Hey silly question but can Entware be loaded and ran from a separate NAS since the ET12/XT12 don't have USB ports? And even sillier, since I can no longer return my ET12, what if I soldered my own USB port to the board?
Remote entware theoretically is possible, but highly not recommended. Something I’m sure AMTM & Merlin does not support.
It’s more than just installing entware it’s a factor of cpu type, and amount of ram available. ET12 doesn’t have the necessary requirements for RMerlin to support and of the routers he supports only a few each generation as it’s likely a lot of upkeep to build each version.
Short answer no. I’d recommend getting a router that supports Merlin or using the ET12 as an access point and run the advanced routing OS software like OPNsense or PFsense on a dedicated server or mini pc. That way you can run any third party software you want on potentially a stronger machine.