Yet another "what is the best router for Gargoyle"

[governa]

After years of playing with DD-WRT I’ve decided to give Gargoyle a try. I realise that this has been discussed ad eternum but please bare with me:

What is currently the most fool proof device to run Gargoyle?

I’ve been reading the forum carefully and find a lot of old and/or contradicting information so any fresh take on this subject will be most welcomed.

The following devices seem to be the most talked about:

• WR1043ND v1.0
  WR1043ND v2.1
  WDR3600
  WNDR3800

Which of these units would the forum experts recommend? Any other unit I should be considering? My needs are basic: USB port (to share a HDD preferably via SAMBA), wireless N and 10/100/1000 are a must.

Going one by one I have the following questions:

1- I can source a WR1043ND v1.0 very cheaply but I’m a bit wary of investing in a device that seems to have been discontinued in favour of the v2.x. It’s also the slowest and has the least RAM from the 4 mentioned. I have also read quite a lot of contradicting info regarding its performance under Gargoyle where some swear by it while other’s stick to Gargoyle 1.5.x versions due to Wi-Fi dropouts on 1.6.x and 1.7 builds. What’s your take?

2- The WR1043ND v2.1 seems to be a no brainer, I can get a v2.1 as cheaply as the old v1.x, has a faster CPU, more RAM and it’s actually “endorsed” by Gargoyle as this particular unit is sold on the webshop. But there’s one thing bothering me, most of the times I notice people recommending you avoid choosing routers marked as “trunk” on the OpenWRT wiki. Well this particular device has a “trunk” status. So is this really something I should be worried about?

3- The WDR3600 seems to be the most recommended unit in the forums. It’s slightly more expensive than the WR1043ND’s but the fact that it has 2 USB ports is quite appealing. But like the WR1043ND v1.x the reviews are inconsistent. Some swear by it and some seem to have nothing but problems be it slow speeds or Wi-Fi drops. How does it rank against the other units?

4- The WNDR3800 is the best of the bunch regarding tech specs but it’s also prohibitively expensive in my corner of the world so it’s really not an option.

I'll add one more question, is any of these units more easily recoverable from a bad flash than the others? The d-link DIR-615's I'm currently running are bullet proof in that sense, recovering one is as easy as invoking the emergency flash screen. Having to go through custom built cables or soldering the board is not really my cup of tea.

So what's your say?

[ispyisail]

That about covers it

The RS Pros was the best router of all time but they stopped making them and they didn't come with a cover or power supply.

[governa]

Am I correct in thinking that the WR1043ND v2.1 is theoretically the most future-proof of 4 devices mentioned due to the fact that it's "endorsed" by Gargoyle (i.e. sold in the webshop)?

Or is the "trunk" status on OpenWRT a sign that I should actually avoid it?

[governa]

So that's it? No comments, no suggestions?

[pbix]

First you should accept that most of the router's functionality comes from the firmware loaded on it, so then if two routers have the same firmware they will operate virtually the same way. Its very hard to tell the difference for most people.

If your router has at least 32MB of RAM and 8MB of flash and is listed in the OpenWRT support hardware table with a version other than 'trunk' it will work for future versions of Gargoyle for many years to come. Routers listed as 'trunk' will be supported in the future but I would guess it will be a couple of years before they are since BB has just been released. The exception is the WR1043ND v2.1 which Eric sells in the shop and has made special support for.

Many people do find a USB port useful so that's something to get if you can. The only other factor is the CPU speed. What you needs depends only on how fast your internet connection is. My general guidance here is to divide the clock speed by 15 and that is approximately the fastest Mbps the router will support. To know for sure you have to have the router in your hands with the firmware configured the way you want to use it and then perform at test. The fastest consumer routers seem to achieve around 100Mbps with Gargoyle loaded.

There are many possible routers, the list of routers has already been made and is the table of hardware over at OpenWRT. There is nothing special about your three routers and they should not be singled out. I have a Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH that works very well. I have a WRT54G-TM router that works well. I have had probably a dozen others as well.

Finally I will say that all this hardware is consumer grade which means quality can suffer. So regardless of which model you select it is possible (but not likely) that it will have some manufacturing defect that will drive you bonkers. Also the power supplies are variable in quality and can inject a fair amount of EMI into the router which will affect the Wifi performance. But there is no way to know in advance about these issues.

[governa]

Thank you for your reply. Really appreciated.

Seeing that Eric is giving special attention to the WR1043ND v2.1 I'll probably go for it.

TBH I would rather get a DIR-835 (also sold in the webshop) but I'm having a hard time sourcing one in Europe (I can only find US stock). If anyone has one for sale do PM me.

[monq]

Is the WR1043ND v2.1 a good bet if I just want a router that I can use as a wireless repeater (as a client bridge)? I don't even need 802.11n, I just want it to be stable.

[nworbnhoj]

Is the WR1043ND v2.1 a good bet if I just want ... a wireless repeater ... stable.

My TL-WR1043N/ND v2 has been stable as a gateway with 1.6.2 & 1.7.1

[Statik]

My biggest problem with the OpenWRT list is that it is simultaneously out of date (current routers are not yet on it) and too new (support is listed for BB, not Kamakazi). It makes finding a compatible router very difficult.
Statik

[DoesItMatter]

If I'm getting routers to test/use - I'll pick up 2 of them

One for a stable working

One for backup/testing OpenWRT trunk builds

Also in case I bad-flash one or something happens to one,
I have the spare backup

Now I know some people can't afford to do this and if so, you
REALLY shouldn't be flashing 3rd party firmware because you always
run the risk of a bad flash or firmware corruption which can
result in a dead router

So... If you can't afford to get 2 - you NEED to ask yourself if you
can afford to mess around and lose the 1 router...