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Previously, my home used a traditional wired broadband connection with a gigabit bandwidth, and the router was on the first floor, so the signal was weak upstairs. In traditional home wired networking solutions, even with gigabit bandwidth, the actual connection speed at the room ports is often much lower than gigabit due to the quality of the internal wiring (the maximum bandwidth of Category 5e cables is 155M) and issues such as aging or lack of pre-installed wiring. According to official statistics, 50% of household internal wiring transmission speeds are below 200Mbps. With the national push for speed increases and cost reductions, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has proposed “Double G, Double Improvement” to promote both fixed and mobile broadband to enter the gigabit era, achieving significant improvements in network performance. The telecom network at home has replaced all wired connections with fiber optics. The telecom package equipment includes an optical splitter, with a traditional router on the first floor and a WiFi 6 router on the second floor.

The WiFi 6 router was developed in collaboration with Telecom and ZTE, and we are about to disassemble this WiFi 6 router. First, let’s take a nice photo and prepare for a chip-level disassembly, afraid that once disassembled, it won’t be able to be reassembled, making it a memorable moment. The top has many small holes for heat dissipation and signal output.

There are two traditional gigabit Ethernet ports, one fiber optic connection, and one power supply.

Traditional WiFi routers support 2.4GHz, usually equipped with several rod-shaped antennas that provide high gain and directionality, suitable for long-distance communication or specific directional transmission. In WiFi 6 routers, both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands are supported, and some high-end antennas also support higher bands. With the introduction of technologies like MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output) and OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), the performance of WiFi 6 is no longer reliant on a single antenna shape or type. This allows multiple devices to transmit data simultaneously, greatly improving network throughput and efficiency. Beamforming intelligently adjusts the antenna’s transmission direction to concentrate the signal in specific areas, enhancing signal strength and coverage. Since rod-shaped antennas are no longer necessary, the design can vary greatly. WiFi 6 routers are visually appealing and can take on various shapes. The network speed is excellent:

Bottom view

Found a screw, could it be that it’s only held together by the outer shell? After searching for a long time, I went to the bottom insulation strip, found the screw, and explored for a long time. I was almost about to break the shell with a screwdriver. Finally, I first removed the side panel before pulling out the motherboard. After taking photos of the disassembly:

Antennas: Various shapes of FPC soft antennas. The colored ones are connecting antennas.

Next, disassemble the motherboard: metal sheet assists in heat dissipation

There is a fiber optic slot that has been wound several times; the fiber is very thin and fragile, especially at the splicing point, which lacks outer protection and is prone to damage. Fiber winding can neatly store the fiber in a box or winding device, avoiding the fiber from being pulled or compressed, thus protecting its integrity and performance. After stripping the motherboard, the back is orderly arranged for signal isolation, and the panel PCB has openings for heat dissipation.

Beautiful window design

Core component one: A KIOXIA SY6143TAIWAN 23169 AE TC58BVGOS3HTA10, with a storage capacity of 1G (128M X 8 BIT) CMOS NAND E2PROM. Toshiba Storage announced its rebranding to Kioxia in the second half of 2019, and Kioxia is manufactured in Taiwan. The TC58BVG0S3HTA00 has excellent read and write speeds and stable data storage capabilities. The TC58BVG0S3HTA00 is a 3.3V 1Gbit (1107296256 bits) NAND EEPROM, (2048 + 64) bytes X64 pagesX1024 blocks. This device has a 2112-byte static register, allowing data to be transferred between the program and the storage unit array in increments of 2112 bytes.

Interfaces:

E2PROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) plays an important role in WiFi 6 devices:

1. Storing configuration information: EEPROM can store various configuration information for WiFi 6 devices, such as network name (SSID), password, security settings, channel selection, etc. This information is vital for the normal operation of the device, and EEPROM provides a persistent and reliable storage method that retains information even when the device is powered off. 2. Supporting firmware upgrades: WiFi 6 devices may need firmware upgrades to fix vulnerabilities, add new features, or improve performance. EEPROM can store information required for firmware upgrades, such as the location of the upgrade package, version number, etc., ensuring a smooth firmware upgrade process. 3. Optimizing network performance: EEPROM can also store parameters related to network performance optimization, such as power control, modulation methods (like 1024-QAM), channel width, etc. These parameters can be adjusted based on the actual operating environment of the device to achieve optimal network performance. 4. Troubleshooting and recovery: When WiFi 6 devices encounter issues, the configuration information and logs in EEPROM can help technicians quickly locate the problem and perform necessary repairs. Additionally, EEPROM can store factory settings for the device to restore it to its initial state if needed. 5. Supporting concurrent multi-user transmission: WiFi 6 introduces MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output) and OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) technologies, which require the device to handle multiple users’ transmission requests simultaneously. EEPROM can store configuration information related to these technologies, such as user priorities and resource allocation, ensuring that the device can efficiently manage concurrent transmissions from multiple users. Continuing the disassembly:

Core component two: Let’s analyze the core chip, which is the ZTE Microelectronics ZX279128S. ZX279128S is a home gateway chip that supports xPON access. It is manufactured using a 28nm process, integrates four gigabit PHYs, and reserves interfaces for USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, with 2 PCIe 2.0 x1 lines. The chip is based on a dual-core processor architecture of ARM Cortex A9 and has rich peripherals, using an AXI high-performance bus for interconnection. The CPU frequency reaches 1000MHz, allowing it to handle complex protocol packets. It has four built-in GE PHY Ethernet interfaces and provides RGMI interfaces for external PHYs. The chip supports robust broadband service processing capabilities. It supports L2/L3 multicast forwarding, L2 bridging, L3 routing, and NAPT processing functions; supports IPv4 and IPv6 dual-stack and DS-Lite, 6RD functions; supports rich and flexible traffic classification functions; supports HOoS (Hierarchy Quality of Service) to achieve hierarchical QoS. The xPON access supports GPON/EPON/P2P tri-mode: compliant with G.984 GPON standards, as well as 802.3-2005 and CTC EPON device technical requirements, ensuring good xPON interoperability. ZX279128S is a powerful SoC (System on Chip) chip. It is a solution for high-performance ONU products, integrating peripherals including PON serdes interfaces. To support EPON/GPON applications, ZX279128S internally integrates a PON accelerator and interacts with the outside world through serdes interfaces. It has strong GPON and EPON protocol processing capabilities, supporting G.983, G.984, and IEEE 802.3ah protocols. It provides traffic management, QoS, multicast, encryption/decryption, traffic classification, bridging, NAPT, and PPPoE processing functions. Additionally, ZX279128S integrates rich peripheral interfaces, including UART, SPI, I2C, MDIO, GPIO, etc., supporting multiple BOOT methods. The chip supports two PCIe interfaces, meeting the needs of dual-band WiFi scenarios. At the same time, it has four built-in GE PHY Ethernet interfaces and provides RGMI interfaces for external PHYs, making the chip more flexible and convenient for connection and expansion. ZX279128S supports common low-power mechanisms, including CPU sleep/wake, dynamic clock adjustment, clock gating, functional module power-down modes, and low-power modes for DDRIO, significantly reducing the overall power consumption of the chip. The PON service acceleration supports tri-mode GPON/EPON/P2P, compliant with G.984 GPON standards and 802.3-2005, CTC EPON device technical requirements, ensuring excellent xPON interoperability. This multi-mode support allows the chip to be widely used in different network environments to meet diverse network needs. ZX279128S can handle complex protocol packets and supports a rich set of network protocols and service functions, such as L2/L3 multicast forwarding, L2 bridging, L3 routing, and NAPT, providing outstanding performance in data processing and network management. GPON mode, 2.5G GPON access function, downlink 2.488Gbps, uplink 1.244Gbps; EPON mode, 1.25G EPON access function, both uplink and downlink at 1.25Gbps; P2P mode, 1.25G access function. DDR interface 1600/1333/1066/800Mbps@DDR3 speed 1600Mbps@DDR4 speed supports 8/16bit DDR bit width particles and maximum capacity of 8Gb logical block diagram:

Typical applications:

Power requirements:

Continuing the disassembly: Core component three: On ZX279128S is a DDR3L SDRAM, model NT5CC128M16JR-EK, produced by NANYA, a third-generation low-power double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory, with a storage capacity of 2Gb (128M x 16). Standard DDR3 memory operates at 1.5V, while DDR3L memory operates at 1.35V, providing significant energy savings. A 4G DDR3L 1600 notebook memory can save 2W of power compared to DDR3, and if configured in dual-channel, it can save 4W of power.

