5 ms·

Does anyone have suggestions for the smallest physical device that can function as a WireGuard server or a Tailscale exit node with decent performance?

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
twic 2y ago
I run a WireGuard server on my wireless router. The router itself is not tiny, the size of a two-inch-thick trade paperback. But the marginal size of the WireGuard device is zero, because i need the router anyway.
toomuchtodo 2y ago
I have had great luck with https://www.gl-inet.com/ https://www.gl-inet.com/ travel routers as line speed Wireguard endpoints. Works on fiber and StarLink equally well.
- aborsy 2y ago
  They have also Tailscale plug-in. You have to trust the company out of China or HK, though.
- dbrueck 2y ago
  I agree with this recommendation - they work great with Wireguard. And if you're travelling, some of the features like handling captive portals are handy.
- yamrzou 2y ago
  They are good wireguard clients but not servers
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - zekica 2y ago
    What's the difference?
    - yamrzou 2y ago
      On GL.iNet website they state: "OpenVPN and WireGuard speeds will be slower when running the device as a server. Results above are in client mode."
dudus 2y ago
The Lenovo Thinkcentre M series tiny or a HP mini are the sweet spot for me. For less than $200 you can get a used one with 16GB of RAM and a fast SSD. For home servers I want low power usage and reliability. Mine idle at 5W running proxmox.
caconym_ 2y ago
This explicitly doesn't answer your question as written, but just in case it's relevant to you anyway: you can run something like pfSense in a VM on a server or really any machine you have available on the network where you want an exit node. At least on Linux, the software networking support is good enough to make such a VM appear as just another machine on the network the VM host is connected to. My primary home router is a pfSense VM set up as a Wireguard peer for tunneling in from various other devices and locations, and I'm very happy with it.
KaiserPro 2y ago
Probably something like an n100 based "NUC" type deal. Its has loads of float performance and is much better suited to being a "server" than a pi (much as I love the pi)
- zamadatix 2y ago
  If the goal is smallest VPN box instead of best for the price server then the float performance doesn't really matter much and both are probably overkill -> too large. Both the n100 and the pi 5 can reach multiple gbps of wireguard throughput, whatever you can get in the smaller total form factor is more ideal than ridiculous throughput. A table of devices and wg speeds can be found here https://forum.openwrt.org/t/a-wireguard-comparison-db/187586 https://forum.openwrt.org/t/a-wireguard-comparison-db/187586. There are plenty of interesting tiny options, particularly if you don't need a full gig.
Hamuko 2y ago
I'm currently using my Unifi Cloud Gateway Ultra router as a Wireguard server for my home network and it's at least somewhat compact with good performance. Before that I used to have a Dell WYSE 3040 that's also quite compact but maybe a bit less so on the performance side.
poisonborz 2y ago
GLiNet AR300M Travel router. I don't think you could make a smaller one even going DIY (with a case, that is). Perf is 50mb with Wireguard officially.
petepete 2y ago
Maybe not the absolute smallest but Unifi cloud gateways are very small. https://ui.com/us/en/cloud-gateways/compact https://ui.com/us/en/cloud-gateways/compact

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

twic 2y ago

I run a WireGuard server on my wireless router. The router itself is not tiny, the size of a two-inch-thick trade paperback. But the marginal size of the WireGuard device is zero, because i need the router anyway.

toomuchtodo 2y ago

I have had great luck with https://www.gl-inet.com/ https://www.gl-inet.com/ travel routers as line speed Wireguard endpoints. Works on fiber and StarLink equally well.

aborsy 2y ago
They have also Tailscale plug-in. You have to trust the company out of China or HK, though.
dbrueck 2y ago
I agree with this recommendation - they work great with Wireguard. And if you're travelling, some of the features like handling captive portals are handy.
yamrzou 2y ago
They are good wireguard clients but not servers
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- zekica 2y ago
  What's the difference?
  - yamrzou 2y ago
    On GL.iNet website they state: "OpenVPN and WireGuard speeds will be slower when running the device as a server. Results above are in client mode."

dudus 2y ago

The Lenovo Thinkcentre M series tiny or a HP mini are the sweet spot for me. For less than $200 you can get a used one with 16GB of RAM and a fast SSD. For home servers I want low power usage and reliability. Mine idle at 5W running proxmox.

caconym_ 2y ago

This explicitly doesn't answer your question as written, but just in case it's relevant to you anyway: you can run something like pfSense in a VM on a server or really any machine you have available on the network where you want an exit node. At least on Linux, the software networking support is good enough to make such a VM appear as just another machine on the network the VM host is connected to. My primary home router is a pfSense VM set up as a Wireguard peer for tunneling in from various other devices and locations, and I'm very happy with it.

KaiserPro 2y ago

Probably something like an n100 based "NUC" type deal. Its has loads of float performance and is much better suited to being a "server" than a pi (much as I love the pi)

zamadatix 2y ago
If the goal is smallest VPN box instead of best for the price server then the float performance doesn't really matter much and both are probably overkill -> too large. Both the n100 and the pi 5 can reach multiple gbps of wireguard throughput, whatever you can get in the smaller total form factor is more ideal than ridiculous throughput. A table of devices and wg speeds can be found here https://forum.openwrt.org/t/a-wireguard-comparison-db/187586 https://forum.openwrt.org/t/a-wireguard-comparison-db/187586. There are plenty of interesting tiny options, particularly if you don't need a full gig.

Hamuko 2y ago

I'm currently using my Unifi Cloud Gateway Ultra router as a Wireguard server for my home network and it's at least somewhat compact with good performance. Before that I used to have a Dell WYSE 3040 that's also quite compact but maybe a bit less so on the performance side.

poisonborz 2y ago

GLiNet AR300M Travel router. I don't think you could make a smaller one even going DIY (with a case, that is). Perf is 50mb with Wireguard officially.

petepete 2y ago

Maybe not the absolute smallest but Unifi cloud gateways are very small. https://ui.com/us/en/cloud-gateways/compact https://ui.com/us/en/cloud-gateways/compact