Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2023 14:37 Post subject: Finding a good cheap router
Yes I know there's plenty of posts about this, I went through it. But most of them focus on
- high end routers >150€
- routers that are also AP but I don't need it.
My current config is
- 1000MB fiber -> provider's router (with wifi disabled) -> Uniquity AP AC-Pro that serves as AP (i've it separated from router since router is on one side of the house while AP is in the middle)
The only stuff I want to ask DDWRT to run is
- VPN (I was used with openvpn but I see that now wireguard is better, I'll learn it) to remote connect to my home network with a "decent" performance (I don't need to stream or do anything that requires high bandwidth)
- Firewall would be optional -> I understand that it would be fairly expensive due to processing power
Constraint: costs <30€
Desiderata: as less power hungry as possible
I've read for example that linksys WRT54GL is a good choice but a 10 years old model looks kinda outdated for my speed?
Can you guide me in the right direction please?
Last edited by adetox on Tue Feb 28, 2023 14:47; edited 2 times in total
Mostly Atheros hardware. Only Broadcom model I can recommend is R7000.
Can easily repurpose an old PC for the job. Gigabit fiber so get what you pay.
Maybe Marvell WRT3200ACM with all radios disabled wireless is crap anyway.
Used hardware is cheap you just need to hunt around for deals with patience.
Last edited by blkt on Tue Feb 28, 2023 15:20; edited 2 times in total
Mostly Atheros hardware. Only Broadcom model I can recommend is R7000.
Can easily repurpose an old PC for the job. Gigabit fiber so get what you pay.
R7000 is huge due to the antennas and even used is >80€. Repurposing an old PC...I don't have one and I would like to allocate such a space for a VPN that i'm going to use once a month or such.
If I setup a device for VPN does it mean that ALL the traffic must go through it? Or only when I'm connected to VPN from remote? So I can live with limited performances with VPN as long as I have normal performance over standard internet....
Maybe Marvell WRT3200ACM with all radios disabled wireless is crap anyway.
Used hardware is cheap you just need to hunt around for deals with patience.
Can't find that Marvell device here in Italy.
used harware is cheap, but you have to know what to search for. I tried search "managed switch" or "netgear router" but that's just ONE brand...
I have a nas at home and I need to connect to the NAS from remote. So I can setup OpenVPN on the NAS (and I did it in the past) but generally speaking I understand that it's not a good idea to expose your NAS to the internet.
I gave you ten models not including the many tiny, but more costly, x86 solutions.
ha! I thought they was your signature most of them however looks like big and expensive
blkt wrote:
Remember you can always run VPN directly on client device, phone, computer etc.
as a client, yes. As a server, I don't want to expose my device to the web (because I need to expose it to see from the outside and connect with vpn). That's why I'm looking at a network device to run VPN server.
if you have a NAS maybe consider running pFsense (or I assume you could run DD-WRT) on it save buying hardware. _________________ Netgear R7800 PPPoE Main Router
Network IPV4 - Isolated Vlan's with IoT Devices. Unifi AC-Pro x 3 AP's, Router Wi-Fi Disabled. OVPN Server With Paid Commercial Wireguard Client's. Gateway Mode, DNSMasq, Static Leases & DHCP, Pi-Hole DNS & Running Unbound.
No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life!
Joined: 15 Aug 2016 Posts: 223 Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2023 22:46 Post subject:
It's a very tight budget of €30 for a router that can run (own) OpenVPN server and fancy firewalls on it to your desire.
But try to get a USED Mikrotik hAP ac lite RB952Ui-5ac2nD-TC on eBay. It would meet your requirements. But it maxes out at 100mbps. For 1000mbps, you need to add more €.
Caution: You really need to have a good understanding of networking to configure MikroTik products for they are highly configurable. They are not aimed at average consumers. But given that you know how to setup a NAS.... _________________ Life is a journey; travel alone makes it less enjoyable and lonely.
but the space I have there is limited so the smaller the better...
most of them however looks like big and expensive 
