Requirement is vpn support and wireguard. Many years of firmware support. Safe router without any backdoor or security problem. Up to 1000mbps support in the future for cable, only need up to 500mbps wifi in the future, now 300, probably fine with this in the long run anyway.
Other than that not much, maybe wifi 6.
So far the routers i have interest in is flint 2 and open wrt one and probably open wrt 2, waiting for release and more details on that. The open wrt ones i would expect to get more firmware updates and support over the flint one. But considering from my knowledge you can install open wrt it becomes same firmware support.
One thing i like about the flint 2 it seems pretty easy to setup vpn, i would prefer something like open wrt firmware learning that reading documentation, it would give more control i imagine.
When thinking of open wrt one, that seems pretty much all i need and the great part the schematics are available. But one issue with that router and my tinfoil head, PoE. Does it mean it will feed power to my motherboard when pc is off? Another way to ask is will it keep the ethernet connection active meaning port will blink on pc end. If not then open wrt one will be good choice unless it isn't that powerful.
I am very new to routers so sorry if the questions are dumb.
search u-boot in firmware selector for others with u-boot included - ie recovery image being independent initram kernel, working even if you botch current installation.
filogic is the best for vpns (after x86 pc) with 500-1000Mbps wireguard and similar speed for ipsec via aes hardware accelerator.
Anything with 2.5gbit ports will do gigabit forwarding without braking sweat.
The OT doesn't exist yet and information about it is scarce, so that's out of the picture for the time being.
While the OO has a couple of unique features (M.2 slot, battery backed RTC, mikro bus, USB serial console, PoE-in, 'unbrickable), the flint2 would be a better general purpose router (more ethernet ports, 2.5 GBit/s, faster SOC).
If you're just looking for a modern router, the flint2 is a better choice - if you're more looking into an AP (only two ethernet ports, but PoE-in) OR want to tinker a lot, the OO shows its strength. The decision is yours, there are reasons for both.
You can power the OO via PoE, it will not provide power to connected devices. With standards compliant 802.3af/ 802.3at PoE, there is never a danger to connect devices any way you want (worst case would be not powering on). A danger is only with so called 'passive PoE' which isn't standardized at all, and just puts a random voltage/ random polarity on randomly selected wires, these can (will) fry unsuspecting devices.
From what i understand PoE on router means it only gets power and not send?
I want to be more clear about what i meant with PoE, it's more like if it could potentially send and receive packets when pc is of and cable connected. Just recently learned about IME and PSP issues with cpu's so thinking that way too.
I am fine with only 1 port out, and if it can do 1000 mpbs i am set for many years for my use.
One big selling point for me when it comes to the OO is they posted schematics and my tinfoil head can compare to what i actually have to check if anything has been tampered with. And you probably have more control over it and that is something i need to learn and want to learn if i go OO route. Flint seems like a good option for simplicity, but i do think i would want maybe full control in the future. This is part of the reason why i could consider waiting for OT as from my knowledge it is to release later this year.
I recently learned routers have cpu, came as a surprise. Then i am thinking cooling and if example OO is strong enough for 1000mbps and several wifi devices? It will be used with only 2-3 devices on wifi worst case 1000mbps speed at same time at times, less likely tho.
I started looking for a router recently and was just looking at a basic asus router, but they only have ai stuff which raises privacy concerns. It ended with me finding open wrt, on top of that i have been seeking more and more open source for most things anyway.
I likely don't need a router before 6 months but if i figure out which one i should get i'd buy it now and play around with it and learn before i actually need it if that example would be OO.
Do you think flint 2 seems the better choice with my further info?
Edit: When thinking further i might actually need the extra ports, if example i will host game server and for something else, could just use wifi for that anyway. That is if it's possible per port or per device to disable vpn since my current one don't support port forward? I can't stress this enough i am very new to networking and routers like that so sorry for the stupid questions and thinking if there is any. Just need to know if its possible or not, if so i will search the documentation or watch a youtube video.
Some devices can be provide PoE (802.3.af/at) to other devices, the typical example for this would be a PoE switch.
Other devices can be powered via PoE (802.3af/at), think about SIP desk phones, business-class APs or surveillance cameras. Here you leverage the existing ethernet cables used for data to also power the devices, sparing you to have a PSU in-situ.
