I am no network techie or command line expert. This is a guide for similar people on choosing which major "brand" of firmware to use on their router.
You initially have two basic choices of router firmware-
- OEM firmware (that was supplied with your router by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
- Third party open-source (TPOS) firmware like RR-WRT or Tomato (each with their many variants).
Generally you should start with the OEM firmware. This is normally the easiest to use/understand, ensures all components of the router work, and best for most basic users. As well, it may have manufacturer support.
First set your router up using the OEM firmware. This will hopefully give you a basic understanding of how a wireless/wired router works within a local area network (LAN). If the OEM firmware does everything that you want, STICK WITH IT!
After getting your router up and running on you LAN using the OEM firmware, you may later decide, "I wish I could do [insert wish here] with my router", but the OEM firmware does not support your wish. This is were TPOS firmware comes in.
Routers are becoming increasingly more "powerful" with faster processors, more read-only memory (ROM or flash memory) and more random-access memory (RAM). Often the OEM firmware only uses a small percentage of this available "power". This leaves room for the addition of many more features to your router.
As an example, my OEM firmware supported the built-in USB port and the attachment of a USB file storage device allowing it to be used as a basic network attached storage (NAS) over my LAN. My wish later was "I wish I could use my router as a vertual private network (VPN) server". This was not available with my OEM firmware.
I then did some searching and found that my wish could be achievable if I switched to certain TPOS firmware, like DD-WRT or Tomato. That is when I made the decision to switch from the OEM firmware to the TPOS firmware.
Each brand of TPOS firmware has many variants and each variant has different features. When selecting which brand and its variant may be best for you, you need to consider:
- Is the varient suitable for your make/model of router? This can generally best be determined from the TPOS firmware's web site.
- Does the variant allow you to achieve your aim(s)? Remember, some TPOS firmware variants may allow your "wish(es)" (e.g., VPN) but in doing so, may not allow you to retain some of your router's other features (e.g., NAS and/or USB port use). Again, this can generally best be determined from the TPOS firmware's web site.
- How easy is it for you to set up the TPOS firmware? Most of the more popular TPOS firmware now include an internet browser based graphical user interface (GUI). Unfortunately, most of these TPOS firmwares also have poor documentation support for the "novice" user. You will need to rely upon various forums for support and guidance. A lot of these forums can be populated with network techies who may find it difficult to explain things in novice terms. Before deciding, look into their forums and see if you think you will be comfortable there.
- How much does your network speed matter to you? Different TPOS firmware variants can produce vastly different network throughput speeds on the same router. The only real way to determine if the variant's speed is acceptable to you, is to give it a try. If not acceptable, try another variant.
Remember that it is relatively easy to switch from OEM firmware to TPOS firmware and between the many TPOS firmware variants. It may be much more difficult for you to go from TPOS firmware back to using your OEM firmware. Make sure you are aware of the procedures involved in returning to your OEM firmware before you move over to the TPOS firmware.
With the above knowledge, I hope you now have the basis on which to make a better decision.
thanks.