I said powerful router because running CAKE/fq_codel means your router's CPU will be processing each packet. Which is not normally the case for a router process

I said powerful router because running CAKE/fq_codel means your router's CPU will be processing each packet. Which is not normally the case for a router processing unicast traffic without an AQM algorithm. For instance, much of Ubiquiti's lineup will choke on anything over 500mbps w/ fq_codel (aka Smart Queue) enabled.