There are some (very few) switches that can both be powered by PoE themselves AND pass through some of their power budget to other devices connected to them.
The OO can be powered EITHER by USB-PD (15V!) XOR by PoE on its 2.5 GBit/s ethernet port, it does not provide power to other devices nor can it pass through PoE to connected devices. The intended use case is that of a (business-class) AP, single cable.
"IME and PSP" (and you may add TF-A to your list) are something completely different, independent of PoE.
Again, there is no real information about the OT and its progress - IF the OO history is anything to go by, we'd be at least 6-9 months out once real information about the tech specs/ features emerge. In other words, I wouldn't expect it to ship for the next 9-12+ months. I would strongly advise against considering the OT as an option before something like https://lists.openwrt.org/pipermail/openwrt-devel/2024-February/042856.html or https://lists.openwrt.org/pipermail/openwrt-devel/2024-April/042566.html gets published for the OT (that would roughly be the 6-9 months mark I mentioned above); I do remember (but can't find it right now) a slightly earlier mail that requested comments for the OO and reacted on some of the comments (e.g. mikro bus), the design was already roughly fixed back then, but still offered some flexibility on the details (we're still waiting for an equivalent to that as well). We simply don't know anything about it (other than https://lists.openwrt.org/pipermail/openwrt-devel/2025-February/043722.html) yet, no (semi-) final specs, no progress reports, nothing.
If you don't need a router now, feel free to defer the topic until you do, but my guess will be on considerably more than 6 months from now on. I may be wrong, I have no internal knowledge, but I'd be rather surprised to see it for sale anytime 'soon' and don't like betting on the future (after all nuclear fusion reactors for your weekend cabin on Mars should be just around the corner since at least the 70s, …).
I understand. I'll skip the wait then and probably go for OO or flint. Edited my post with further info.
Do you think flint 2 is safe, i might just be thinking too paranoid of this. And is it possible to install regular open wrt version and would that likely work for many years to update it?
Happy for the time you take to help me find a solution!
The OO basically wants some kind of managed switch as companion (e.g. https://openwrt.org/supported_devices/openwrt_on_switches_faq (e.g. one of the OpenWrt supported switches from the realtek target) or any commercial managed switch with active OEM support), at least if you need multiple local networks (DMZ, guest, IoT, …). Very personally, I have found out that for me less than at least 3+1 ethernet ports (preferably 4+1 or better) and at least one USB port restrict my flexibility to use a router for multiple purposes (and later on to hand it down for different use cases), even though I do have managed switches in place and currently only use 1+1 ports on my x86_64 router (although it has 3+1 ports) - but your situation might be totally different.
For the most part just need something basic to begin with. Just router that i can adjust a lot of settings but that is part of the firmware. Also need security and privacy and how open wrt is open gives peace of mind. I am starting to think that flint 2 might just be the best option anyway. Look at me as toddler in the world of routers and networking.
From my understanding open wrt is supposed to be used to flash over default manufacturer firmware on many routers, if open wrt works on a router is further firmware expected to work on the same router for a long time or is there chance your router might not be compatible with the newer firmwares? In this case i am asking in general and flint 2+open wrt in mind.
Both devices are quite different and have a different features and -target audience. This is not a (more-) clear cut case (to take some completely different random example) like Xiaomi Mi AIoT Router AX3600 vs Dynalink DL-WRX36 (and to be clear, today the answer would be neither (unless you have a bargain) for this specific example). It's just something you need to decide for yourself, based on the above, the technical specifications/ features of both devices, your requirements and your gut feeling.
Strange... your original question was about long-term support, and then you commented about control. All of this was answered in a professional manner related to OpenWrt.
In the end, you decided on the Flint 2 with stock firmware. What scared you related to OpenWrt?
I was wondering that myself. The other thing the flints has e is fast USB 3 and I believe 3.2 and are easy to configure as having at least 2 WAN capability as well as the ability to get their expensive 5G USB module or a cheap copy maybe the same thing on Ali. I'm looking forward to checking out the new OpenWRT router as I've been watching that new banana board coming along. It sounds pretty versatile and I've almost pulled the trigger so many times the problem is their website does not tell you precisely which photo goes with which items when you try to order. It is clear as mud. I wrote them about it and told them I'd even help make it clear and I have never heard a single word back from them. Go figure.
