UK tech n00b seeks once-a-decade OpenWrt-compatible device to serve as a VPN router
ProtectLi VP6630 considered, but all the extras confuse me as to what I'm actually getting
Turris Omnia considered, but I'd like vanilla OpenWrt - no way for there to be surprises
TP-Link, I saw this: https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/tbthjj/psa_newer_tplink_routers_send_all_your_web/
Looking-for-gbit-multi-gbit-router-available-in-the-eu is great, but the UK isn't in the EU any more, and 600 posts from 2022 is more than 2 years behind the times
ISP-supplied hardware will not allow me to install custom firmware, and I discovered that it's (trying to) spy on me
- How fast is your internet connection?
1GBps, and it's going to get faster. Router should support at least 2.5Gbps connection; 10Gbps is ideal - Do you need Wi-Fi?
I'd love to forgo WiFi in favour of an Ethernet connection, but I can't be sat next to the one phone socket UK dwellings come with all day; I suspect I'll need WiFi 6 for future-proofing - Do you need Gigabit Ethernet?
Yes; in an ideal world, my purchase would be good for up to 10GbE to future-proof this thing - Do you need USB ports? How many? USB 2.0 or 3.0?
If I am going to be flashing the operating system, I will need to be able to plug into the router - How many family members/devices must the router support?
Let us say 20 devices to be on the safe/redundant side - What other services do you want?
This will primarily be a VPN box; my intent is to use multi-hop and deep-packet inspection-resistant protocols, which tend to tank my speed - hence the desire for fast options
(yes, I am aware that once my request hits the VPN servers, my speed won't factor into anything. I can live with this)
Router needing a fan is fine; a racket that can be heard in another room/outside is not fine
No need for LTE; modem will plug into router, and away we go - Finally, please define your price range.
Ideally less than £500, but as I'm planning for this to be a once-a-decade purchase, I can stretch to £1,000
Other questions can be answered on request
Size matters not. Pretty or ugly matters not
Power consumption is not a factor, so long as I can run it out of a UK plug socket!
If the above can be done better with multiple pieces of hardware, I am A-OK with that
Simpler and easier to maintain are better; I am a simpleton
Thank you