Continuing the disassembly:

The wireless protocol chip, brand MaxLinear, WAV654 SoC is part of MaxLinear’s Wi-Fi chip series WAV600, designed to meet the IEEE 802.11ax standard and has received Wi-Fi 6 certification. It supports multi-gigabit Wi-Fi and provides up to 4 5GHz spectrum streams, supporting 160MHz channels for higher capacity. Additionally, this SoC can simultaneously connect up to 256 clients, providing a high-quality user experience for an increasing number of connected devices. The Wi-Fi chip series WAV600 is optimized for AnyWAN™ SoC and Puma™ 7 series, completely offloading wireless traffic with zero CPU utilization. This frees up CPU performance for advanced services such as security, analytics, photo/video hosting, and parental controls while providing a consistent user experience.

Wi-Fi 6, based on the 802.11ax standard, offers faster data transfer rates and broader coverage in dense environments. MaxLinear provides Wi-Fi 6 chips for home Wi-Fi routers, gateways, and smart range extenders for cable, xDSL, fiber, and consumer retail infrastructure, designed to deliver fast and consistent connectivity. The Wi-Fi chip series WAV600 is designed to meet IEEE 802.11ax standards and has received Wi-Fi 6 certification. It supports multi-gigabit Wi-Fi and provides up to 4 streams of 5GHz spectrum, with 160MHz channel support to create higher capacity. Additionally, these SoCs can connect up to 256 clients simultaneously, providing a high-quality user experience for an increasing number of connected devices. These Wi-Fi SoCs are optimized for AnyWAN™ SoC and Puma™ 7 home, completely offloading wireless traffic with zero CPU usage. This releases CPU performance for advanced services such as security, analytics, photo/video hosting, and parental controls while providing a consistent user experience. Speed: Gigabit Wi-Fi enables faster connections, streaming, and downloads. Routers, access points, and gateways based on the WAV600 series Wi-Fi chipsets can deliver multi-gigabit Wi-Fi speeds to PCs equipped with integrated gigabit Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) for a high-quality user experience. Core component four: Continuing the disassembly: WiFi 6 FEM chip

The WiFi 6 FEM chip is a key component in WiFi communication, integrating RF front-end circuits such as power amplifiers (PA), RF switches, low-noise amplifiers (LNA), filters, and duplexers. 2.4G KCT8247HE 5G KCT8572S. It supports high power, high efficiency, high linearity, and low noise characteristics, meeting the high requirements of WiFi 6 for transmission power and linearity. The WiFi 6 FEM chip integrates multiple RF front-end circuits, reducing system complexity and cost. Core component five: Optical PHY (Physical Layer) chip, GN25L95 is a three-in-one chip that integrates laser driver (LDD), line amplifier (LA), and microcontroller (MCU), designed for installation in user-end devices such as GPON ONU (Optical Network Unit) or ONT (Optical Network Terminal). GN25L95 utilizes high-reliability dual-loop technology, allowing for automatic extinction ratio locking, eliminating the need for users to test under high and low temperatures, significantly reducing production costs. Integrated MCU: This chip integrates an MCU, requiring only an external EEPROM, further simplifying circuit design. Automatic extinction ratio control: GN25L95 integrates SFF-8472 DDMI MSA, supporting automatic extinction ratio control, enhancing the stability and performance of optical modules.

Logical architecture:

Conclusion: Communication technology is advancing rapidly; WiFi 6 is becoming commonplace, and WiFi 7, 8, and 9 are only getting closer. In the field of router design, original chip manufacturers can generally provide confidential reference designs, which are crucial for manufacturers. These reference designs not only include the hardware architecture and interface specifications of the chips but may also cover software development toolkits (SDKs), drivers, firmware examples, and related technical support. Through this disassembly, it seems that getting a high-performance router is not a difficult task!

Author: abner_ma, Source: Breadboard Community [Write a disassembly, send a drone activity]

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