Routers are essential for use at home, but most default firmware that comes with a router leaves a lot to be desired. From a lack of features or software updates, you won't really get a lot of control. However, DD-WRT or OpenWrt are two different types of custom firmware you can install on a lot of different routers. If it supports your hardware, it could be a big upgrade, and here are a few reasons why.

• OpenWrt

  OpenWrt, from open wireless router, is an open-source project primarily used to route network traffic for embedded operating systems based on Linux. 

  See at OpenWrt

• DD-WRT

  See at DD-WRT

5 They're both completely free to use

With a lot of models supported, too

Both OpenWrt and DD-WRT are completely free to download and use for anyone, with downloads available for both stable and beta builds. OpenWrt is completely FOSS (free and open-source software), meaning that no company owns any part of it, so you can use it without any permission, and if you have the know-how, you can even modify the code yourself to add your own features or changes. DD-WRT is a bit different, as not every build is open source and it depends on what router it's being used on.

Most people nowadays will lean towards using OpenWrt thanks to how open and powerful it is, but DD-WRT can be fantastic on older routers. It supports some newer ones too, so it's definitely worth digging into to see if it supports your router. There are a lot of versions of DD-WRT out there, and not all of these are updated at the same time. OpenWrt also supports some MediaTek routers with Wi-Fi 6, unlike DD-WRT.

OpenWrt is almost certainly the better option to try first, but you should experiment and see which suits you best.

4 They're packed with advanced networking features

Both OpenWrt and DD-WRT come with a ton of advanced networking features that your router almost certainly doesn't out of the box. These can include VLAN support, Quality of Service (or QoS) features for prioritizing certain kinds of bandwidth, Dual-WAN configurations, and firewall settings.

These features are scratching the surface of some of the powerful things they'll enable your router to do. You can spend a long time digging through settings menus in either of these pieces of software and if you set one of them up, you definitely should!

3 You'll have better security

They're updated with fixes all the time

If you're using an older router with either of these, then chances are it's probably vulnerable to some kind of exploit, either now or in the future. This is part of the D-Link problem, where those exploits can't be fixed on affected routers. However, OpenWrt and DD-WRT both incorporate fixes for known vulnerabilities, improving your security and making you less vulnerable to attack.

That's not all though, as they'll also add additional security features that will improve your own network's security, too. For example, DNS encryption and VLANs can improve your security on your network, making it so that you can have peace of mind online and across all of your devices.

2 Run a VPN on your router

Mask all of your traffic

If you have a VPN and want to use it all of the time, both OpenWrt and DD-WRT are able to run your entire network through a VPN. You can also run a WireGuard server on your router so that you can remotely access your network from anywhere in the world with a secure, safe, and fast protocol. This means if you have a NAS on your home network for example, you can access it from anywhere in the world by remotely connecting to your router back home.

Of course, there are multiple downsides to running your entire network through a VPN, and it's arguably less secure than just using the internet normally. For example, you're shifting all of your traffic to a shared server in a place that you don't control, which in turn could be exploited or attacked, only now there's a direct link back to your home connection, too. However, some people may want to do it, and both software packages make it easy.

1 Breathe new life into an old router

If you have an old router that's not being used, both OpenWrt and DD-WRT can extend its lifespan and make it usable again. Not only will it likely give you more features, but the aforementioned security benefits mean that you don't need to be as worried about using it as you may have been in the past.

You can also even get better performance out of either of these software packages, as sometimes features like QoS or bufferbloat mitigation options like queue discipline algorithms such as cake or fq_codel can greatly improve your overall network performance. For example, TP-Link's Archer C9 came out in 2014, and you can install both OpenWrt or DD-WRT on it to extend its lifespan.

While the Archer C9 uses Broadcom and therefore OpenWrt's open-source drivers may perform worse, the rest of OpenWrt's features more than make up for it. Again, though, it's a case of finding out what works for you, as either OpenWrt or DD-WRT will suffice in this instance.