Best "newcomer routers" - 2024

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
79
  1. Supports official STABLE OpenWrt 23.05.x. No snapshot builds
  2. Clear installation instructions without warnings in the Table of Hardware .(https://openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/archer_ax23_v1)
  3. Mass market device with case, power supply, and "standard" network connections: a WAN port, one or more LAN ports, Wi-Fi. No assembly required
  4. Price point below US$100 or equivalent in your currency. It must be available today (Amazon, eBay, etc.) not promised at some indeterminate date. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-OneMeshTM-HomeShield-Archer-AX23/dp/B09VPRWGR7/)
  5. Able to handle 300mbps with SQM enabled. Provide link to citation or personal experience

So we are in MT7621 territory as a minimum, so the TP-Link AX23 fits your criteria, but only the v1, as no one has confirmed if the v1.20 is compatible.

MR70X v1 would be a contender but has no toh or techdata and only exists on here: