I have a D-Link DIR-615 H/W:X1. A day ago, the WAN port got damaged due to lightning, but the other ports are still working. I can connect to the modem, but the WAN port does not respond.
Is there any way I can configure one of the LAN ports out of the 4 switch ports to work as a WAN port?
My Internet provider provides a PPPoE IP address. I also use the modem as a WiFi hotspot.
the 615-X1 is a Realtek 96E chipset with 32M RAM and 4M Flash. I only get it running from RAM with serial boot loader...
Right now, no easy solution for OpenWRT.
That model is not at all supportable by OpenWrt due to the unsupported CPU and inadequate memory.
It can still be used as a hotspot with stock firmware since that does not require the WAN port.
I'm looking to purchase a TP-Link TL-WR841N. There was no mention of the hardware version, so I'm not sure.
But within my price range, this is the best I could find. Is it supported by Openwrt, and can I use this new router to resolve the damaged port issue if it arises in the future? @mk24 @gaspare
Don't do that, almost all hardware revisions of the TL-WR841N (including the most current one) are 4/32 and no longer supported/ supportable. Decent devices don't need to be much more expensive, even less if you extend your search to the second hand markets - but do inform yourself about the OpenWrt support status first (and stay far away from 4/32 and avoid 8/64 as well).
Thanks for this. Can you please tell me or like if you have a list of the devices that I can look for when buying a new router? I am really new to this and just cannot find a good router.
If you want cheap, the tl-wdr3600 is commonly available on the second hand markets for very little money - not a device I'd recommend to buy in 2022 (only 802.11n, only 8 MB flash), but just about the lowest reasonable entry level.
Everything else depends on your actual requirements, your WAN speed, your budget, the additional features you're looking for, your rough location (quite significant differences in availability and pricing between countries).
In general, ath79, mt7621, mt7622 will do, as long as they're supported and have more than 8/64.
Thanks for the help. Tbh, it's actually not for me but for my grandparents, so there is not much use for them. It's just like Facebook and all the social media stuff only. And they don't have much WAN speed. It's like 30-40 MBps, not much ik, but for them it is sufficient. That's why I was looking for the TL-WR841N. I just need a router where I can just install a 3rd party firmware so that if there is any problem like this port issue, then that 3rd party firmware can resolve it.
Will I be able to install a 3rd party firmware on the TL-WR841N?
Again, if you want OpenWrt, the tl-wr841n is a no-go.
