After using OpenWrt for 1+ year I would like to share my experience to amuse and inspire others.
Preface
In the past (<2022) my Home Network was 'kind of working' - I had connectivity issues but took them for granted as little annoyances. During Covid years I was suddenly forced to work from home iso office and connectivity issues turned into frustrations. Issues I had:
- wireless coverage of ISP modem, placed in house corner meter cupboard, was sub optimal - hardly coverage on 2nd floor and in garden
- an added wifi repeater on 1st floor extended coverage a bit but dropped connections very often
- wireless devices had high latency (felt like seconds)
- once a week the ISP modem was frozen => the AOP (cable main connection) from 1997 turned out to be sensitive to 4G interference and after replacement with a new AOP the ISP modem became stable
Enter the OpenWrt Project
The quest for a solution drove me into the arms of this highly addictive OpenWrt Project https://openwrt.org/#why_use_openwrt. After digging though various sources I ended with following Network Topology in 2022
- router: Raspberry PI CM4 + DFRobot routerboard
- switch: Linksys LGS108P (in hindsight I should have selected a managed switch to be able to control Vlans)
- access points: TP-Link EAP615 + 86 mm wall junction box; I placed one AP in living room near backyard garden and another in the stairwell between 1st/2nd floor
Result
- perfect wireless coverage on all floors and garden, low latency.and high uptimes
- the large amount of optional Packages became an addictive new hobby to explore