I have some simple suggestions for your Qotom router. I assure you they sound obvious but that doesn’t mean they were obvious for me. One must keep in mind that you are buying a computer that you are going to turn into a router. Things like power on after power loss or just making sure you hit hit the power button to turn it on are things that are automatic on practically every router.
I admit that I wasted a lot of time with the power button. I would think the router was on because of the network link lights were flashing but nope! The router was off. A lot of time means more than once and more than an hour. This is my first suggestion. Head into the BIOS and turn on the “turn on after power loss”. I have lots of power outages where I am so it needs to be automatic for me. It would have been a deal breaker otherwise.
The serial port is standard on all business class routers. Whether it is a RS232 port or a console port like Cisco uses it is all the same. I tried using a null modem cable between my serial/console cable but that didn’t work. My console cable had a male end to it. My other serial cable also was male to male. Daisy changing them together just didn’t work.
I think its important to always have access to that serial port. You do need to enable it in OPNsense but when it comes to troubleshooting I have found it a godsend.
These suggestions are very simple and will make your router management easier.