Adding 4 more 2.5GbE interfaces to the GMKtec NucBox G9
A hardware enthusiast details their process of adding four 2.5GbE network interfaces to a GMKtec NucBox G9 mini PC to improve its utility as a home router. The author discusses thermal concerns, storage reliability, and the challenges of sourcing specific hardware in a fluctuating market.
Why it matters
It highlights the DIY approach to home networking and the limitations of consumer-grade mini PCs when repurposed for high-performance infrastructure tasks.
TL;DR: I added 4x Intel I226-V 2.5GbE network cards to my NucBox G9. You can do it too. Download the files and print them yourself.↗
A few months ago, I blogged about using an Intel n150 based mini PC as my home router running OpenWrt . Since then, I’m happy to report that it has been perfectly reliable 1 .
However, the NucBox G9 runs notoriously hot↗ with NVMe drives installed. Even without any hot NVMe drives installed, I’d describe the overall thermal situation as “not great, not terrible”. I haven’t had any specific issues since OpenWrt is about as light of a load as I could possibly run on it. My unit stays at about 50°C, which is wonderful. What worried me is the 64GB of onboard eMMC storage.
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