Hi,
I'm new to the forum and I'm currently using a Linksys 1900ACS V2 with DD-WRT v3.0-r37405 std (10/16/18) firmware. I'm not sure of the advantages or disadvantages of OpenWrt over DD-WRT.
The reason I'm here is that I would like to use an Huawei E3372 (3G/4G USB dongle) with this router. I don't think this is supported by DD-WRT so hence I'm asking here.
I think I've found the correct firmware for my router being
openwrt-19.07.2-mvebu-cortexa9-linksys_wrt1900acs-squashfs-factory.img
but I'm not sure of the process in changing from DD-WRT to OpenWrt. Perhaps someone can explain or point me in the right direction and also confirm if OpenWrt would support my 3G/4G dongle.
Using OpenWrt, IMO, is mostly advantageous over DD-WRT.
OpenWrt is in active development, so the linux underpinnings (including the Kernel) are generally up-to-date and updated versions get folded into the development branches (which eventually become a stable release). DD-WRT, on the other hand, is rather old and hasn't seen significant changes in many years
OpenWrt is very modular and extensible. There are tons of packages available in the repository, allowing you to run a large variety of services and tools, including modern VPN options like WireGuard and such.
DD-WRT has a few different build 'versions' (small, big, mega, etc.) that have functionality baked-in. You can't add to or remove those core features to customize your installation. OpenWrt starts as a base image and you install what you want/need (in your case, 3G/4G dongle drivers and such, etc.). You can also build your own custom images, if you want.
I can't really speak to DD-WRT's current security status, but I will say that OpenWrt rolls the latest security patches into the maintenance releases regularly, so it is up-to-date with security.
The interface for OpenWrt (LuCI) is much more modern, more user friendly, and extensible, whereas DD-WRT is rather old. It is also pretty straightforward to configure the router via ssh sessions where you can issue UCI commands and/or directly edit the config files.
And there are plenty of additional things I prefer about OpenWrt. It is not to say that DD-WRT isn't a good system -- it has some great features and actually works better for certain wireless chipsets (due to the closed-source nature of the wifi drivers for those chips), but for everything else, OpenWrt is great. YMMV, of course. But since I started using OpenWrt ~5 years ago, I haven't looked back.
I use both, DD and openwrt. Also I have the linksys wrt1900acs and I really like dd wrt. But unlike the other user, I find dd wrt interface more modern and easier to use but its up To you. No problem to try both, easy job.
Well as I have never used OpenWrt before and obviously it would be a learning curve.
I was hoping for a ready-made solution that would provide everything I have now (simple routing and external hard drive) plus the facility to plug a 4G dongle in the other USB port. However, it looks like a fair amount of programming / compiling might be required and as a hardware man, it does not excite me
Is there a quick and simple way to obtain such a solution ?
little on same topic because huawei E3372h i have+wdr3500 with stock fw,question simple does last stable openwrt version for this router support 3/4G modems or i need flash with rooter firmware based on openwrt and do some tricks?
No tricks there just identify the necessary drivers and install them. Certain third-party builds may come with many modem drivers already installed. The official builds at downloads.openwrt.org include none in the base ROM, but they are all in the package manager.
