All in One base layer: Proxmox VE or ESXi 9
Choose Proxmox Virtual Environment or VMware ESXi 9 as the hypervisor on the same AiRouter x86 core board hardware.
AiRouter’s all-in-one idea packs routing, NAS, and everyday VMs onto one x86 core board. The bottom layer—the hypervisor—is your call: Proxmox Virtual Environment or VMware ESXi 9, depending on what you already know how to run.
Why we keep both paths
Some builders grew up on pct, qm, and backups to PBS. Others live in vSphere at work and want the same muscle memory at home. All in One is not a locked Proxmox appliance; it is one hardware platform with two mature hypervisor routes. Router VMs, NAS VMs, and Windows/Ubuntu guests sit above that layer either way.
Proxmox Virtual Environment
Who it fits
Open-source homelab fans who like KVM plus LXC on the same host.
Typical layout
- Router VM (OpenWrt, RouterOS, etc.) and NAS VM on shared bridges
- Snapshots, scheduled backups, ZFS or LVM—your usual Proxmox habits
- Richest community examples when combined with router VM choices and NAS VM choices
On the x86 core board
Leave enough RAM for the hypervisor itself; treat the router and storage VMs as always-on, then spend what is left on lab guests.
VMware ESXi 9
Who it fits
Teams with VMware skills or licenses who want vSphere-style operations.
Typical layout
- Router, NAS, and Windows guests as VMs; management on a dedicated VLAN or out-of-band
- Optional vCenter later; a single AiRouter node works as a home edge server
- PCI passthrough to the router VM is common; steps differ from Proxmox but the goal is the same
On the x86 core board
Check HCL compatibility for the board’s NIC and storage controller. Plan system vs. data disks so snapshots do not fill the boot volume.
Quick comparison
| Topic | Proxmox VE | ESXi 9 |
|---|---|---|
| License cost | No hypervisor license fee | Follow VMware licensing |
| Learning curve | Huge Chinese/English homelab corpus | Enterprise docs |
| Containers | Native LXC | Mostly VMs |
| AiRouter images | PVE template common | Self-install ESXi supported |
Upper layers stay the same
Whether the base is Proxmox or ESXi, we still recommend separate VMs for routing, storage, and desktops—not one giant disk image:
- Routing: OpenWrt, RouterOS, iKuai, iStoreOS, …
- NAS: Synology-style DSM, fnOS, OMV, TrueNAS SCALE, …
- Guests: Windows, Ubuntu, macOS, …
The PXE module on the board handles network boot and side tasks; it does not depend on the hypervisor choice.
Planning your first box? See the All in One overview or write us whether you lean Proxmox or ESXi—we can suggest a memory split.