I'd rather see USB-C in all future GL.iNet products. My only use for the USB port is as a phone tether, and USB-C cables are already what I use for everything else. I'd rather eliminate USB-A from my life completely. The fact that GL.iNet still haven't migrated to full USB-C is annoying to me, to be honest.
Regarding the hardware, I'd like to see a faster CPU. As others have mentioned, FriendlyElec has put an A55 and 2GB RAM into the NanoPi R3S while keeping the cost extremely low. I have two of them and they're great. The Brume 3, being a device focused on VPN performance, should try to play strongly into that use case. I'd like to see support for Wireguard at 1Gbps or even higher. I know this makes the device more expensive, but you could still sell it alongside the Brume 2 if you want to offer something cheaper for those who care less about improved performance. If you keep performance low with the new device, there's not much reason to upgrade.
I would also say that while having three Ethernet ports is fine, I'd rather make the device as small as possible and keep it at two. Perhaps that cost savings could go to upgrading other hardware. When using the Brume as a router, I plug the LAN port into a switch/AP anyway to provide WiFi, so ports beyond two really are unnecessary. When using it purely as a VPN server, it also doesn't need three ports.
That's a fair point regarding onboard ports vs a switch. A Burme is meant to be a stationary device. USB-C for tethering would make more sense on a travel router but it is still less secure a fit in a port than Type-A.
You nailed it. I would like to see the Brume 3 have the capability to take full advantage of a 3 Gbps fiber-optic connection. There needs to be a compelling case to upgrade or else what's he point? Mind as well stick with the Brume 2.
There's ARM SBCs on the market for ~150.00 USD that'll do 3.05+ Gbps over WG but the NICs are only 2.5 GbE. The RPi 5 is said to do 3.08 Gbps WG but you'd need probably need 5 GbE PCI-E NICs & its custom kernel to pull it off.
Keep in mind most commercial WG providers (Mullvad, Proton, etc.) typically max. out @ 1 Gbps. Maybe one day that'll change but until then I'd check with them just to be certain.
Nah, I have like 6 travel routers from gl.inet. I gave like 3 away so far. But I really like the BrumeW as the WiFi is useful. I also want a router with a good amount of resources
For me, the essence of Brume and what is great and unique about Brume2 is that it has relatively high VPN speed for relatively low cost while being small and low power, without extra features like wifi.
I think Brume3 should keep the focus on those things and hopefully improve the speed. The choice of hardware components should be guided by that focus.
But if GL-iNet or some others want more ports, more RAM, or more storage, it’s not a bad idea to have two variants. Maybe a Brume3 and a Brume3 Pro/Plus (which maybe should have even 4 ethernet ports then).
About the chip, I will no longer buy any router that is not supported or looks likely to be supported by OPENWRT and I think that it will be important to people who would be interested in the Brume3, so please choose a chip that is or will be supported.
I kind of like that idea but would point out that if the device's interfaces are only 1 GbE or 2.5 GbE it would make more sense to me to just add more connectivity with an appropriate switch. I don't see a reason to pay for 2.5 GbE ports on a device that can only do =< 1.0 Gbps over WireGuard/other VPN service. A 5-port 1 GbE unmanaged/'dumb' switch is ~10.00USD on Amazon. I'd probably say the same for 5.0 GbE ports as, again, a Burme is a stationary device given its purpose as a VPN gateway.
For me, I would like to see the Brume 3 be able to support faster Wireguard through put speed. USB A is a good all-in-one answer because you can get an adapter to get a USB-C device on it. I would want a faster CPU and more RAM. The CPU is from 2012 or so. Even getting something from 2018 or thereabouts would be a good idea. We don’t want to take a book out of the Synology book where it takes 2 decades before they update a CPU (or so it seems).
Maybe a Brume 3 and a Brume 3+ would be a thought. Brume 3+ would have more RAM and an aluminum case whereas the Brume 3 would be the base model.
If you care about performance don't attach a USB device. There's no USB offloading on the CPU unless the ODM/OEM pays extra for that license from ARM. Good luck finding one that does. You'd be fortunate to find one using AES/crypto offloading. It's a good thing WireGuard doesn't use it by default.
