dd-wrt compatible router, with usb for attaching external drive

cute.bandar · January 14, 2017, 4:34am

please suggest dd-wrt or openwrt or tomato firmware compatible wireless router ,
which have usb port/s for attaching external usb disk/s

No other requirements, except reliability . Just dd-wrt and a usb port for a simple NAS like usage.

Budget: flexible, cheaper the better ;).

Thanks

J_gn3_h · January 14, 2017, 5:08am

Low:
http://www.amazon.in/Asus-AC51U-Dual-Band-Wireless-Router/dp/B00UJKH0JA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484370365&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+ac51u

Not sure about WRT for Netgear one so please check..

Mid (single band):
http://www.amazon.in/Asus-RT-N-18U-2-4ghz-Wireless/dp/B00NOWFV32/ref=pd_sim_147_6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1GG6J3QH1RXXTJDEBY4R

High:
http://www.amazon.in/Asus-AC1900-Dual-Band-Wireless-Gigabit/dp/B00FB45SI4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484370731&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+ac68u
(I am having this one and in one word it’s AWESOME)

cute.bandar · January 14, 2017, 8:48am

These are great, but I was hoping to get something that was still cheaper .
I am completely ok with routers from not so popular companies, as long as they are listed on dd-wrt site of course.

vidyut · January 14, 2017, 9:34am

This one is openwrt compatible. I’m using it as a 4g router.
http://www.gearbest.com/networking-communication/pp_270587.html

rads · January 14, 2017, 2:37pm

http://www.amazon.in/TP-Link-Archer-C50-AC1200-Router/dp/B0168G0KZY/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1484404606&sr=1-4

cute.bandar · March 21, 2017, 9:58am

I am late.. Initially I had dismissed it without a thought. But after actually seeing it this looks perfect!

Only question is how much wifi range this device has ? Could you please tell about that ?
My house is approx 900 sq ft . Router is placed in the middle of the house.

vidyut · April 3, 2017, 6:42pm

For streaming in your entire house you will need high power router like RT-N-18U. NEXX WT3020F isn’t just cut out for this job.

k_m_Arya · April 4, 2017, 9:25am

Get this: http://www.banggood.com/Xiaomi-Router-Mini-AC-Intelligent-Wifi-Dual-Band-Max-1167Mbps-White-p-964846.html
Then flash padavan or gargoyle firmware.

cute.bandar · April 4, 2017, 1:01pm

^ My hero. Ordered!!

Its Also available on ebay.in @ Rs.2000 : Pardon Our Interruption...?

!!CHECK LANGUAGE BEFORE BUYING!!
PS:Already ordered it from ebay.in, THEN checked to see that the language of the UI could be in chinese. HOWEVER since its being sold on ebay india, it IMHO would be in english. ALSO : https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Original-Xiaomi-Router-Mi-Wifi-Router-Dual-band-2-4GHz-5GHz-1167Mbps-Support-Wi-Fi-802/1739322_32372291379.html claims that the language can be changed…so lets see.

I’ll update you guys.

cute.bandar · April 4, 2017, 1:34pm

So I asked the seller and got a quick reply:

vidyut · April 5, 2017, 5:55am

Do let us know if the language can be changed or not after you get the router. I’m also interested in buying this one.

cute.bandar · April 7, 2017, 7:42am

Edit: Thanks to an english version of a chinese version(pandorabox) of openwrt firmware. The router now gives terrific wifi performance. Link: MIUI 14 -Xiaomi Global

Everything in router is chinese, language, home screen, etc. But the language CAN BE CHANGED to English. HOWEVER it’s a bit of a pain + plus openwrt doesn’t give great wifi reception. still trying to scour the forums.
Default xiaomi storage sharing seems ‘propretary’ - Use our app to access files. I really doubt the default xiaomi firmware has support for samba shares.
Verdict for Most People : ABORT!

Edit: Seems like a great router working with the pandora firmware (link in the top edit). However its a pain to setup..

cute.bandar · April 7, 2017, 2:26pm

Here are instructions to convert interface to english- Unboxing Xiaomi Mi WiFi Mini Router & English Set up Guide «

Opening http://192.168.31.1/ on the browser takes you to the router’s webpage. At this point, a first time setup screen is shown, entirely in Chinese. For a non-Chinese user it might be a hurdle at the start but I’ll try to guide a little bit to set it up till one can use Google Translate.

I guessed the checkbox to be the option to “Accept end-user terms and license”. So I checked it and clicked the blue button.

The next screen asks for the PPPoE login details, you may either input it or click the link that says DHCP if you want to ignore it. After that, the screen that appears asks you to set a name for your WiFi access point and the access password. Fill in the details and click the blue button. The next page will show a QR code to download the Mi WiFi Android app for your phone. You can choose to close it. The next page will be the login page. Login with the same password you set for the WiFi AP and you will be greeted with the home screen that will show connection details like WAN speed, connected devices and the like.

If you are able to access the internet successfully, you can use Google Translate from now onwards to get the router control panel settings in English. If you still aren’t able to access the internet, click the second tab on the top, then click the WAN (globe) icon, then in the first section, click the first button. Choose from either the PPPoE, DHCP or static IP tabs, fill in your details and click the blue button. When everything is successful, you will be able to browse the internet. You can edit the WiFi settings by clicking on the WiFi icon, and you will be able to configure the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks separately, choose individual channels and transmission power. Once you are properly connected to the internet, the rest of the settings can be viewed with Chrome browser and Google Translate.

PS: If you have a static IP then first select the DHCP option, then when in the interface - change DHCP t0 static (it will be in chinese)

neerajvohra · April 8, 2017, 1:44pm

Abort? or did you managed to flash the pandorabox from Mi forum?

cute.bandar · April 8, 2017, 6:12pm

I managed to flash the pandorabox from the forum. its working goood now.

sharktale1212 · April 9, 2017, 6:25am

I guess the final verdict after more testing? Specially the NAS and streaming usage.

cute.bandar · April 9, 2017, 8:35pm

Final Verdict:

**Installation of openwrt **(I recommend getting the optimal version of the pandora-openwrt from the page, in the above posts):

As described above, initial language change is kind of painful.
In addition flashing 'may ’ not be so straightforward. I personally took the long route of flashing multiple firmwares via command line - linky, before reaching my final setup.
But the short method above ‘may’ also work. I didn’t know about it earlier , so didn’t try. And don’t know.

NAS/streaming:
100mbs ethernet on this, that’s 11 MegaBytes/sec speed over lan. Which is more than enough for me.
Streaming over LAN via a 10 meter cable is as good as instantaneous on PC. Seeking is also instant.

Range is simply great! for my average size 2.5 bedroom, everything is covered.
streaming over wifi: No problems playing a 2GB file abt 10 meters away from the router on a redmi prime 2.

!!IMP!! wifi streaming speed and range were pretty bad on the official openwrt firmware… download page for the curious : Index of /chaos_calmer/15.05.1/ramips/mt7620/

sharktale1212 · April 10, 2017, 10:14am

Does the internet work fine while streaming the large file? On many routers streaming over wifi tends to bog down the whole network.

cute.bandar · April 10, 2017, 10:56am

^looks like it. streaming 2gb file on mobile and youtube on LAN both working saath saath.

sharktale1212 · April 10, 2017, 2:27pm

what about both over wifi?