At least in my country, most people don’t use mobile data for their home internet due to its relative unreliability, variable latency, lower speeds, etc. You could still use one of these routers with a physical mobile hotspot if you wanted, though, for increased range, increased number of devices, and possibly improved security.
You don’t need fiber to have a physical internet connection to your home via cable for example, but a lot of people do have fiber these days.
Check TP-Link in OpenWrt table and your local shops. Just be sure revision is the same as on supported devices table
https://toh.openwrt.org/?view=normal
Quality is not so great, but price is, and will probably be good for your use-case
Are you sure you aren’t referring to a modem?
In my region, “Cellular Internet” isn’t a very common outside of some rural or underserved areas.
But in any case, how my internet gets to my wall is not really something my router needs to concern itself with. That is not it’s role or purpose, the modem handles that.
/\
/ \
/ \
/ Your \
/ Home \
| |
ISP <------> Modem <-> Router <-> LAN |
| |
----------------------------
It is worth noting that many routers (especially the ones provided by your ISP or mobile provider) are Modem/Router combinations. In that context it does matter how you connect to your ISP, because the Modem is builtin to the 2 in 1 device. A standalone router doesn’t care whether your internet comes via Fiber, DSL, Cable, Cellular, or Satellite.
That OG diagram made me smile… memories of '80s dialup BBSs
I find it funny that TP-Link is mostly suggested for use and supported by OpenWrt and its also the company that they wanted to ban from selling routers in the US. I haven’t checked on where that proposal went bu t do find it ironic.
They have cheap hardware. Is there any privacy/security concern after flashing it with OpenWRT?
They are just cheap and ok, therefore have big market share. Out of box, similar to most of the other brands, there’s no specific reason to recommend it. In terms of privacy and security, again, better than some, worse than some. If you have model with openwrt, you’ll get better privacy and that’s it.
I was actually considering Flint2, but it’s 3x more expensive and I have no special requirements. Maybe I will replace it at some point, as the main goal for me was to test if I can bypass ISPs device and use openwrt at all.
You’re right!, i’ve only used combined router and modems, strange I live in a city and we have never considered a cable connection, maybe because it’s cheaper, but i’ll have another look at what is offered and maybe switch to cable.
I use the open source Turris Omnia router. It runs TurrisOS, which is basically a flavour of openWRT. You could even update it to WiFi6 if you want to (not yet necessary in my case). I have another Router that I flashed with openWRT. When I’m doing any system updates or so using SSH, I hardly notice any differences between TurrisOS and openWRT. You can flash the router with openWRT, also, if you’d want that.
Wow, I’ve never heard of them. Looks nice, but it is expensive.
I also provide Divested-WRT for the Omnia: Index of /unofficial-openwrt-builds/mvebu-linksys
Yeah, I bought mine used from local ebay for 120 bucks or so in perfect condition - probably they’re easier to find in european countries because of its czech origin, but maybe they have developed a user base outside of EU, too, not sure
If I buy that, how do I add WiFi to it?
I can’t wait until that is released! The specs are incredible.
You buy a separate access point, that you attach to a separate switch.
You can buy combo devices like an AP with LAN network ports but, generally speaking separate devices are better.
There is a an option to attach WiFi antennae but In have no experience with the specific device +openwrt one)