I write a lot about OpenWrt and often get questions about which router to get for this OS. Last year, I already did a review of routers best suited for OpenWrt. Back then, the selection wasn't very large, but now things have changed for the better. So, I've made a new, up-to-date breakdown for those who don't know which router to choose.
A router, like any other device, should be bought for a specific purpose. For example, Linux users are used to buying laptops specifically for Linux, not just the first one they see. It's the same here: if you need OpenWrt, you should choose a router wisely, not hope that custom firmware will turn a 700-ruble router into a masterpiece.
In 2023 and 2024, interesting routers have appeared that are already supported by the OpenWrt project. These routers are based on ARM processors. Such routers have been released by several companies, and their number will only increase.
We're talking about two processors from Mediatek:
The budget MT7981, also known as Filogic 820.
The flagship MT7986, also known as Filogic 830.
You can now buy routers with these CPUs from giants like Xiaomi and Asus, as well as from smaller companies like GL.iNet, Banana Pi, and Routerich. The latter three come with OpenWrt on board. GL.iNet and Routerich make their own firmware based on OpenWrt, but they can be easily flashed to vanilla OpenWrt.
Why specifically MTK? Mediatek provides the community with open-source drivers for its Wi-Fi modules. Thus, at the moment, routers based on Mediatek platforms are the best fit for OpenWrt. Therefore, this review will only feature routers based on Mediatek.
Requirements for Routers
1. Flash size is fundamental
Buying a router for Linux with 16 MB of flash is a shortsighted idea. 32 MB hasn't been made for a long time, and the next size up is 128 MB. You should get routers with a minimum of 128 MB of flash so that later you don't have to:
a) jump through hoops,
b) whine in chats about having very little space on the flash drive.
In most cases, the flash memory is divided into several partitions. And OpenWrt is installed on one of them. When buying a router with 128 MB of flash, don't expect all of it to be available to you. Usually, half is available. But sometimes it's less; it depends on how the manufacturer decided to create the partitions in the stock bootloader.
2. A stable version of OpenWrt is available
OpenWrt has stable versions that should be used in most cases. They are polished for a long time, tested, and only then announced. After that, changes are made cautiously. And there is a Snapshot version. This version is built every day from the master branch of the OpenWrt repository and is intended for developers and testers. To put it simply: it is constantly changing and is not stable.
For some reason unknown to me, people buy routers that don't have a stable version and then suffer. A separate caste of people are those who love to flash a snapshot on a router that has a stable version, and then what do they do? That's right, they suffer. I have never been able to figure out what drives these people. Try to avoid this.
It's also worth noting that there are "builds by some guy named Vasya" for routers that are not officially supported by the OpenWrt community. The problems with them are about the same as with snapshots. I have nothing against the Vasyas of the world, but such routers are not included here either. Only routers that are supported by the OpenWrt community and for which firmware can be downloaded from https://downloads.openwrt.org/
3. Available for purchase in Russia
This article is primarily for people from Russia. All routers in this selection can be bought in Russia or ordered from China. So, if you are not from Russia, the article will still be useful to you.
4. Common models that are actually available for purchase
For example, there is the MTS WG430223. It's an ISP router based on the 7621, but it's not very common and is mostly sold by scalpers at an inflated price. This selection includes routers that you can actually buy now on the primary and/or secondary market.
How the Speed Tests Were Conducted
Almost all measurements were taken using iperf3 on a clean vanilla OpenWrt 23.05 with minimal configuration of the OS itself and the firewall.
An Intel AX210 module was used as the Wi-Fi client.
WireGuard was measured in two ways:
Using the wg-bench benchmark
A computer with WG set up was connected to the WAN port, and the second peer was set up on the router. Iperf3 connected from the router to the internal WG IP address of the computer.
OpenVPN and OpenConnect were set up on a remote server. iperf3 was run on a client of the router and connected to the iperf3 server using mangle through the VPN.
VLESS+XTLS+Reality and Shadowsocks2022 were set up via sing-box + a tun interface, otherwise the same way via mangle and a remote server with sing-box.
With VLESS, it's a bit more complicated. There is also the option of working with sing-box/XRay via tproxy. In this case, with VLESS+XTLS, you can get much higher speeds, but only when working with sites that support TLS 1.3.
With TLS 1.2 or no encryption, you get the same maximum as with tun. This is the cool feature of XTLS, which uses existing encryption if it's present.
This speed cannot be tested with iperf3, but it can be checked by downloading a file. Two publicly available examples for comparison:
https://proof.ovh.net/files/1Gb.dat - a speed test for downloading from an OVH server, which currently uses TLS 1.2.
https://ash-speed.hetzner.com/1GB.bin - the same, but from Hetzner. They use TLS 1.3.
Their advantage is that there is a single IP address behind the domain, so the test will be valid. By entering these domains or their IP addresses into your routing tool, you can see the difference in download speed.
wget -O /dev/null https://proof.ovh.net/files/1Gb.dat
A table with speeds is provided for each processor. Gaps mean that the test was not performed on that particular router.
