When we look for a domestic router for our home, we must not only look at the hardware it incorporates, such as the processor, the Ethernet ports and their speed, as well as the wireless network. It is also very important to look at the firmware of said router , to know in advance if it will be able to satisfy our needs with its configuration options. Today in this article we are going to talk about the most complete home router firmwares that exist , these firmwares are the ones that the manufacturer itself brings, that is, we will not talk about third-party firmwares such as OpenWRT or DD-WRT among many others, only the manufacturers official firmware.
ASUS with your Asuswrt
Asuswrt is the firmware that the ASUS manufacturer incorporates in its routers, this firmware is the most complete that exists for home environments, it has a huge amount of advanced options with which we can configure the router in detail. This firmware is ideal for both home users because its menu is very intuitive, but it will also work perfectly for “advanced” home users who want to have advanced configuration options, so it is able to cover both aspects.
All the routers from the manufacturer ASUS incorporate Asuswrt, although the lower-end ones may not have each and every one of the features that we do have in high-end models, this is due to a matter of hardware limitation. Mainly, the functions that are not in the low-end routers are the AiProtection Pro with the bidirectional IPS, because if it had it we could not get a great bandwidth, and also the “Gaming” section of ASUS with different technologies to prioritize the network traffic.
We have divided the main configuration options available in this Asuswrt firmware into four well-differentiated parts to explain them in more detail, however, our recommendation is that you access our reviews of the routers to know in detail all the options available in the firmware.
Wifi
The WiFi configuration menu of ASUS routers is the most complete that currently exists, we can activate or deactivate the Smart Connect, we can configure the SSID, hide SSID, wireless mode, activate the Agile Multiband WiFi, the Target Wake Time, the Channel width in all frequency bands, WiFi channel in all bands, supports WPA2 / WPA3-Personal and also WPA3-Personal only with protected management frames. It supports WPS, although it is recommended to disable it, it has WDS, MAC filtering, possibility of configuring an external RADIUS server to use WPA2-Enterprise, we have a “Professional” section with all the advanced options and the roaming assistant, a blocking list for prevent devices from roaming, and it even has a WiFi radar. In this «Professional» menu we can also modify the WiFi emission power, configure the wireless programmer and many other advanced options.
Regarding guest WiFi networks, we have a total of three guest WiFi networks for each frequency band available in the router, in addition, it supports Amazon Alexa and IFTTT to send you voice commands and automate certain actions. Guest WiFi networks allow you to configure the SSID, security, and you can also configure a time so that it is automatically deactivated and we can even allow or not access to the main network of the LAN. Finally, a very interesting feature is that it allows us to configure these guest WiFi networks in all AiMesh nodes if we set up a meshed WiFi network.
ASUS allows you to create a complete mesh WiFi network with AiMesh-compatible routers, we will have both band-steering (if we activate Smart Connect) as well as WiFi roaming with the 802.11k / v standards, therefore, we will have a complete high-performance mesh WiFi network . In addition, we have a specific menu to administer the Mesh network in an advanced way
LAN and WAN
In the LAN section we can configure the private subnet in detail, we can also configure the DHCP server and the Static DHCP as we want, other options that we have available are the possibility of creating static routes, configuring VLANs in the Internet WAN and even configuring also VLAN per port, finally, ASUS routers support the Movistar Triple VLAN FTTH. Other options are to be able to activate the Jumbo Frames and even the Link Aggregation if the router supports it, in this way, we can join two physical links in a logical link, finally, it also allows us to configure the Spanning-Tree Protocol to avoid loops at the layer 2 level in case we have manageable switches.
The WAN options are really complete, we can configure any type of Internet connection, enable NAT and UPnP, we can also configure the DNS servers that we want and even activate Dual WAN in case we have two Internet connections. We also have Port Triggering or port activator, Port forwarding or virtual server, DMZ, dozens of DDNS services to configure in the router and also different NAT Passthrough rules.
Other options related to the Internet connection is the firewall, ASUS routers have a powerful firewall that mitigates DoS attacks and even prevents them from seeing us from the Internet when they ping our public IP. We also have AiProtection Pro to avoid malware when browsing, protect computers on the local network and we even have a two-way IPS to prevent attacks. Of course, ASUS has also not forgotten to incorporate advanced content-based and time-based parental controls.
