Hello community! I am really enthusiastic about OpenWRT, and I was previously using FreshTomato before it stopped functioning with the latest (2020.8) update. I spent some time in your IRC channel and got some good support from PaulFertser, but we could not get my router working and I have decided it is time for a new one. I have been through your pinned threads and I did not see anything relevant yet.
Here are my requirements:
+I have a 25mbit-D/3mbit-U broadband connection with unlimited data. It is with Xfinity, so there is a lot of packet inspection and possibly even sabotage going on with my connection. I just upgraded to unlimited data and am likely using 2.5TB /mo. I have a required Xfinity gateway modem, so I only need a router.
+I had an always-on VPN using FreshTomato, and I would like that as well with my new OpenWRT router. The VPN runs with OpenVPN, but it would be nice to have more options. It should have a requirement for VPN (through OpenWRT), with no WWW access without the VPN being on. IPv6 support is necessary.
+I have been running with Gigabit ethernet for a while, but I would like to future-proof by getting at least two LAN ports with 2.5gigabit connections. I have several devices I am working to get hooked up with rsync and other Linux-based network transferings. This condition may not be realistic but I was hoping this community knew of more routers than the few I had seen with this.
+I would like 2 USB-3 ports for at least 1 USB-HDD in SMB.
+I am the only person using this router (except for guests) and I likely have 2 always-transferring LAN devices, 5 semi-on LAN devices, and about 11 different wifi devices that are used irregularly. This would mean that I would require more than 4 LAN ports, or I will continue to use my 8-port Gigabit switch.
+I am serious about p2p, and so the router would be good at handling bittorrent overhead for possibly hundreds or more torrents looking for leechers.
+Other services: It would be nice if this ideal router included support for a USB-HDD over SMB and future-proofing for other services.
+My price range is up to $200 USD and I am willing to buy second-hand.
+My preference is for newer devices that will have longer support.
In addition: I would very much prefer a router that has low latency! I play games sometimes and if I am connected to an East Coast server, I do not wish for a few more ms through my router to slow I down. Lastly, it would be good if this router and/or OpenWRT had the option to let a single PC through my always-on-and-mandatory VPN for gaming purposes, again for reduced latency!
Of course, this ideal router would have 100% full OpenWRT support, because I am serious about learning this and sticking with it.
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to your recommendations!
~Mindus Amitiel Debsin