Qotom Q10922H6 - Fanless N100, 2x10GbE, 4x2.5GbE

[blunden]

Hi,
I'd like to buy a router for my home and stumbled on this thread. I really like this appliance, but my absolute necessity is WiFi support. On the product page it says:

I didn't even know there are different types of M.2 slots to be honest. Do you know how I'm supposed to get WiFi card into this box?I need a converter from M.2 B key to ... what exactly? As far as I can see there's WiFi cards for Key A, Key E and Mini PCI-E. I'm lost.

I would suggest contacting Qotom about it. I imagine they have a converter card in mind.

But yes, there are multiple different keys of M.2 that offer different connectivity options.

M.2 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[curl]

Do you know how I'm supposed to get WiFi card into this box?

I found this reddit thread of someone looking to do the same thing. One of the comments had a few suggestions for B Key Wifi modules. Or perhaps a USB WiFi adapter might work? I would be pretty concerned about compatibility and wifi performance with this approach, though.

I think best approach (and the one I am taking) is to use one or more separate dedicated wireless access points. These will likely handle multiple clients much better as they have more antennas, MU-MIMO, beamforming, etc.

 

[blunden]

I found this reddit thread of someone looking to do the same thing. One of the comments had a few suggestions for B Key Wifi modules. Or perhaps a USB WiFi adapter might work? I would be pretty concerned about compatibility and wifi performance with this approach, though.

I think best approach (and the one I am taking) is to use one or more separate dedicated wireless access points. These will likely handle multiple clients much better as they have more antennas, MU-MIMO, beamforming, etc.

Separate APs are usually a better option, yes.

Most M.2 WiFi cards I've seen have been meant for use as a wireless client, not as APs. There is a thread about building your own cheap AP using one of those on here from several months ago (a year?) that might be worth checking out. I think driver support for AP fearures was the biggest obstacle, and that was on Linux where hardware support is generally pretty good.

@curl Could you take pictures of the included power supply btw.? I'm curious about the quality of it. Qotom said you can order without a PSU for a $6 discount.

The fact that Dajing is willing to have their company name on it hopefully means it's not total trash and that the regulatory markings are hopefully real.

 

[curl]

@curl Could you take pictures of the included power supply btw.? I'm curious about the quality of it. Qotom said you can order without a PSU for a $6 discount.

 

[blunden]

View attachment 42104View attachment 42105

That actually looks pretty good. Does it feel like a quality unit?

 

[curl]

That actually looks pretty good. Does it feel like a quality unit?

Feels fine to me, although I'm not too knowledgeable about power supplies. It felt cool to the touch this morning when I took the picture, which I guess means it is reasonably efficient. The light-up DAJING logo is a nice touch over the standard blue LED power indicator (and isn't too annoyingly bright) .

 

[blunden]

Feels fine to me, although I'm not too knowledgeable about power supplies. It felt cool to the touch this morning when I took the picture, which I guess means it is reasonably efficient. The light-up DAJING logo is a nice touch over the standard blue LED power indicator (and isn't too annoyingly bright) .

I see. Is it heavy?

They have certainly upped their regulatory mark game since their older model seen here.

The case kind of looks like this one, but the model number format differs:

阿里云万网虚机过期页面

dajingadapter.com

 

[curl]

Here is some additional info on the power supply:

Model Number: 50898F-120500A1 (sorry it wasn't really legible in the prior photo)
Aliexpress listing: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008123618069.html
Dimensions: 118x50x32 mm
Weight (minus the removeable plug that connects to the wall outlet): ~202g

Looks like mine is the slightly less expensive "NO UL" version on Aliexpress, and costs $10 standalone. I wouldn't call it "heavy", but more substantial than the power bricks for my modem and access point (though those are lower-powered devices).

 

[curl]

Just following up with some more data about the device:

Here is the sensor readout during typical operation:

eth5-pci-0200
Adapter: PCI adapter
PHY Temperature:  +70.0°C 
MAC Temperature:  +70.0°C 

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Package id 0:  +40.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 0:        +40.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 1:        +41.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 2:        +41.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 3:        +41.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)

acpitz-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
temp1:        +27.8°C 

eth4-pci-0100
Adapter: PCI adapter
PHY Temperature:  +69.0°C 
MAC Temperature:  +69.0°C 

nvme-pci-0300
Adapter: PCI adapter
Composite:    +39.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +89.8°C)
                       (crit = +94.8°C)
Sensor 1:     +39.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +65261.8°C)
Sensor 2:     +44.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +65261.8°C)

Those temps on eth4 and eth5 (the 10 GbE interfaces) are a little concerning. Right now the temp in the room is probably around 10°C. In the summer months when it is 25+ degrees hotter, I might need to add a fan or something to cool it down.