"Available space in OpenWrt" is how much space is available after installing OpenWrt with the stock bootloader.
Routers based on Mediatek MT7621
This is the most popular processor, and there are many routers with it. And it is excellently supported by OpenWrt. Despite the processor being 10 years old, routers with it are still being produced. And some companies sell routers with it for a lot of money.
Pros of the processor:
Cheap
Good OpenWrt support
Has so-called offloading. The processor itself can't handle gigabit NAT, but with offloading enabled, it's no problem.
Widespread
Supports USB 3.0
For its ten years and MIPS architecture, it can provide good speed for WireGuard tunnels (130-140 Mb/s)
There are cons too:
The main drawback is that for proxies like Shadowsocks, VLESS, and similar, it gives 20-30 Mb/s. The maximum I could squeeze out of it with tun was 40 Mb/s. But in tproxy mode with VLESS+XTLS for sites with TLS 1.3, it delivers 100 Mb/s.
Things are even worse with OpenVPN and OpenConnect, around 10 Mb/s. This is because they are single-threaded.
You can put other loads on it like Samba services or torrents, but only in small quantities. The processor is, after all, designed to be a router, not a file dump.
The maximum speed I've seen on it over Wi-Fi is 800 Mb/s on Wi-Fi 6. I think that's very good for a ten-year-old processor, but it might not be enough for some.
Some say the 7621 belongs in the trash, others use them for their tasks without any issues, and still others sell them at an inflated price, claiming that routers with the 7621 are very powerful.
Currently, I see the 7621 for OpenWrt in the following scenarios:
You are new to OpenWrt, want to try it, but are not sure you can handle it. Routers with the 7621 can be purchased for 1000-1500 rubles in Russia. And if it "doesn't work out" or you brick it, no big deal, you can sell it for the same price, or the brick for 500 rubles. There's always a buyer for them. And when you figure it out and want more powerful hardware, you can easily sell it on the secondary market.
You need a good router for simple internet sharing via 4G. Many routers with the 7621 have USB 3.0, which many ARM routers still can't boast.
You're on a tight budget. If you really want to and search for a long time, you can get routers with the 7621 for a modest price.
Speeds
Maximum speeds I achieved on this processor
wg-bench | 100 Mb/s |
Wireguard | 120-140 Mb/s |
OpenVPN | - |
OpenConnect | 12 Mb/s |
VLESS+XTLS+Reality (sing-box + tun) | 40 Mb/s |
Shadowsocks2022 (sing-box + tun) | 40 Mb/s |
VLESS+XTLS+Reality (sing-box + tproxy) | 40 Mb/s |
VLESS+XTLS+Reality (sing-box + tproxy) site with TLS 1.3 | 100 Mb/s |
The tproxy test was only performed on the 7621. This measurement will not be present for the other routers.
Beeline
If you're in the know, this won't surprise you. If not, prepare to be surprised.
The company Beeline ordered many routers from Sercomm based on the 7621. And the community really liked them. An ISP router that comes with a home internet plan is usually locked down and isn't anything special. But this is a completely different story. Thanks to the work of many people, you can now flash the latest stable OpenWrt onto any Beeline router with a 7621.
But not everything is so rosy. I had 3 routers on hand that are currently available, and all of them have some kind of issue. However, they all flash to OpenWrt easily.
There's no point in buying them new. They are not worth the 3600 rubles. And you shouldn't buy them used for more than 1500 rubles either; 1.5k is the maximum.
There used to be a lot of these routers on the secondary market, and they were sold for a few hundred rubles. And because of their low price, they became so popular. This is no longer the case: you rarely see them at a low price now.
You might also see complaints that something is wrong with the hardware of these routers. Reading such comments, the thought immediately comes to mind: what on earth did they do to these poor routers?
And there's also an article on Habr about reverse-engineering Beeline routers. It's about a custom bootloader that isn't used in OpenWrt, but it's interesting for general understanding.
Beeline SmartBox Giga
The most common router. So much so that all sorts of custom projects are based on it, both for personal use and for sale at high prices. You can search the secondary market and see a modified Giga being sold for 10k with a description claiming it's the best on the market.
Specifications
ROM | 128MB |
RAM | 256MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ac |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7603, MediaTek MT7613 |
MIMO | 2x2:2, 2x2:2 |
Number of antennas | 2 internal |
Ethernet ports | 3 |
USB port | 1x3.0 |
Available space in OpenWrt | 64MB |
Wall mount | Yes |
Price in store | 3600 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 1000-1500 rub. |
Two internal antennas: one on the main board, the second on a separate small board.
Over Wi-Fi 802.11ac (80Mhz), I got 410 Mb/s.
The router has only 3 Ethernet ports, and what I can't get out of my head is: why are two ports gigabit, and the third is FAST ethernet?
How this happened remains a mystery to me. What they saved on and what the idea was is also unknown.
Beeline SmartBox Pro
The very first model with the 7621, there's even an article about it on Habr.
The specs here are quite generous, especially for 2015:
Specifications
ROM | 256 MB |
RAM | 256 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ac |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7602EN, MediaTek MT7612EN |
MIMO | 2x2:2, 2x2:2 |
Number of antennas | 4 internal |
Ethernet ports | 5 |
USB port | 2x2.0 |
Available space in OpenWrt | 180 MB |
Wall mount | Yes |
Price in store | Not for sale |
Price on secondary market | 1000-2000 rub. |
Over Wi-Fi 802.11ac (80Mhz), I got 530 Mb/s. Its antennas are metal plates on the board.
The ports even have proper indicator LEDs.
Its problem is the soft-touch coating, which becomes sticky over time. The article mentioned above discussed that soft-touch was not a great idea, and it turned out to be true. This can be fixed with a solvent or ethyl alcohol.
It's not easy to find on the market now, but it does pop up sometimes.
Beeline SmartBox Turbo+
The newest SmartBox. With the latest Wi-Fi modules. And, of course, with its own flaws.
Specifications
ROM | 128 MB |
RAM | 128 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ac |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7603EN, MediaTek MT7615N |
MIMO | 2x2:2, 4x4:4 |
Number of antennas | 2 internal |
Ethernet ports | 5 |
USB port | 1x3.0 |
Available space in OpenWrt | 64 MB |
Wall mount | No |
Price in store | 3600 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 1000-1500 rub. |
Over Wi-Fi 802.11ac (80Mhz), I got 570 Mb/s. Two internal antennas on separate small boards.
The router also has 5 proper gigabit Ethernet ports, but without indicators this time.
The previous two "smartboxes" have wall mounts, but this one does not. But the main problem is the amount of RAM. You might not have enough. But here's a video where I tested it with a fresh version of sing-box, and even 128 MB was enough.
By the way, this router has a Zigbee module! I've read reviews from people who managed to tame it.
Other SmartBoxes
There's also the SmartBox Flash (almost a copy of the Giga) and the SmartBox Turbo (without the plus). Now that one is a real turbo with 256/256 MB of memory, not the stripped-down 128/128 Turbo+, which is more like a Turbo-.
These routers are hard to find now, but maybe you have one lying around in a closet.
If you decide to buy one, you should know that there are other SmartBoxes. For example, the One has a Realtek inside. And there's a router that mimics the Giga, also with mediocre internals. They don't have OpenWrt.
You can check out my video review for more details on the Beeline routers.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi has a bunch of routers with the 7621. But only some of them have a decent amount of flash and RAM. I talked about them in last year's article. They are still relevant, as much as any router with a 7621 can be. These routers can still be found on the secondary market, but their numbers are dwindling.
So, in brief:
Once the best bang for your buck, the Xiaomi Mi3G v1. 128/256 MB, USB 3.0. Old MT7612 Wi-Fi chip like the Beeline Pro. It's hard to find now.
Its older brother, the Xiaomi Mi3 PRO. 256/512 MB, USB 3.0, better Wi-Fi module: MT7615. There are some pitfalls with the flash memory. Can be found starting from 3000 rubles. Is it worth it? Only if you really need 512 MB of RAM.
Xiaomi Mi4, just without any additional abbreviations. 128/128 MB, no USB. Also has the old MT7612 Wi-Fi chip.
Xiaomi Redmi AC2100. 128/128 MB, no USB. Newer Wi-Fi: MT7615N.
Xiaomi AC2100, identical to the Redmi AC2100, but shaped like a cylinder.
This is Xiaomi, and despite their stock firmware being a modified OpenWrt 18, flashing them is not trivial. They usually have a medium flashing difficulty.
In my opinion, the maximum price for these routers is 1500 rubles. Except for the Pro: it's more expensive, having 512 MB of RAM after all.
Asus RT-AX53U (AX1800)
I'll say right away that this is currently overpriced and not worth the 6000-7000 rubles. For that money, you can get routers with ARM.
Overall, for a 7621, it has decent hardware:
Specifications
ROM | 128 MB |
RAM | 256 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7905DAN, MediaTek MT7975DN |
MIMO | 2x2:2, 2x2:2 |
Number of antennas | 4 external |
Ethernet ports | 4 |
USB port | 1x2.0 |
Available space in OpenWrt | 33 MB |
Wall mount | Yes |
Price in store | 6000-7000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 3000-4000 rub. |
Over Wi-Fi 802.11ax (80Mhz), I got 800 Mb/s.
It's easy to flash: you can enable SSH in the admin panel and flash OpenWrt through the console.
I repeat, it only makes sense to use it if you already have one. In other cases, it's not worth the money.
Video review, if you still want one for some reason
Routers based on Mediatek MT7622 (Filogic 800)
This is an ARM processor. It has the abbreviation Filogic 800. The first of the Filogic 800 series. Devices with it started appearing in 2020.
Xiaomi AX3200(AX6S)
For the Russian market, there is one router with this chipset: the Xiaomi AX3200 and its Chinese version, the Xiaomi AX6S. In last year's review, I advised getting the Chinese version for flashing without UART. This is no longer relevant: both versions can be flashed without UART. So now it's better to get the European version because of the plug.
