Advice Request A good router with good security and connectivity for $100 - $200?

[bayasdev]

@geminis3

1. Getting more controle over my life is a greater concern than getting control over my router (just bought a chinese router)

Agreed

2. My black hole is bigger than yours

Serious security question ... is your black hole bigger than mine? | MalwareTips

To all members adding URL blacklists in UTM-fw-router, pi-holes and u-Block-plussers I am challenging them: are you sure your black hole is bigger than...

malwaretips.com

Of course, I only use uBO at the browser level

 

[ForgottenSeer 85179]

1. Getting more controle over my life is a greater concern than getting control over my router (just bought a chinese router)

Remember a router is the first protection against big internet, so

2. My black hole is bigger than yours

can't protect your router against that.
That's why keeping a router up2date is important. Of course supported hardware is needed. Cheap router stop support very fast - if they provide any updates.

 

[Brahman]

Never trust the black box stock firmware that comes with consumer grade routers, get yourself an OpenWrt capable router like the Netgear R7800 and add all the packages you may need like Adblocking, VPN, encrypted DNS, QoS and other cool networking stuff. You can even compile your own OpenWrt builds and achieve absolute control over your home network.

I have used openWrt/ddwrt and gargoyle on more than one routers. But when you compare them with stock they were not as stable as stock firmware.I know they offer a ton of options and customisations over stock and it may be stable on higher end routers which cost a lot more than a pc does. I am now using a router from Mikrotik called hap ac which only costs $129.00 and offers the same or more than what openwrt offers and is stable.

 

[bayasdev]

I have used openWrt/ddwrt and gargoyle on more than one routers. But when you compare them with stock they were not as stable as stock firmware.I know they offer a ton of options and customisations over stock and it may be stable on higher end routers which cost a lot more than a pc does. I am now using a router from Mikrotik called hap ac which only costs $129.00 and offers the same or more than what openwrt offers and is stable.
View attachment 251326

WiFi works better with OpenWrt on my hap ac2, Mikrotik has recently showed zero interest to support their new wave2 WiFi drivers on devices with less than 256mb of RAM