 

[blunden]

Here is some additional info on the power supply:

Model Number: 50898F-120500A1 (sorry it wasn't really legible in the prior photo)
Aliexpress listing: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008123618069.html
Dimensions: 118x50x32 mm
Weight (minus the removeable plug that connects to the wall outlet): ~202g

Looks like mine is the slightly less expensive "NO UL" version on Aliexpress, and costs $10 standalone. I wouldn't call it "heavy", but more substantial than the power bricks for my modem and access point (though those are lower-powered devices).


View attachment 42106

Thanks!

For some reason I'm unable to view that AliExpress listing, even though I see it in the search results when I google the model name. Not sure why, but I assume it's a regional thing.

It looked like yours had a UL mark, so what does "No UL" mean in this context? Does the AliExpress listing give any indication?

Regardless, I ended up buying a replacement PSU since I found a suitable Mean Well unit for a good price. Sadly, I found that Qotom has jacked up the price of the shipping cost significantly (from roughly $36 to $66). That put me off buying the unit, and I told them as much.

 

[blunden]

Just following up with some more data about the device:

Here is the sensor readout during typical operation:

eth5-pci-0200
Adapter: PCI adapter
PHY Temperature:  +70.0°C
MAC Temperature:  +70.0°C

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Package id 0:  +40.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 0:        +40.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 1:        +41.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 2:        +41.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 3:        +41.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)

acpitz-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
temp1:        +27.8°C

eth4-pci-0100
Adapter: PCI adapter
PHY Temperature:  +69.0°C
MAC Temperature:  +69.0°C

nvme-pci-0300
Adapter: PCI adapter
Composite:    +39.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +89.8°C)
                       (crit = +94.8°C)
Sensor 1:     +39.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +65261.8°C)
Sensor 2:     +44.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +65261.8°C)

Those temps on eth4 and eth5 (the 10 GbE interfaces) are a little concerning. Right now the temp in the room is probably around 10°C. In the summer months when it is 25+ degrees hotter, I might need to add a fan or something to cool it down.

The temperature of the Aquantia NICs seem suspiciously high. Are they not thermally connected to the case heatsink? If not, a thermal pad or something like that might help quite a bit.

 

[demotest]

There was a bit more config needed to tell OpenWRT to use one of the 10GbE ports as the WAN interface, and all the other ports in the in the "br-lan" interface -

Any advice on how you got this done? OpenWRT isn't listing the 10GbE ports at all for me

 

[blunden]

Any advice on how you got this done? OpenWRT isn't listing the 10GbE ports at all for me

Did you install the Aquantia driver package using opkg? If not, that's likely why.

 

[curl]

You can do it through the Luci UI by:

1. Go to System -> Software
2. Click the "Update lists..." button
3. Search for "kmod-atlantic" in the Filter box
4. Click install

Or through the command prompt with:

opkg update
opkg install kmod-atlantic

Once the drivers are installed, the AQC113 ports should appear in the Port Status section on the main Status page. On my router they are eth4 and eth5 (you can confirm which OpenWrt Device the ports are mapped to by plugging something in and them watching in the UI which ports activate).

To make one of the 10GbE ports you WAN port:

1. Go to Network -> Interfaces. You should have interfaces for "wan" and "wan6".
2. For both "wan" and "wan6", click Edit, and change Device to be one of the AQC113 ports (I used eth5, which is the port labeled 1 on my router).
3. Click Save on the Edit modal.

To add the other 10GbE port to your LAN:

1. Go to the Devices tab (at the top of the current Interfaces page)
2. Click "Configure..." for the "br-lan" device.
3. Add the other AQC113 port to the list of "Bridge Ports" (in my case eth4, which is labeled 2 on the router)
4. Click Save on the Configure modal.

Click "Save and Apply". Changes will take effect immediately. The port labeled "1" should be your WAN port. And all other ports should be on your LAN.

 

[curl]

Are they not thermally connected to the case heatsink? If not, a thermal pad or something like that might help quite a bit.

You are indeed correct. I was a bit hesitant to remove the board from the case heatsink because it requires unscrewing about 20 screws. But when I opened it, I found that the AQC113 chips and I226-V chips all share the same heatsink and thermal pad. And since the AQC113 are slightly less prominent than the i226-V chips, they weren't making sufficient contact with the factory installed thermal pad.



