Add support for Linksys EA6350 v3

Which TFTP client are you trying to use?

I found the Linksys TFTP client for Windows instructions here:
https://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=137928

Otherwise, I would try tftp32 if you are a Windows user

The generic instructions seem to look straightforward using tftp client to connect to tftp server built into the bootloader:
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/installation/generic.flashing.tftp#bootloader_contains_tftp_server

Would installing an ethernet hub between the EA6350 and the PC help to keep the PC ethernet port up ?

Correction to my earlier comment where I thought the ea6350 would struggle to match stock firmware for WAN to LAN throughput.

Finally flashed openwrt 19.07 snapshot onto my new ea6350 a few moments ago.

Repeated earlier iperf3 test from server wired to WAN port, to client on LAN port and here are the results. 600+ mbps

C:\install\iperf>iperf3 -c 192.168.1.9 -t 10 -R
Connecting to host 192.168.1.9, port 5201
Reverse mode, remote host 192.168.1.9 is sending
[  4] local 192.168.111.203 port 65476 connected to 192.168.1.9 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-1.00   sec  74.3 MBytes   623 Mbits/sec
[  4]   1.00-2.00   sec  74.6 MBytes   626 Mbits/sec
[  4]   2.00-3.00   sec  72.7 MBytes   609 Mbits/sec
[  4]   3.00-4.00   sec  72.2 MBytes   606 Mbits/sec
[  4]   4.00-5.00   sec  75.7 MBytes   635 Mbits/sec
[  4]   5.00-6.00   sec  74.0 MBytes   620 Mbits/sec
[  4]   6.00-7.00   sec  71.8 MBytes   602 Mbits/sec
[  4]   7.00-8.00   sec  75.8 MBytes   636 Mbits/sec
[  4]   8.00-9.00   sec  75.9 MBytes   637 Mbits/sec
[  4]   9.00-10.00  sec  74.8 MBytes   628 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   742 MBytes   622 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   742 MBytes   622 Mbits/sec                  receiver

iperf Done.

C:\install\iperf>iperf3 -c 192.168.1.9 -t 10
Connecting to host 192.168.1.9, port 5201
[  4] local 192.168.111.203 port 65478 connected to 192.168.1.9 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-1.00   sec  81.2 MBytes   681 Mbits/sec
[  4]   1.00-2.00   sec  80.5 MBytes   675 Mbits/sec
[  4]   2.00-3.00   sec  81.9 MBytes   687 Mbits/sec
[  4]   3.00-4.00   sec  79.0 MBytes   663 Mbits/sec
[  4]   4.00-5.00   sec  77.0 MBytes   645 Mbits/sec
[  4]   5.00-6.00   sec  76.6 MBytes   643 Mbits/sec
[  4]   6.00-7.00   sec  80.7 MBytes   677 Mbits/sec
[  4]   7.00-8.00   sec  77.8 MBytes   653 Mbits/sec
[  4]   8.00-9.00   sec  78.3 MBytes   657 Mbits/sec
[  4]   9.00-10.00  sec  77.6 MBytes   651 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   791 MBytes   663 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   791 MBytes   663 Mbits/sec                  receiver

iperf Done.

I have no idea why you are witnessing much lower speeds if above results are correct.

Would you be able to perform an iperf3 test between WAN and LAN port to confirm you see the same results as myself?

Unfortunately, I only have 55/10 mb superfast fibre here, so cannot test 'real world ISP' ultrafast fibre speeds.

Would cloning the MAC address of your ISP supplied router to the ea6530 make a difference?

On a different note, just set up openvpn client. Max download speed is 29-30 Mbps through my VPN provider.

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I'll have to try a hub or switch in between. I suspect my lower LAN speeds is due to a USB dongle I'm required to use on this computer.

Hi, im new to openwrt and i've just been reading that the EA6350 has lot of security issues , remote exploits and telemetry snooping.

one recent example.

Will installing openwrt on the EA6350 completely remove all their security issues , remote access and telemetry snooping?

Thanks

Obviously it will. That is one of main reasons to install Openwrt. Factory software for home routers is almost always insecure.

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Is there anything around the price range of the EA6350 that has Hardware acceleration with openwrt?

You don't need hardware acceleration. The device is powerful enough to pass 1Gb/s through NAT with Openwrt software flow offloading.
Hardware acceleration is supported on Mediatek, but this IPQ4018 is better.

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Thanks Pilot6 , I wasn't sure if openwrt completely removed their software or if openwrt was a edited version of their firmware that kept some of the code intact.

Sorry for the newbie posts but i wanted to be sure before i buy the EA6350 and try openwrt for the first time.

Openwrt is completely different software using current long-term Linux software with latest security patches.

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I suggest installing 19.07 snapshot.

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You have been awesome help , i'll go and order one.

Thanks :grinning:

This device is a great choice. I got a similar one recently. Zyxel nbg6617 with almost same hardware.
I am very happy with Openwrt.

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Hey forum, I was curious if there were any overclocking guides for this router processor? Any pointers on how to do so if there aren't any guides?

Please open a new topic for this question.

I went ahead and ordered one so lets hope it's version 3. :grinning:

Can the latest 19.07 snapshot be installed via the web interface as this is my first time?

This is the device page
https://openwrt.org/toh/linksys/linksys_ea6350_v3

It looks like you can simply flash from web.

And you are correct to install 19.07.

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Guide: don't do it outside of testing sandbox environment. If you ask for guides then you mostly are not someone who should do it.

The possible performance gain is near to irrelevant for real time applications but the stability problems for your network service and reduced device longevity is there all the time.

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Like i said above I was curious. I am curious how the performance would be with Cake enabled.

I have to disagree with you on this. During my CompSci degree this was the best way for me of learning a new language is looking a guides and examples.

I figured since I have a backup pfsense box I'll be prepared for the worst.

At least when you screw up a computer program, generally all that happens is that it doesn't run.

If you screw up overclocking, your SoC is dead. Permanently. Or your memory fails. Permanently.

These devices are designed from silicon, packaging, and device to meet specs, not exceed them, and at the lowest possible cost. Higher clock rates mean higher power dissipation, which needs to be extracted from the silicon, and even from within the silicon. Higher clock rates often require higher voltages -- no BIOS to change the supply rails. Higher voltages will, at some point, break down the junctions or insulating layers in the chip. These are devices clocked at rates where electron transition time becomes critical. "Wires" aren't wires at 1 GHz. Signal propagation often isn't linear with clock rate. This ain't your over-built P90 that you can clock to 120 Mhz.

Overclocking can, at best, gain you a few percent. What you see in actual performance gain is usually significantly less than the increase in clock rate.

Yes, this really is a "if you have to ask, you shouldn't try" kind of thing, unless the $75 or more you'd spend is "throw-away" money for you.

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What do you want to learn?

Let's do some math as you don't believe me.

Add support for Linksys EA6350 v3 - #348 by bill888 gives about 30 Mbit/s OpenVPN throughput on EA6350 v3.

Let's assume you can reach 20% overclock with reasonable stability. Let's also assume the OpenVPN task fits in the CPU cache and scales 66% with clock speed increases.

Then you might get a performance of 30 Mbit/s stock and 34 Mbit/s overclocked OpenVPN throughput. But at the same time you could see stability problems.

I would suggest something else. IF you are able to route 100% of line speed through your device: no overclocking necessary. Don't do it as it gets you nothing but it will produce problems. IF not: buy a more powerful router which is able to reach your line speed.

Overclocking could be useful, if you earn money out of more performance and you are already working with the fastest available stock speed devices. But not if you run a low end device and just want to play, without a reason to run into stability problems.

There is another performance dimension: latency. But that's a different story and overclocking cheap routers would also be one of the last things I would consider to get a lower latency.

Another thing would also be the case if you wouldn't do real time processing, but you would do computation tasks that take minutes or hours to complete. Let's assume for example your task takes one hour to complete on stock clock speed and again your task is heavily CPU speed bound and benefits 66% of more CPU clock speed. Then it could finish not in 60 minutes, but in 53 minutes.

The price for this benefit would be that you would need to check a lot more for consistency, as you could not be sure the result is correct on 20% overclock. I guess it might often be the case that it is not worth the increase in performance.

Also: I would have expected you to get to this conclusion by yourself if you own a CompSci degree.

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