UPD 03/16/2025 Before flashing to OpenWrt 24.10, read the documentation. There is an issue with the bootloader.
Pitfalls:
There is an "old" and a "new" version of this router, which have different bootloaders.
And, accordingly, the nvram commands for flashing are different, so be careful. If the stock firmware loads after a few reboots, it means you flashed it incorrectly. I often get messages about problems with flashing this router. Personally, everything went smoothly for me, but this is a reason to think about whether you really need it if you are not an experienced flasher. There is an article on Habr about flashing this router, it might be useful.
Specifications
ROM | 128 MB |
RAM | 256 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7622BV, MediaTek MT7975AN |
MIMO | 4x4:4, 4x4:4 |
Number of antennas | 6 external |
Ethernet ports | 4 |
USB port | No |
Available space in OpenWrt | 90 MB |
Wall mount | Yes |
Price in store | 5000-7000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 4000-5000 rub. |
Overall, a decent router. My measurements showed a maximum speed over Wi-Fi 6 (80 MHz) of 830 Mb/s, and for tunnels and proxies:
wg-bench | 400 Mb/s |
Wireguard | 570 Mb/s |
OpenVPN | - |
OpenConnect | 30 Mb/s |
VLESS+XTLS+Reality (sing-box + tun) | 250 Mb/s |
Shadowsocks2022 (sing-box + tun) | 250 Mb/s |
Video review of the Xiaomi AX3200
Routers based on Mediatek MT7981 (Filogic 820)
The latest budget chipset on ARM. I predict that in the near future, all budget routers will be made with it (instead of the 7621). But for now, there are only three routers for OpenWrt.
The Filogic 820 is similar in performance to the 7622. So far, all routers with this processor come with the Wi-Fi 6 chip MT7976CN, which has MU-MIMO 2x2:2 for 2.4 GHz and 2x3:2 for 5 GHz. The maximum speed I could squeeze out of it was 1.18 Gb/s on a 160 MHz channel width. On 80 MHz, it gives 800 Mb/s.
Speeds
The table shows the maximum speeds I achieved on this processor.
wg-bench | 380 Mb/s |
Wireguard | 525 Mb/s |
OpenVPN | - |
OpenConnect | 60 Mb/s |
VLESS+XTLS+Reality (sing-box + tun) | 250 Mb/s |
Shadowsocks2022 (sing-box + tun) | 250 Mb/s |
Xiaomi AX3000T
A budget-friendly router that quickly gained popularity among people who know how to flash firmware.
UPD 03/30/2025 There's info that Xiaomi has updated the router to the next revision, RD03V2. This revision has a Qualcomm IPQ5018 processor. But so far, no one has seen this revision in person. If you come across one, please send me a PM.
Specifications
ROM | 128 MB |
RAM | 256 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7976CN |
MIMO | 2x2:2, 2x3:2 |
Number of antennas | 4 external |
Ethernet ports | 4 |
USB port | No |
Available space in OpenWrt | 60 MB |
Wall mount | No |
Price in store | 3000-5000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | - |
Over Wi-Fi 802.11ax (160 Mhz), I got a maximum of 1.18 Gb/s on it.
Pitfalls:
Routers with new memory chips are now appearing. "Old" versions have ESMT memory, new ones have Winbond. The problem is that the current stable version 23.05.4 does not support Winbond. For now, support has only been added to Snapshot. This means it will definitely be in the next stable release, but there is no backport to 23.05 yet. Thus, if you were "lucky" enough to get Winbond, you can only use Snapshot for now. Flashing 23.05 will result in a brick.
If you received a router with stock firmware version 1.0.84 or higher,
and you are not an active OpenWrt patcher, then take a deep breath and put it on a shelf. It has a new switch, and at the time of this article's release, there is no OpenWrt for it. You might brick the device. Wait until the OpenWrt gurus do everything.@acdev has made a firmware based on the stable version that supports all new memory chips and the new switch chip. It has been tested by several people; if you encounter problems, write on the openwrt forum or 4pda.
How to find out which NAND is inside?
Look with a flashlight through the grille on the back of the router at this spot:
The memory chip is located there, and if you look closely, you should see its name. If it's ESMT, you're lucky.
After getting SSH access, check the dmesg output
dmesg | grep nand
Output from my router
root@OpenWrt:~# dmesg | grep nand [ 0.768883] spi-nand spi0.0: ESMT SPI NAND was found. [ 0.773953] spi-nand spi0.0: 128 MiB, block size: 128 KiB, page size: 2048, OOB size: 64
But the memory chip is only one of the gotchas; a new chip for Ethernet has also appeared. For now, for all these situations, use the firmware mentioned above.
The router is moderately difficult to flash to OpenWrt. For example, there can be problems when downgrading the stock firmware. If it's not working at all, try the official MIWIFIRepairTool utility, feed it 1.0.47. But this is only for routers with version 1.64 out of the box and lower. You shouldn't flash this firmware on the new revision yet.
