigbee-related gear are also present.
Key points
- The internet plan is moving to 2 Gbit/s download and 800 Mbit/s upload.
- The ISP Livebox 6 router lacks bridge mode, which can lead to double NAT.
- The planned replacement router is a Radxa E52C with two 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports.
- OpenWRT, WireGuard, Pi-hole, and containers are planned for router-side services.
- The network includes a NAS, gaming PC, TV box, and slower wired devices, so internal network design matters.