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before buying expensive routers check OpenWRT's table of hardware and buy one that is supported by the current OpenWRT release and has decent specs. There is a detailed installation guide for each supported device in the wiki too so there are no excuses it's dead simple. Free yourself from stupid hardware manufacturers and their planed obsolescence products.
- Edit: also here is the new version of the table of hardware with more details They seem to have buyers guide too in the wiki.
- Edit2: seems like GL.iNet devices ship with OpenWRT out of the box with their GUI on top and you still have access to openwrt under the hood if you need it which sounds awesome so look into them if you're interested. Thanks you guys who brought them up.
- Edit3: there is firewall sulotion called OPNSense which is not limited to commercial routers like OpenWRT and can be run on any x86 hardware of your choice (like N100 mini pcs) so look into it if you're interested. Many thanks to the guys who contributed in the comments
- Edit4: Sorry for the multiple edits but some of you guys suggest some fantastic insights that I had to add. Anyways here is a list of good candidate devices for hassle free installation and yet powerful enough hardware from OpenWRT's Forum
- I promise it's gonna be the last Edit. OpenWRT has a official device they made themselves called OpenWRT ONE (I think the second one is also in the works). It hase good specs for home network and you support the project too. Here is the link to official Retailers
I honestly don't know much about Microtik's RouterOS but in a few occasions I had I realised it is way too complicated for home user and their OS is not FOSS and needs payed license too. I'm sure it's great once you get the hang of it but it's unnecessary pain when there is OpenWRT available with a lot of devices you can choose not just one specific manufacturer
Mikrotik is proprietary, and has a bad security track.
That's a shame. It would've been nice to have a good European manufacturer for network devices
There is not much value added in Latvia. At least some of their hardware is supported by OpenWRT https://openwrt.org/toh/mikrotik/start though.
OK, no RouterOS then
Mikrotik is such pain in the dick. Not used them in the last 5 years but hated working with them in the past.
I had a managed switch from mikrotik, returned it. Skill issue. Its good, but the tplink that replaced it worked just as fine for the sameish price and one tenth the hassle.
I could configure them and do everything I needed, helped many businesses with them as part of my job. But always hated it because it was such a hassle to work with them.
This. I cringe whenever I see someone using an ASUS or TPLINK.
ASUS [routers] are fine. I've been using them for years (several models, lately their ExpertWifi EBM68). What's the issue?
Maybe this ?
https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/05/thousands-of-asus-routers-are-being-hit-with-stealthy-persistent-backdoors/
ASUS is Taiwanese. TP-Link is Chinese
They usually cheap and good option to flash openwrt