Hi,

I've never used OpenWRT, but I would like to get rid of the crappy router from my ISP and take more control over my internet connection. I'm looking for some advices to buy a new low-cost router for my needs. I hope this is the best place to post such kind of request.

My internet connection is a cable connection that provide 55Mbps (download) / 3.5Mbps (upload), without any quota.
I connect the following devices :
* 1 computer (cable)
* 1/2 portable computer (wifi)
* 1 PS3 (for gaming and netflix) (cable)
*  multimedia hard drive (cable)
* up to 3 RaspberryPis for audio streaming, web development, torrenting,... (cable + wifi)
* 2-3 smartphones/ipod

I'm searching for a router with a very good support of openWRT (easy installation, support, "unbrickable"). I do not need very advanced features like torrent download, openvpn,...

Which router would you recommand for me? I don't need a very expensive router, but, as I want to experiment a little, it should not be too limited.

I found the TP-LINK TL-WR841ND, which is very cheap, and seems to be well supported, but will it suit my needs?
Would you recommand another device? Which one for less than 30€ or 50€, for example?

Thanks in advance for your help!

You may be able to get by with the WR841ND, but it only has 4MB flash. I'd recommend going to something a bit higher end, which will also give you a faster CPU to help with QoS on your 55mbps connection. The WR1043ND v2 is a good choice if you don't need dual band. I'd personally step up to the WDR3600 which adds dual band support.

What would be the limitations with only 4MB of FLASH memory? Is it possible to use basic functionalities (wired/wireless interfaces, routing to the internet, NAT,...), and the web interface?

I really don't know if I need dual band wifi...

The 2 routers you mentionned cost ~50€. They seem interesting, but I'm afraid I could brick them and make them unusable. How "easy" would it be to brick them, and hopefully recover them? Do they include a "failsafe mode" which cannot be overwritten by bad manipulations?

Thanks for you help!

I think most TP-Link's have a TFTP recovery that's pretty robust, but don't quote me on it. You can also do a serial recovery on most of them, although this does require opening the router. 4MB of flash is enough to do the basics with web UI, but only if the webUI is integrated into the base firmware (as opposed to installed as a package), but just barely. I'd personally prefer to have a little breathing room and be sure that future versions will work as well.

Hi with just 4 mb you can brick the router by filling up the rom to much. the wrd3600 is grate but even better than that is the WDN750 witch is unbrickable. the n750 is not made no more tho so you will have to by one from ebay.
http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/wd/n750
I love mine more on the WD Emergency Recovery.
https://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9618/

Do you mean that if I install too much software, I could brick the device?

I have the wr841n running OpenWRT, and it works for me. Basically, whatever packages you want to run on this device must be compiled into the firmware ahead of time (before you flash it), because it uses a lot more space to install them after flashing the firmware, because the packages remain compressed (thus saving space) when they are pre-packaged. For instance, I have about 160kbs of free ROM left after uploading the snapshot I used (with Luci, openvpn, etc): https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=54604

Basically, if you plan on playing around with this router and learning what OpenWrt can do, you're definitely going to want more than 4MB of memory.  The suggestion being that with only 4MB, you must pre-compile an image with virtually every package you intend to use, because you don't have the space to install packages after the fact.  I just started with OpenWrt, and I've installed a number of packages that I wouldn't have anticipated needing at the outset.

I'd recommend something with more memory unless you have an extremely clear idea of everything you'll need to accomplish your goals.

(Last edited by fecaleagle on 31 Jul 2015, 10:34)