You no longer need to downgrade firmware; SSH can now be obtained on 1.0.64-1.0.84. XMiR-Patcher supports this.
Significant drawbacks include the lack of a wall mount and antennas that only have two positions.
In the days when we could order routers from China without workarounds, this router could be snagged for 2400 rubles. And just recently, you could get it for 2700 from within Russia.
Video review of the Xiaomi AX3000T
Routerich AX3000
This is an interesting specimen. Firstly, it's a Russian company, and secondly, it comes with OpenWrt out of the box. It's a forked OpenWrt, with its own tweaked LuCi and packages for working with 3G/4G modems. It is based on the latest stable OpenWrt. If you need vanilla OpenWrt, it can be easily flashed via sysupgrade. It can be reverted to stock the same way.
It has USB 2.0. The question immediately arises: why not 3.0? At first, the manufacturer talked about an oversight in the board design, then cited that 3.0 causes interference on 2.4 GHz. I personally believe they should install USB 3.0 and warn about possible issues, so that everyone can decide for themselves.
The company operates on a White Label basis, meaning the routers are manufactured by a factory in China. And they don't hide it. At the moment, I don't see any other options for startups.
Specifications
ROM | 128 MB |
RAM | 256 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7976CN |
MIMO | 2x2:2, 2x3:2 |
Number of antennas | 6 external |
Ethernet ports | 4 |
USB port | 1x2.0 |
Available space in OpenWrt | 73 MB |
Wall mount | Yes |
Price in store | 4500-5000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | - |
Although the antennas are not articulated, they have several positions.
Over Wi-Fi 802.11ax (160 MHz), I got a maximum of 940 Mb/s on it. The AX3000T got over a gigabit because I tested it on a Snapshot with new drivers, while this router was tested on the stable release.
The most convenient thing about this router is the OpenWrt firmware, and if you have problems, you can contact their support. And delivery doesn't take long because they are from Russia. I ordered it in the morning, and it was in my hands the next day.
Video review of the Routerich AX3000
GL.iNet GL-MT3000 (Beryl AX)
A travel router option. The firmware is based on OpenWrt 21.02 with pre-installed features and proprietary drivers. They write everywhere that it's OpenWrt, but they don't specify that it's a custom OpenWrt, not vanilla. There is support for vanilla OpenWrt if the router is based on MTK.
Specifications
ROM | 256 MB |
RAM | 512 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7976CN |
MIMO | 2x2:2, 2x3:2 |
Number of antennas | 2 external |
Ethernet ports | 3 |
2.5GbE Port | Yes |
USB port | 1x3.0 |
Available space in OpenWrt | 206 MB |
Wall mount | No |
Price in store | 9000-11000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 8000-9000 rub. |
The router is also interesting because it is powered via type-c 5V/3A, whereas routers are usually powered by 12V. This means it can be powered by a power bank. It is also currently the only router for OpenWrt on Filogic 820 that has a USB 3.0 port.
If you travel, I think this is an ideal option for a powerful yet compact router. It flashes easily via sysupgrade.
Routers based on Mediatek MT7986 (Filogic 830)
This processor is the flagship of last year and this year. It is currently the most powerful processor for OpenWrt in the home router segment. While testing these devices, I was surprised that WireGuard delivered 1.42 Gb/s.
Despite the processor being released in 2023, there are already many routers with it on the market.
Speeds
Maximum speeds I achieved on this processor:
wg-bench | 820 Mb/s |
Wireguard | 1.42 Gb/s |
OpenVPN | 110 Mb/s |
OpenConnect | 130 Mb/s |
VLESS+XTLS+Reality (sing-box + tun) | >400 Mb/s |
Shadowsocks2022 (sing-box + tun) | 400 Mb/s |
Xiaomi Redmi AX6000
This is the most budget-friendly router you can get with this chipset. If you are a Xiaomi fan and the AX3000T wasn't enough for your needs, then take a look at this top-value-for-money device. By the way, it has a wall mount, unlike the AX3000T.
Specifications
ROM | 128 MB |
RAM | 512 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7976GN, MT7976AN |
MIMO | 4x4:4, 4x4:4 |
Number of antennas | 4 external |
Ethernet ports | 4 |
2.5GbE Port | No |
USB port | no |
Available space in OpenWrt | 62 MB |
Wall mount | Yes |
Price in store | 6000-10000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 5000-8000 rub. |
Two heatsinks inside envelop the board from both sides. Its cooling is fine. And the router is quite beautiful. However, the plastic case is a fingerprint magnet.
Flashing is of medium difficulty. Excellent hardware for little money. The downside is the difficulty of buying it from China.
Over Wi-Fi 802.11ax (160 MHz), I got a maximum of 1.55 Gb/s on it. From here on, I think the speed was limited by my Intel AX210 network card.
Video review of the Redmi AX6000
Mercusys MR90X v1
Version 1.2 was recently released. It's not yet clear what the differences are from the previous one. Check the version when buying; all manuals are for v1.
