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 Initially I was considering TP-Link Archer A7, but it has a single core CPU and also seems outdated being launched a number of years ago.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]

Doesn't sound good..lol. I don't even know what's happening anymore.

 

[HC1337]

Ya, on second thought I might be leaking the connection, I will remove it soon. Use mwan3. Remove railwire and get either BSNL or a local ISP.

 

[itachi]

Is there a router available in India that can do sqm for 500mbps easy with openwrt?

 

[Aashish.007]

That would only be rpis.

 

[a.c]

Or a nano Pi r4s, which already has dual gigabit Ethernet ports.

 

[wheatbread]

R5S has one gig and two 2.5 gig ports, should cost the same or probably less in total.

 

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[itachi]

Does these have Wifi?

 

[Aashish.007]

Last I checked r5s was twice the price of rpi4b here.

 

[a.c]

Yup r5s is expensive almost 11k+ INR. While the 2.5gbit port sounds good. I don't think it's that much useful.
Rpi 4 will need a usb to Ethernet adapter. R4s you can skip that, total price for both comes around to same amount.
Can go with either.
None of these have wifi, they do routing and they do it well. For Wifi better to have another router+wifi combo being used as AP

 

[Aashish.007]

Bro the base rpi4 is 4.5k and an adapter costs 1.3k which won't even be needed if you use as router on stick, it is still far from r5s prices.

 

[wheatbread]

Pi4's ethernet is extended from USB 3.0 and boots from SD Card, very different product from NanoPi offerings where at least one port is directly from SoC and rest using PCIe.

 

[Aashish.007]

Same is for rpi4, ethernet directly from SOC.
Can boot from micro sd/ ssd/ usb.

 

[halfbytecode]

It is worth mentioning that TP-Link has released Archer C6 v4 now, which seems to have a different chipset that is unsupported by OpenWrt. Archer C64 and some other routers too have that specific chipset, and OpenWrt support is absent.

Archer A6 and C6U do not seem to have any newer variants so far, as per TP-Link's website. For now, Archer A6 v3 and Archer C6U are the way to go. Archer C6 should be skipped to avoid getting the unsupported v4 version.

 

[nishantt6969]

I use c6u openwrt firmware on c6v3.20 its working well and good.

 

[mgforce]

Hi,

Interesting thread, read completely from start and learnt a few things 🙂

Q : if anyone has experience of using mwan3 on Archer A6 (v2)? I have Airtel Fiber and Local ISP Fiber.
Want to use mwan3 for load balancing as well as fail-over.

For now, I tried mwan3 on old WDR3600, running Openwrt 22.03 - but speeds are too low. Seems like old hardware not able to do justice.