The real mismatch wasn't raw power—it's that Android's WiFi stack and USB host controller aren't built for sustained routing or mesh duties. You end up with USB interrupts starving the main CPU and no decent 802.11s or batman-adv support. If the goal was custom packet handling or running APKs alongside routing, a cheap GL.iNet or even an old x86 box with two Atheros cards would have been the move instead of fighting the Android box.
The real mismatch wasn't raw power—it's that Android's WiFi stack and USB host controller aren't built for sustained routing or mesh duties. You end up with USB interrupts starving the main CPU and no decent 802.11s or batman-adv support. If the goal was custom packet handling or running APKs alongside routing, a cheap GL.iNet or even an old x86 box with two Atheros cards would have been the move instead of fighting the Android box.