I've been running a TP-Link WDR4300 v1 as my WiFi router for the last decade (!) with absolutely no complaints. It's still running strong, but I'm very conscious that electronics don't last forever, and I'd also like to move to something with support for more modern WiFi standards. I need at least 1x USB 2.0 port, and I'd be delighted if it came with an integrated VDSL modem. I also need to keep the costs reasonably low. I'm based in the UK. What do the experts recommend I consider?
The requirement for an integrated VDSL modem pretty much limits your options to lantiq/vr9 based devices, which aren't really much newer or faster (apart from the 5 GHz wireless) than your existing tl-wdr4300…
The classic recommendation for this would be:
Another options would be the AVM Fritz!Box 7520/ 7530, based on the more modern (faster) ipq4019 SOC, but xDSL for those still requires master snapshots and some wrangling to get the necessary (non-redistributable) firmware onto the device.
If you'd manage to decouple the VDSL modem from your router, you'd immediately end up with a much wider scope of potential devices:
- mt7621
- mt7622
- filogic 820/ 830
- ipq40xx
- ipq806x
- ipq807x
Just to list one interesting/ affordable option out of the later would be
https://openwrt.org/toh/hwdata/dynalink/dl-wrx36
Hint: you may find quite interesting mt7621, ipq40xx or ipq806x devices on the second hand markets for relatively little money
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Looking at some of the routers built around those chipsets makes a strong case for dropping the requirement on an integrated VDSL modem. It would have been nice to get rid of the second box, but I can definitely continue using the ISP-supplied router in bridge mode.
The Dynalink looks very impressive for the money ... https://openwrt.org/toh/dynalink/dl-wrx36
It is, assuming you can get your hands on one, I've been running two as APs with 35+ days uptime (flashed, configured, and left them untouched since then), no issues whatsoever.
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Just acquired a brand new Dynalink DL-WRX36 here in the UK. Amazon has them in stock for next day Prime delivery. Now working through the thread on the developers forum to understand exactly how to get OpenWRT onto it...
Indeed, that too ... but experience leads me to believe that it's useful to know more than just the summary! 
Please open a new topic for any questions regarding DL-WRX36 installation / configuration.
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