A person with version 1.2 wrote to me. According to them, the hardware is the same, but a wall mount has been added.
Specifications
ROM | 128 MB |
RAM | 512 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7975N, MT7975PN |
MIMO | 4x4:4, 4x4:4 |
Number of antennas | 4 external |
Ethernet ports | 4 |
2.5GbE Port | 1 |
USB port | no |
Available space in OpenWrt | 31 MB |
Wall mount | No |
Price in store | 8000-12000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 7000-9000 rub. |
The router is good because it's quite easy to buy in Russia. It's bad because flashing it is a hassle, and in the end, you get 31 MB for the system. And I haven't seen any information yet on how to modify the bootloader to expand the space. And there's no wall mount. Even Xiaomi made a wall mount for its Redmi AX6000 for once, but TP-Link's subsidiary decided we could do without.
In my opinion, this is not the best option right now. That's why I haven't made a video review of it yet.
Asus TUF-AX4200
This router will be interesting primarily for those who need USB and want to buy a router at a local computer store. Otherwise, in my opinion, the router is not worth its money. But for the price on the secondary market, it's a decent option.
Specifications
ROM | 256 MB |
RAM | 512 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7976DA |
MIMO | 2x2:2, 3x3:2 |
Number of antennas | 4 external |
Ethernet ports | 5 |
2.5GbE Port | 1 |
USB port | 1x3.0 |
Available space in OpenWrt | 140 MB |
Wall mount | Yes |
Price in store | 13000-14000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 7000-10000 rub. |
It's easy to flash via the web interface in two steps. It has a "gamer" design that's an acquired taste. And, in my opinion, the heatsink is quite small for such hardware.
Over Wi-Fi 802.11ax (160 MHz), I got a maximum of 1.5 Gb/s on it.
Video review of the Asus AX4200
Asus RT-AX59U
Differs from the TUF-AX4200 by having less Flash memory, two USB ports, internal antennas, and no 2.5GbE port.
Specifications
ROM | 128 MB |
RAM | 512 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7976DA |
MIMO | 2x2:2, 3x3:2 |
Number of antennas | 5 internal |
Ethernet ports | 4 |
2.5GbE Port | No |
USB port | 1x3.0, 1x2.0 |
Available space in OpenWrt | 70 MB |
Wall mount | Yes |
Price in store | 10000-11000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 9000-10000 rub. |
It is also flashed via the web interface in two steps with an intermediate image.
Asus TUF-AX6000
Differs from the TUF-AX4200 in:
The Wi-Fi module; the AX6000's is better (like the Redmi's).
An additional 2.5GbE port.
More antennas.
And the lack of a wall mount: such an important bird deserves its own pedestal.
Is it worth paying an extra 10k for this? Personally, I don't see the point in buying this router for OpenWrt. If you need additional load (samba, torrents, etc.), it's better to get something cheaper on the same platform + a single-board computer or a NUC.
Specifications
ROM | 256 MB |
RAM | 512 MB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7976GN, MT7976AN |
MIMO | 4x4:4, 4x4:4 |
Number of antennas | 6 external |
Ethernet ports | 6 |
2.5GbE Port | 1+1 |
USB port | 1x3.2 (Gen 1) |
Available space in OpenWrt | 160 MB |
Wall mount | No |
Price in store | 22000-24000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 18000-20000 rub. |
It is also flashed via the web interface in two steps with an intermediate image.
GL.iNet GL-MT6000 (Flint 2)
A router for those who can never have enough flash: this one has a whole 8 GIGABYTES. A good alternative to the Asus models on all points, except for availability. You can only buy it in China and from scalpers. It's not a huge problem, but there are far fewer of them than, say, Xiaomi routers.
Specifications
ROM | 8GB |
RAM | 1GB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7976GN, MT7976AN |
MIMO | 4x4:4, 4x4:4 |
Number of antennas | 4 external |
Ethernet ports | 6 |
2.5GbE Port | 2 |
USB port | 1x3.0 |
Available space in OpenWrt | - |
Wall mount | Yes |
Price in store | 16500 rub. |
Price on secondary market | 15000-20000 rub. |
Flashing is extremely simple via sysupgrade. It has community support, which means you won't be left with outdated firmware from GL.iNet.
I don't know what you would need 8GB of memory for in OpenWrt; if you know, write in the comments.
Banana Pi BPI-R3
Now this board is for real geeks. Build your own router.
Or for those whose home ISP provides fiber and they are tired of all those plastic GPON ONU boxes. Because this has TWO SFP ports!
Specifications
ROM | 8GB |
RAM | 2GB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11ax |
Wi-Fi modules | MediaTek MT7975N, MT7975P |
MIMO | 4x4:4, 4x4:4 |
Number of antennas | 8 pin |
Ethernet ports | 5 |
2.5GbE Port | 2xSFP |
USB port | 1x3.0 external, 2x2.0 on board |
Available space in OpenWrt | - |
Wall mount | As you wish |
Price in store | 10000-14000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | - |
Even more RAM than the GL.iNet GL-MT6000.
