Motivation

I want to switch my network setup to open source software (and hardware) as much as possible. Therefore, I was looking for a modern OpenWRT WiFi device for quite a while now. I wanted stable OpenWRT support, enough computing power, memory and storage to run OpenWRT with some packages smoothly, preferably in open hardware. Most importantly, I wanted to directly go for WiFi 7 from my current WiFi 5 network. Even if I do not own any WiFi 7 devices yet, I want to use my new networking equipment for years to come, and therefore be future-proof. I also needed an SFP+ slot for cross-site connectivity, and preferably 2.5GiB+ copper ethernet as well to support the fast WiFi network.

The backstory

I heard about Turris devices in the past, I watched their CCC talks and I liked the modular concept of the Turris Mox genuinely considered getting one. On November 3rd, I received their newsletter “TURRIS OMNIA NG is now available!”, and when I read the specification, I was very happy. This new device covered all my wishes, and then some: Tri-band WiFi including 6GHz and WiFi 7, two SFP+ slots, 2.5GiB copper ethernet, expandability and upgradability, and with the OpenWRT support built right in, this was better than any commercial device I could find.

Finding a german reseller was tricky at first, their website didn’t list one. Gladly, I found rubytech.de, which seems to be targeted at commercial customers, but thankfully allowed me to register as a private customer as well after filling their registration formular via Fax (first Fax I ever sent!). The order for my first Turris Omnia NG was placed on November 6, 3 days after release.

The device

I think, the photo speaks for itself. The device has a high quality metal case, feels rigid, all connectors snap in nicely, the antennas are sturdy and easy to attach, the status LEDs are RGB and a LCD screen gives additional information on the device, which is nice. It comes with a 90W power supply which feels high-quality as well, so more than enough headroom for power-consuming equipment. The only downside is the D-pad for navigating the LCD menu: It feels a bit fragile, and I fear it might break easily if I’d ever have to carry the Turris Omnia NG in a bag or something. But it’s definitely sturdy enough for everyday usage.

The software

The preinstalled reForis UI provides an intuitive configuration assistant and comes pre-configured with WAN, LAN and guest networks, separated by appropriate firewall rules. Setting the basic configuration (WiFi SSID(s), port mapping LAN/WAN with appropriate firewall rules, …) of the Turris Omnia NG is really easy, and is probably enough for most people. It also supports package management, allowing to install additional features ranging from OpenWRT extensions to a full Nextcloud server, and has automatic updates enabled by default. For more advanced settings, the SSH access and the LuCI configuration interface of OpenWRT are not limited, full access is available right out of the box. This feels like a good solution for both networking beginners and experts.

WiFi support

The hardware of the Turris Omnia NG supports tri-band WiFi accross 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz, with the most recent WiFi standards (up to WiFi 7). However, WiFi 7 and maybe also WiFi 6 support in OpenWRT are not as stable yet. At least I had frequent network outages whenever I tried to transfer some data via WiFi. Fortunately, the device runs stable on WiFi 5, as the helpful Turris community suggests. While this is not great, I trust in Turris as a manufacturer that they will do their best to get stable WiFi 7 out of this device. And for now, even WiFi 5 is enough for my home network, but I am still well equipped for the future as soon as WiFi 7 support is stable.

Fiber support

I had no issues connecting the Turris Omnia NG to a fiber network using a generic SFP+ transceiver ordered at fs.com. Fiber and copper networks are very stable, with 10Gbps speeds, and no connectivity / setup issues. This is great, it makes networking so much fun! More on fiber networking in this dedicated article .

Conclusion

The Turris Omnia NG is top-notch hardware supported by the best open source software available at the moment. Of course, there are still some stability issues with newer WiFi standards, but I am very optimistic these will be resolved soon. And until then, a “compatibility mode” will still give you awesome networking performance entirely in open source, with the perspective to get even more out of the hardware in the future. Therefore, I’d recommend the Turris Omnia NG to anyone who wants to upgrade their home network to WiFi 7 or fiber, and values privacy and open source software.