OpenWrt [1] is a remarkable Linux project focused on embedded devices. The OpenWrt project currently supports 2,951 devices [2]. Although OpenWrt uses the Linux kernel, it is not a typical Linux distribution. The userspace is quite different because embedded devices have much more limited resources, and the traditional Systemd boot manager with D-Bus for communicating between multiple processes is a poor choice. Additionally, most embedded devices lack a BIOS/UEFI, so supporting thousands of devices is challenging.

OpenWrt offers several benefits when setting up a typical WiFi router or switch, including:

• Device ownership – Many vendors or ISPs still partially control their devices after purchase through updates or remote management protocols. OpenWrt gives users full control of their devices.
• Security – Many vendors stop making firmware upgrades after two years from the time of the device release. This situation is very similar to the Android smartphone market. OpenWrt releases security upgrades for even very old devices and provides WPA3, a modern secure WiFi authentication protocol, for many of them. OpenWrt also ships with a modern Linux kernel, modern encryption standards, and a fine-grained firewall configuration for better network protection.
• Advanced features – OpenWrt provides advanced functionality that is either unavailable or only available in top router models: Features include SQM for video and audio conferences or game video streaming, encrypted DNS, a VPN, an ad blocker, P2P file sharing, disk partition backup, mesh networks, IPv6 tunnels, and others. The OpenWrt repository includes more than 3,000 packages.
• Support – OpenWrt developers use official forums, a mailing list, and IRC channels, so it's very easy to contact them. There are also many active community members on the official resources. The OpenWrt community has helped the author of this article multiple times. The official documentation [3] contains a Quick Start Guide, User Guide, and Developer Guide, which makes life easier for all categories of users, from first-timers to experienced Linux developers. The situation with general hardware vendors is different. There's often a contact form with an email address and an official forum, but getting an answer from an official employee can take a long time.
• Performance optimizations – OpenWrt ships with a modern Linux kernel and additional tools that reveal many options for performance tuning. Is the OpenWrt router connected to another router over a long distance? Do video conferences happen often and require lower latency? Is the CPU slow for the current traffic, and would it make sense to try software or hardware flow offloading [4]? OpenWrt provides many options to improve performance.

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