RISC-V Router

TLDR

• Start9 is crowdfunding a RISC-V router (SpacemiT K1, 4GB RAM) running StartWRT, a fork of OpenWrt, targeting home self-hosters.

Key Takeaways

• Hardware: SpacemiT K1 8-core RISC-V, 4GB LPDDR4, 16GB eMMC, 1 WAN + 1 LAN Gb Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6 via AsiaRF AW7915-NP1 PCIe module.
• Boot stack is OpenSBI + U-Boot + open Linux kernel; board schematics published. Two early-boot binaries and WiFi firmware remain closed-source.
• StartWRT introduces per-device Security Profiles tied to Ethernet port, WiFi password (Identity PSK), or inbound VPN server, enabling granular network segmentation.
• Outbound VPN chaining (e.g. Mullvad then Proton) is supported natively; WiFi blackout schedules and one-click dynamic DNS are built in.
• Ships no later than September 2026; pre-orders at $300 are non-refundable. $250,000 crowdfunding goal.

Hacker News Comment Review

• Commenters challenged the “most open router” claim, noting OpenWrt One and Turris also publish schematics and open boot stacks, and the SpacemiT K1 is no more architecturally open than MIPS or ARM alternatives already used in those devices.
• The custom StartWRT fork drew skepticism: small hardware startups maintaining a proprietary OpenWrt fork long-term is a historically poor track record, raising sustainability and security-patch concerns.
• A counterargument noted that more independent OpenWrt forks raises the cost of supply-chain attacks like XZ Utils, making fragmentation a security feature rather than a liability.

Original | Discuss on HN