The current Omnia uses quite old hardware. ARMv7 is 32bit and afaik legacy hardware.
It lacks a lot of security benefits of ARMv8a (as used in even a Google Pixel 4a).
The hardware accessories using mPCIe is also odd, that is similar to my 2012 Thinkpad T430, which I dont use anymore.
At last, DDR3 is equally old. I dont know about the specific ARM processor.
Getting replacement parts is already a bit hard, for example a SATA adapter. Aliexpress has everything luckily.
The MOX already has ARMv8, which is great! This means that the processors are around, are the old models just what is in stock? Or are you still producing them?
I’m not a hardware designer but I agree an update might be needed once wifi 7 and faster internet connections are prevalent.
I mean this: after 8 years it’s likely an upgraded unit is needed but I reckon we can wait a couple more years while they secure a partner, complete design, etc.
not only Wifi7, generally firmware microcode updates and also hardware energy efficiency.
in the end also instruction set security benefits.
GrapheneOS now uses memory tagging in their browser, which makes finding leaks easier. This is a hardware feature found in Pixel 8 and newer, so recent hardware.
They phase out 32bit app support entirely, for security reasons.
I highly doubt that 8 (?) year old hardware gets all needed updates to stay safe.
As a new customer, it feels strange to buy a device that old, as I said, my 2012 Thinkpad T430 had similar hardware.
If someone can say what issues could arise, how well microcode updates by Marvell are, and what timeframes are in mind, that would be highly appreciated!
Routers are not phones . You don’t need the newest one every few years - as long as its performance suffices and the offered services (wifi generation etc) are usable.
Tell me how many people actually need the theoretical 2 Gbps transfers offered by Wifi 7. My guess is 99% of households do not. So the market size gets smaller and smaller as you add features and thus increase price.
But it is true that the 32 bit CPU starts to show its limitations as software is dropping 32 bit support. Omnia NG is said to be in the works, but last news were that it is still in its inception phase.
My point was not the speed or planned obsolescence
Simply 64bit being a standard since a long time, old hardware with rare replacement parts, energy efficiency and possibly missing or incomplete firmware and microcode updates.
Take the Fairphone for example: they used an IOT SOC to get longer firmware updates, but still have way less security than a Pixel.
But this assumes that the threat model would be equal, and I guess that routers are not protected against local attackers at all (encryption etc).
Still I think @peci1 point holds that routers like the Omnia don’t need so much processing power, unless they are being used more like Edge Computing devices rather than just routers.
If you use them as an Edge device then you need additional processing for whatever is running plus security.
If the new version is an updated device (more CPU, memory, newer ports, tuned to manage symmetric connections common today) it could be success.
Question: I am under the impression mini PCIe is more common in network devices rather than M2. Personally, I would like to see one more mini PCIe connector in the Omnia.
Spoiler alert: the 64bit cores in the mox (from arm’s efficiency line) are weaker than the omnia’s dual a9s (from arm’s performance line). I am not saying the a9 has not gotten long in the tooth, as it certainly shows its age, but replacing the a9 with a53/55 would be going to be a step down…
