Sometimes there are devices that are absolutely the best in their class. The R86S is the best in its class, albeit we are not entirely sure what that class is. In our review, we are going to take a look at how this small and low-power 2.5GbE/ 10GbE box is constructed, then hopefully start to delve into our best sense of its ultimate purpose. This little box exudes coolness.
For this one, we have a video that you can find here:
We get to show off a bit more of the system and let you hear the fan noise. Yes, this unit has fans despite its diminutive size. As always, we suggest opening the video in its own window, tab, or app for the best viewing experience. This may look like a Raspberry Pi-sized chassis, but it houses a surprisingly complex system.
This review took trying OpenWRT, pfSense, OPNsense, Ubuntu, Proxmox VE, Windows, and even VMware ESXi 8.0 so it was a relatively massive effort. Before we get to that, let us get to the hardware, starting with the outside of the chassis.
This, is the R86S. To be more precise, this is the high-end “G3” version. It measures (minus the WiFi antennas) at 119mm x 79mm x 41mm. This is bigger than the average Raspberry Pi case, but not by that much.
On the side of the unit, we get USB 3, HDMI, and a TF card slot. TF is a term used in this category to avoid paying for MicroSD brand licensing. This side also has the system’s power button and HDD activity LED.
The real show here is the network port side. On top, there is a 12V DC input, a USB 3 Type-A port, and then lots of networking. The three RJ45 ports are 2.5GbE ports powered by Intel i225 NICs.
Below, there is one of the biggest options that drive price, power consumption, and capability. That is 10GbE SFP+ ports. We are going to get inside the system later and show you how those NICs are connected. It is fascinating.
On the rear of the unit, we get the two WiFi antenna ports.
Noting the top and the bottom of the unit, one may see fins, but this is not a fanless system. There are actually two fans. One uses the vent at the bottom of the above photo. The other one can see looking at the top of the unit.
On the bottom of the unit, we have rubber feet. We also have a panel that can be removed to get inside the system.
Next, let us get into the system and see what makes this really unique.
This would be a great firewall device except two concerns. First, I’m not sure that the CPU is beefy enough to do OpenVPN or Wireguard at full 1 Gbe. Second, none of these devices have IPMI, which makes administration annoying because they normally run headless, but sometimes you need to hook up monitor and keyboard to do something. These devices really need IPMI to be a server.
Pros: 1) yeah, finally SFP+ in a small package! 2) extra 2.5gbe for backup connectivity. 3) 8G or 16G RAM good enough for router stuff with the ability to potentially run other services
Cons: 1) I can only see it on aliexpress? No Warranty, I’m guessing limited support 2) “The included power adapter does not have US regulatory markings” … this is a major turn off.. they could change stats at any point and ship junk.. 3) Mellanox. This is just my first hand experience. I used to use them as they were cheaper 10G solutions for used lab equipment compared to intel (typically) for sfp+ stuff but recently I’ve been having issues (more so on the windows side of things, and even throughput on Linux) compared to the intel sfp+ solutions. I’m guessing Mellanox because it’s cheaper?
Ultimately I’m glad to see this getting the attention I’m looking for (small form factor 10G!) but I don’t think this is the right unit for me.
This Pentium N6005 is slow compared to a Ryzen Embedded V1605B, just the 2,5 Gbps ports and SFP+ are insteresting
Interestingly, these NICs are from a used server, namely the Quanta Gemini as single then soldered on another cage and plug with new firmware from mellanox https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/frankenstein-modded-mellanox-adapters-what-the.32519/
@flo is there a Ryzen Embedded system with similar specs worth looking at?
mlnx4, dpdk. i225/6 just saying youve been sleeping on this for too long. when are you gonna write up
There are many such small equipment manufacturers doing this in China.
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