I put an additional 0.5mm pad on top of the existing one, and that brought down temps from 73°C to 63°C. A nice improvement, although still a little warmer than I would prefer. In the future I may have a go at it with some copper and thermal paste.

 

[demotest]

Did you install the Aquantia driver package using opkg? If not, that's likely why.

You can do it through the Luci UI by:

1. Go to System -> Software
2. Click the "Update lists..." button
3. Search for "kmod-atlantic" in the Filter box
4. Click install

Or through the command prompt with:

opkg update
opkg install kmod-atlantic

Once the drivers are installed, the AQC113 ports should appear in the Port Status section on the main Status page. On my router they are eth4 and eth5 (you can confirm which OpenWrt Device the ports are mapped to by plugging something in and them watching in the UI which ports activate).

We have some progress! Once verifying atlantic is installed, I'm seeing eth4 but not eth5 - and confirmed that my second 10GbE port is not detected at all. I've verified that both are enabled in BIOS.

I'm thinking I either have a hardware issue at this point or potentially there's a different version of atlantic that supports >1 port? I've also heard of BIOS settings not enabling enough power to enable both ports... I'm on: kmod-atlantic version 6.6.73-r1 btw.

Thanks for the help so far!

 

[curl]

I'm on: kmod-atlantic version 6.6.73-r1 btw.

6.6.73-r1 is the version of kmod-atlantic that I'm using, so I don't think that is the problem.

If you run:

opkg install pciutils
lspci

Do you see two entries for AQC113? Here's the relevant output for me:

01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Aquantia Corp. AQC113C NBase-T/IEEE 802.3an Ethernet Controller [Marvell Scalable mGig] (rev 03)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Aquantia Corp. AQC113C NBase-T/IEEE 802.3an Ethernet Controller [Marvell Scalable mGig] (rev 03)

You could also maybe take a look at your network config with cat /etc/config/network to see if there's anything funny going on there, as an improper config could prevent a device from showing. Here's my config which is pretty much default other than adding the AQC-113 ports to the WAN/LAN (as described above) and using cloudflare for DNS:

config interface 'loopback'
    option device 'lo'
    option proto 'static'
    option ipaddr '127.0.0.1'
    option netmask '255.0.0.0'

config globals 'globals'
    option ula_prefix 'fddb:a821:de7b::/48'
    option packet_steering '1'

config device
    option name 'br-lan'
    option type 'bridge'
    list ports 'eth0'
    list ports 'eth1'
    list ports 'eth2'
    list ports 'eth3'
    list ports 'eth4'

config interface 'lan'
    option device 'br-lan'
    option proto 'static'
    option ipaddr '192.168.1.1'
    option netmask '255.255.255.0'
    option ip6assign '60'

config interface 'wan'
    option device 'eth5'
    option proto 'dhcp'
    option peerdns '0'
    list dns '1.1.1.2'
    list dns '1.0.0.2'

config interface 'wan6'
    option device 'eth5'
    option proto 'dhcpv6'
    option reqaddress 'try'
    option reqprefix 'auto'
    option norelease '1'
    option peerdns '0'
    list dns '2606:4700:4700::1112'
    list dns '2606:4700:4700::1002'

If you've made any changes in the process of troubleshooting, it may be worth doing a freshing install of OpenWrt (and factory reset of BIOS), and then installing kmod-atlantic drivers as the first step to see if it shows up. Hardware or power supply issues are also a possibility, but it would be good to rule out any possible config issues first.

 

[curl]

It looked like yours had a UL mark, so what does "No UL" mean in this context? Does the AliExpress listing give any indication?

The "UL" version has an additional UL mark for US and Canada that is not on mine. Here's the photo from Aliexpress:

 

[demotest]

Ok, I'm not sure what exactly fixed my problem, but I:

1. Plugged in and left a device connected to the port that wasn't being read. Previously I had plugged in my desktop but always removed it afterwards.
2. Launched a fresh openwrt install (from a usb, was previously running on my Qotom)
3. Noticed the port was now being listed under `lspci`. I swear I've rebooted so many times at this point I can't believe this changed anything.
4.Rebooted to my normal openwrt install - port was visible now!
5. Followed curl's steps to add the ports to my wan/lan interfaces

Really appreciate the help here , I was pulling my hair out at this point!

 

[curl]

Really appreciate the help here , I was pulling my hair out at this point!

Great news, glad to hear it's working now!