OpenWRT compatible router in 2022

[halfbytecode]

I am looking for a new router that is OpenWRT compatible and has good WiFi range. Initially I was considering TP-Link Archer A7, but it has a single core CPU and also seems outdated being launched a number of years ago.

Now Archer A6 V3 also seems to supported by OpenWRT now. It is dual core, but is more like an entry level router.

I also looked a Asus routers, but ASUS 58U does not really seem to be available now.

Are there any other routers that I can consider, which are OpenWRT compatible and have a good WiFi range?

 

[Aashish.007]

Using 2 A6v3, have to say they perform well.

 

[HC1337]

What additional features does OpenWRT provide for the A6 v3 exactly?, I have the router and might just want to flash them, as the stock firmware is getting kind of buggy for me and would to try it out.

 

[Aashish.007]

It has about 10mb free space so you can use AdBlock and if you want also unbound and Sqm.

 

[igloo]

Netgear R6350 is another one.

 

[a.c]

Sqm takes a huge hit on these tiny cpus. You end up losing a chunk of your bandwidth, so not really usefull. Adblock yup

 

---

[wheatbread]

Using 2 A6v3, have to say they perform well.

Could you post installed wpad/hostapd version?
Download speed on 5Ghz with

wpad-openssl

2022-01-16-cff80b4f-5

doesn't go above 50 Mbps, upload is fine.

wpad-wolfssl is better but still not great.

 

[ka2107]

If budget is not an issue:

https://www.amazon.in/Linksys-Dualband-Networking-Coverage-Parental/dp/B08MW8HJCN

Linksys E8450 (aka. Belkin RT3200)

Linksys E8450 (aka. Belkin RT3200) This Linksys E8450 is a dual-band IEEE 802.11ac/ax router based on MediaTek MT7622BV and MediaTek MT7915E. It has five Gigabit Ethernet ports, one USB 2.0 port, 128MiB SPI-NAND Flash (2k+64) and 512MB DDR3 RAM. [Linksys E8450]

openwrt.org

GitHub - dangowrt/owrt-ubi-installer: OpenWrt firmware installer for the Linksys E8450 aka. Belkin RT3200

OpenWrt firmware installer for the Linksys E8450 aka. Belkin RT3200 - dangowrt/owrt-ubi-installer

github.com

 

[arvindgr]

Any latest India specific VFM finds with OpenWRT / DDWRT support?

 

[a.c]

The Archer a7 is the only vfm router in this range suited only for connections less than 300mbps.

If you are looking at a gigabit router either get rpi 4 or a nuc.

 

[halfbytecode]

I just wanted to provide an update. I bought Archer A6 v3 in January for around 2200, but OpenWrt did not work well on it initially. 5 GHz WiFi had slow and buggy performance.

However, around March, I installed a snapshot build which included updated WiFi drivers. The performance has been great after that, in fact I find it better than it was on stock firmware. The WiFi range has also improved with OpenWrt.

The build I am using is SNAPSHOT r19003-43276b60c6.

I believe the upcoming OpenWrt 22 stable release will likely have everything working fine, similar to the snapshot I am running.

I would suggest this router as it has a dual core processor, and newer and more powerful hardware than Archer A7.

 

[venkatachar]

Any idea if it supports mesh? This device is cheap , for 4k you can have a 2 node mesh with 8 gigabit ports

 

[halfbytecode]

It does support mesh functionality on stock firmware, and I believe the same can be replicated on OpenWrt as well.

 

[nishantt6969]

@halfbytecode I am also having the same issue, slow 5Ghz, not going above 250Mbps. Can you tell what speeds you getting on 5Ghz now?

 

[wheatbread]

~100 Mbps Tx on OpenWrt 22.03.0-rc1 r19302-df622768da