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1) For me the beauty of an open source router is that if you don't need anything special and it works fine for your setup then you don't have to do anything to it. But if you need somethng special then you can turn your low priced router into something that does things the high priced ones do.
For example, in my case I take low cost Linksys routers and using special firmware can turn them into a wireless bridge. The wireless bridges can handle several devices and there is no need to purchase multipple USB or wireless cards or an expensive wireless gaming adapter.
Another example could be if I wanted to start a pay site that I allowed users to connect wirelessly to the internet for a charge. With special software I cold do that to. That is an extreme case but something that could be done at very little cost.
Another example would be tweakng for Bittorrent type of stuff. Some routers don't allow you to do that. With aftermarket firmware you could speed up or even slow down bittorent programs as needed.
2) There are tons of good sources and does take some looking into. The beauty of the Netgear Open Router will be that they designed it for people to make changes. Other routers people basically hack to make changes and could cause warranty issues or even brick you router if not done correctly. There are tons of horror stories out there of people ruining their routers.
3) In a lot of cases it's just as easy to use some good aftermarket firmwares as updating your routers firmware from the manufacturer. But it all depends on how far you want to go and if you are into doing things like this. Kinda like hoping up your car. Some folks do the works themselves, some pay others and some never do it. Just whatever your into.
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