The main drawback is that it's not a ready-made box; you need to assemble a case yourself (for some, this is a huge plus). But it's often sold with a ready-made kit. Currently, Banana Pi routers are the only ones with OpenWrt support that have SFP ports. Of course, you'll also need to find a compatible SFP module.
Routers based on Mediatek MT7988 (Filogic 880)
The future flagship. Currently, it's only in the Banana Pi BPI-R4. There is little information about it, and the OpenWrt version is only in Snapshot for now.
Banana Pi BPI-R4
I'll say right away that you shouldn't chase the newest hardware. It's unknown when it will get a Stable version of OpenWrt. And life on a snapshot is no life at all.
I think at the moment this router is more for enthusiasts. By buying it, you become a beta tester: creating issues and possibly even fixing the code yourself.
Specifications
ROM | 8GB |
RAM | 4GB |
Max Wi-Fi version | 802.11be |
Wi-Fi modules | - |
MIMO | - |
Number of antennas | - |
Ethernet ports | 5 |
10GbE Port | 2xSFP+ |
USB port | 1x3.2 + type-c |
Available space in OpenWrt | - |
Wall mount | As you wish |
Price in store | 11000-15000 rub. |
Price on secondary market | - |
The Wi-Fi board for this single-board router is sold separately. It supports Wi-Fi 7 and has 6 antennas.
In general, the board can do a lot of things: the SIM card slots and NVME support alone are impressive.
There is already a wg-bench test result: 1.27 Gb/s. From this, we can conclude that the processor is more powerful than its predecessor, the MT7986.
We are waiting for a stable OpenWrt and for this processor to appear in other routers.
Comparison Table
This includes only the routers that I have personally tested.
Routers with 7621
Router | ROM | RAM | Memory in OWRT | Wi-Fi Max | wg-bench | WG | VLESS (tun) | OpenVPN | Openconnect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SmartBox Giga | 128 MB | 256 MB | 64 MB | 410 Mb/s | 100 Mb/s | 140 Mb/s | 140 Mb/s | - | 12 Mb/s |
SmartBox Pro | 256 MB | 256 MB | 64 MB | 530 Mb/s | 100 Mb/s | 140 Mb/s | 140 Mb/s | - | 12 Mb/s |
SmartBox Turbo+ | 128 MB | 128 MB | 64 MB | 570 Mb/s | 100 Mb/s | 140 Mb/s | 140 Mb/s | - | 12 Mb/s |
Asus RT-AX53U | 128 MB | 256 MB | 33 MB | 800 Mb/s | 100 Mb/s | 140 Mb/s | 140 Mb/s | - | 12 Mb/s |
Routers on ARM
Router | ROM | RAM | Memory in OWRT | Wi-Fi Max | wg-bench | WG | VLESS (tun) | OpenVPN | Openconnect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Xiaomi AX3200(AX6S) | 128 MB | 256 MB | 90 MB | 830 Mb/s | 400 Mb/s | 570 Mb/s | 250 Mb/s | - | 30 Mb/s |
Xiaomi AX3000T | 128 MB | 256 MB | 60 MB | 1.18Gb/s | 380 Mb/s | 525 Mb/s | 250 Mb/s | - | 60 Mb/s |
Routerich AX3000 | 128 MB | 256 MB | 40 MB | 940 Mb/s | 380 Mb/s | 525 Mb/s | 250 Mb/s | - | 60 Mb/s |
Xiaomi Redmi AX6000 | 128 MB | 512 MB | 62 MB | 1.55 Gb/s | 820 Mb/s | 890 Gb/s | > 400 Mb/s | 110 Mb/s | 130 Mb/s |
Asus TUF-AX4200 | 256 MB | 512 MB | 140 MB | 1.5 Gb/s | 820 Mb/s | 1.42 Gb/s | > 400 Mb/s | 110 Mb/s | 130 Mb/s |
WAN port dropping on Mediatek Filogic routers. eth0: Link is Down
A bug in the MediaTek MT7531 switch, which is installed in almost all of the ARM routers listed above.
