Citronics built a router based on the Fairphone 2 mainboard
12 comments
·March 2, 2025null
nicman23
100/10 "fast ethernet" ??
Scarjit
100 Mbit/s (IEEE 802.3u) is commonly called "Fast Ethernet" (Compared to the prev 10 Mbit/s which is just "Ethernet", or the later 1000 Mbit/s "Gigabit Ethernet" (IEEE 802.3ab)
PhilipRoman
Same thing as 12Mbps USB being called "Full speed" or wifi "High throughput" mode. Basically a reminder to not use flattering adjectives in standard names unless you want to prefix everything with "ultra" in the future.
somat
Or "new". maintain discipline and rigorously avoid using new in an name. There is very little that is more soul crushing than having to explain how new-server is a legacy installation and will be replaced by new-new-server any day now.
Names have a strange duality, they are simultaneously the least and most important part of any system. least in that the name does not actually provide any load bearing strength, most, in that not only is it how you talk and share ideas about the thing, once it is in place it is the most difficult part to change.
I used to think programmers were bad at naming things. then I started reading math proofs. mathematicians are absolutely terrible at it. the worst are programs derived directly from math proofs.
duskwuff
Or "high frequency" (3 - 30 MHz) RF.
diggan
There is a lesson in here about why we don't name projects "Fast X" or "More Performant Y", since the target of "fast" et al always move. At one point, "Fast Ethernet" was indeed fast, but times change, and the name remains "Fast Ethernet" even though "Gigabit Ethernet" is much faster.
So never name your projects based on something that can change over time, unless you want to become the new 100 Mbit/s "Fast Ethernet"
monkemonke
I was about to comment something about how this thing seems nice and circumvents the problem with repurposing powerful old phones which is that you are limited by the I/O which is often usb 2.0...
If it has 100mbps ethernet I don't really see much benefit over a usb c dock/hub with ethernet or something.
I'm pretty sure if you connect a gigabit ethernet adapter over usb 2 you can actually get higher speeds.
voxlax
Also a single port? There are cheaper alternatives, capable of routing 1G between ports and with integrated 5G modem. Complete with case and smaller.
FirmwareBurner
Yes, the Fast Ethernet standard was released in 1995 when 100Mbit definitely warranted the name "fast", but this being the 90's, technology moved fast getting quickly obsoleted and so gigabit ethernet came only 3 years after that.
Will this let you use cellular data plans that only work with phones, not with non-phone devices (for carriers that charge more money for non-phones)?