+1; although, not really "cheap" .
I personally still like Archer C7v2 or v3 used. They work really well. Especially the v3. Bigger WiFi card and heatsinks on everything.
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I like ZBT WE1326 as it comes with decent processor, suitable amount of flash and ram and also gbit ports as a bonus. https://wikidevi.com/wiki/ZBT_WE1326
It is not the cheapest device out there, but unless you are buying 100s of them, the difference is negligible compared to what you get.
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Nice, thanks for sharing.
late to the party, but this is my go-to cheap device
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Hard to beat an ipq40xx, dual-band, NAND-flash device at under £34 / 38€
(US pricing not quite as attractive at ~$75, and slowly falling. Has sold for under $60 from Amazon.)
I think the best cheap device is one of several you've added to your "list" so you can shop flexibly, then keep an eye out for good used deals. My personal finds: used Archer C7V2 (ebay $25), used Linksys EA6350V3 (ebay $19); and my favorite cheap find, a used Linksys EA8500 (amazon $55). All arrived in good working order. The Linksys devices look practically new. The Archer was a bit scratched up, but works and looks fine. I've only flashed the Archer C7 so far, but will do the others when I have time to melt some lines to the Linksys boards LOL.
Sounds like you found a couple good deals on the EA6350v3 and the EA8500
The Archer C7v2 isn't even remotely comparable to the other two (nor something I would buy at any price over US$10-20, delivered). Even the IPQ40xx devices run circles around the Archer C7 and similar (with experience with five Archer C7v2 units and three EA8300 units for comparison under the same conditions).
Agreed - the Archer C7 was the first one, then I kind of changed my mind after some more research and picked up the Linksys devices. Still, will be amusing for me see how the EA6350v3 WiFi compares. Probably end up finding another home for the Archer C7.
These will be 1st and 2nd floor hardwired WAPs with streaming boxes, VOIP box and a PC plugged into the ports. The "between the 2x4's in the wall with outlet inside" metal panel holding the ends of all the house lines has just enough space (and heat dissipation capability so the house doesn't burn down 
!) for a modem, Edgerouter X gateway for 200/10 ISP service, HDTV antenna line amp-splitter, and not much else. I'm experimenting with OpenWrt conversion on all the devices - never used OpenWrt before, so the fun is just starting for me.
The v3 has better hardware btw.
At least according to the OpenWrt wiki and Wikidevi (C7v2, C7v3), they both clock their QCA9558 SoC at 720 MHz, both use a QCA9880-BR4A for 5 GHz wireless, both use a AR8327N switch, and both use the same flash and RAM.
Is there a difference somewhere that I'm not seeing that significantly impacts performance?
Yeah. Different motherboard layout. Heatsinks everywhere. miniPCIe card is bigger. I think I still have pictures.
Hi, I'm looking for a well wrt supported router with mesh ability.
Or should I change to the enthusiast thread?
VPN and webstorage ability is common, is that right?
Please use this topic for recommendations only.
For "which router should I buy" questions please open a new topic.
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Compare C7v2 with C7v3 they are mostly similar except the hardware
minihere WR330 or WR1200JS
Easy to install or firmware recovery with Breed/Uboot Web UI -> 192.168.1.1
Wifi dual band A / N / AC
RAM: 128 M , Flash : 16 M
4 * Gigabits LAN + 1 * WAN gigabits
CPU: MediaTek MT7621AT
Serial port -> Easy to open the box !!!
1 * USB2
Low price: 30 $ , 33 €
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The TL;DR of the previous poster's thread is to add the Pisen WPR003N and the DomyWifi DW33D, the latter of which is an already supported device.
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Anyone know where to currently buy the NEXX WT3020 new?
Been out of stock at aliexpress and gearbest for a while, banggood used to have it but no longer lists it ... Where do I get my tiny usb powered cheap openwrt wifi with ethernet fix? Alternatives to this nexx in the sub $15 incl shipping (new)? Thanks.
Closest I can think of is the GL.iNET GL-MT300N-V2 which can be had for ~$20.
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