The most unpleasant thing about this problem is that it is intermittent. I have not yet been able to reproduce it artificially. But I have encountered it on the Asus AX4200 and Xiaomi AX3000T. This is what it looks like (logread output):
Wed Aug 28 19:01:51 2024 kern.warn kernel: [1203220.362293] ------------[ cut here ]------------ Wed Aug 28 19:01:51 2024 kern.info kernel: [1203220.367094] NETDEV WATCHDOG: eth0 (mtk_soc_eth): transmit queue 0 timed out Wed Aug 28 19:01:51 2024 kern.warn kernel: [1203220.374239] WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 0 at 0xffffffc0086c5f74 --- Wed Aug 28 19:01:51 2024 kern.err kernel: [1203220.628022] mtk_soc_eth 15100000.ethernet eth0: transmit timed out Wed Aug 28 19:01:51 2024 kern.info kernel: [1203220.766604] mtk_soc_eth 15100000.ethernet eth0: Link is Down Wed Aug 28 19:01:51 2024 kern.err kernel: [1203221.313060] mtk_soc_eth 15100000.ethernet: warm reset failed Wed Aug 28 19:01:52 2024 kern.info kernel: [1203221.335342] mtk_soc_eth 15100000.ethernet eth0: configuring for fixed/2500base-x link mode Wed Aug 28 19:01:52 2024 kern.info kernel: [1203221.343972] mtk_soc_eth 15100000.ethernet eth0: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control rx/tx --- Wed Aug 28 19:02:03 2024 kern.err kernel: [1203232.359304] mtk_soc_eth 15100000.ethernet eth0: transmit timed out Wed Aug 28 19:02:03 2024 kern.info kernel: [1203232.497844] mtk_soc_eth 15100000.ethernet eth0: Link is Down Wed Aug 28 19:02:03 2024 kern.err kernel: [1203233.040148] mtk_soc_eth 15100000.ethernet: warm reset failed Wed Aug 28 19:02:03 2024 kern.info kernel: [1203233.062522] mtk_soc_eth 15100000.ethernet eth0: configuring for fixed/2500base-x link mode Wed Aug 28 19:02:03 2024 kern.info kernel: [1203233.071224] mtk_soc_eth 15100000.ethernet eth0: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control rx/tx
The workaround is to disable TCP segmentation on the network interface.
Let's check if segmentation is enabled
root@OpenWrt:~# ethtool -k eth0 | grep segment tcp-segmentation-offload: on tx-tcp-segmentation: on tx-tcp-ecn-segmentation: on tx-tcp-mangleid-segmentation: on tx-tcp6-segmentation: on
Disable it with the command
ethtool -K eth0 tso off
But segmentation will be re-enabled on reboot, so this workaround needs to be applied when the router boots.
Custom commands that should be executed on boot in OpenWrt are written to the /etc/rc.local file. Insert ethtool -K eth0 tso off before exit 0. Restart the router and check that segmentation is disabled.
root@OpenWrt:~# ethtool -k eth0 | grep segment tcp-segmentation-offload: off tx-tcp-segmentation: off tx-tcp-ecn-segmentation: off tx-tcp-mangleid-segmentation: off tx-tcp6-segmentation: off
Issues on this topic:
https://github.com/openwrt/openwrt/issues/12143
https://github.com/openwrt/openwrt/issues/13122
https://github.com/openwrt/openwrt/issues/13262
There is already a commit in the main branch that should fix this, but for now, it's only in snapshots. This problem should not exist in version 24 of OpenWrt.
Where is Qualcomm?
From mobile development came the belief that Mediatek is not cool, Qualcomm is cool. And in mobile development, this is indeed the case. But in OpenWrt, it's the exact opposite.
Mediatek participates in the development of OpenWrt. You can see PRs from their employees on GitHub. Qualcomm, on the other hand, does not participate at all. The drivers for their Wi-Fi chips are locked behind seven seals. The Qualcomm-based routers that are supported by the OpenWrt community are the result of a great deal of work by people who reverse-engineered binaries from Qualcomm. There are few such routers, and I have doubts that they will be supported for long.
Just look at the topic of support for the Xiaomi AX3600:
https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-openwrt-support-for-xiaomi-ax3600-part-1
https://forum.openwrt.org/t/general-openwrt-support-for-xiaomi-ax3600-part-2
10,000 messages! And that's just one router. I think the Wi-Fi on the AX3600 should work fine after so much work has been done. But I have doubts about other routers.
The IPQ8071A processor itself is not bad, at least in the WG test, judging by the wg-bench table, and is somewhere between the Filogic 820 and 830. But in OpenWrt, Wi-Fi driver support is crucial, remember Broadcom. Now all routers based on Broadcom are either not supported or are stuck without Wi-Fi.
So don't buy routers based on Qualcomm. In the best case, they won't have support, and you won't have wasted your time. In the worst case, they will, and then there's a chance you'll have something strange happening with your Wi-Fi.
Acknowledgments
csharper2005, an OpenWrt contributor, thanks to whom official OpenWrt support appeared for many devices from the Russian market. Including the Beeline and Mercusys routers from this review. And also a Wiki editor, thanks to whom life becomes easier.
@acdev, also known as Remittor. Xiaomi and Asus are now easier to flash thanks to him. He made the transitional firmwares for Asus and XMiR for Xiaomi.
I also recommend his tool facinstall, if you need to restore the stock firmware.
Data on router components was taken from the cool resource https://wikidevi.wi-cat.ru/Main_Page
I recommend checking it out to understand what's hidden inside a router behind the marketing brochure.
And to all the other people who contribute to OpenWrt.
I hope my tests will save you time and help you decide on the most suitable model. There is no perfect router for everything; you always need to choose a router for the task. And remember that you might have a router in your closet that supports OpenWrt. Go to https://openwrt.org/toh/start and check your model. It might be enough for you to start with.
My Telegram channel, where half the content is about OpenWrt.