QoS and games
QoS is one of the star features of ASUS routers, we have a complete adaptive QoS that consists of prioritizing the type of network traffic, we can configure that we want the games to have the highest priority with just one click. We also have the possibility to configure the traditional QoS, setting different maximum bandwidths with different priorities. Finally, we have the bandwidth limiter per port, this is a fundamental feature to prevent one client or several from taking over all the bandwidth.
Regarding games, we have features to speed up games such as QoS, we also have the Gaming Port for compatible routers, and the Open NAT section that will allow us to open ports in three very easy steps to perform. This allows less expert router users to open ports and not have any problems.
VPN and USB
ASUS routers have a total of three VPN servers. OpenVPN is a client / server built into the router, it is the most complete at the level of configuration possibilities, and it is that we will be able to carry out very advanced configuration options incorporating our own PKI (Public Key Infrastructure), configuring an authentication in several factors ( digital certificates and username / password) and we can even incorporate a field of personalized advanced options, ideal to adapt it to our needs. We also have IPsec IKEv1 , in this case we do not have so many configuration options, but it is an alternative to OpenVPN that we can use perfectly. Finally, we have Instant Guard , it is an IPsec-based VPN that allows us a quick configuration through the ASUS Router app.
Regarding USB options, ASUS routers have all these services to make the most of the USB port or ports they have:
- ASUS AiDisk.
- Samba server
- FTP server and FTPES server
- DLNA media server
- ITunes Server
- Print server
- Possibility of configuring it as Internet WAN if we connect a modem
- Time machine
- Download Master to have a transmission on the router itself.
As you have seen, Asuswrt has a large number of advanced configuration options, and also many services to make the most of its possibilities.
AVM with FRITZ! OS firmware
FRITZ! OS is the firmware of all the routers of the German manufacturer AVM, this firmware is at the height of Asuswrt, in fact, it is our favorite for those users who want a very complete firmware with many services and configuration options, but do not know too much about routers, because this firmware has a very intuitive web menu with small instructions to know what each of the options available on the equipment does. The routers from the German manufacturer AVM are very good on the hardware level, but they are even better on the built-in software. FRITZ! OS is ideal for home environments where users do not know very well how to configure the router, and also for advanced home environments, since we have very interesting options that cover both “worlds”.
All AVM routers have FRITZ! OS, in fact, many of them share exactly the same version, because AVM’s update policy is very good with old routers, we will be able to update our router with new firmware for many years. AVM is not only incorporating improvements to the existing options, but also new features that users demand, so having the full support of the manufacturer is a very positive point.
We have divided the main configuration options available in this FRITZ! OS firmware into four well-differentiated parts to explain them in more detail, however, our recommendation is that you access our reviews of the routers to know in detail all the options available in the firmware.
Wifi
The WiFi configuration menu of the AVM FRITZ! Box routers is really complete, and, in addition, everything is organized in a very easy to understand way. In the main menu of wireless network we can see a list of all connected WiFi clients, with the host name, the private IP address and the synchronization speed. At any time we could block these WiFi devices with just one click. We could also configure a fixed private IP address for them, activate UPnP for them and even quickly prioritize that device in question.
FRITZ! OS allows us to assign an SSID to each frequency band, but we also have the possibility of having “Smart Connect” and having band-steering, in this way, we can dynamically connect to both bands, the router will place us in the best band available. Of course, we can also activate or deactivate the different WiFi frequency bands and see a QR code to connect with our smartphone easily and quickly.
Other options are to hide SSID, configure the WiFi channels to broadcast, the wireless standard to use, and other options such as automatic channel selection, activate the 40MHz channel width in 2.4GHz and even optimize WiFi transmission for TV applications. . Regarding security, it supports WPA2 / WPA3-Personal, WPS, although it is recommended to disable it and MAC filtering.
We also have a specific timer menu to turn the WiFi network on and off whenever we want. Regarding guest WiFi networks, we have a single guest WiFi network that we can configure, in addition, a new subnet is automatically activated where all wireless clients will be, of course, we can also enable a captive portal to authenticate WiFi clients . We can configure the isolation between the WiFi clients and with the main network. Finally, this guest WiFi network will also be present on all computers that are part of AVM’s Mesh network.
AVM allows you to create a complete mesh WiFi network with FRITZ! Mesh compatible routers, also with WiFi repeaters and even with WiFi-enabled PLCs. This equipment allows us to enable band-steering throughout the Mesh network, with respect to roaming, it uses the 802.11k / v standards, therefore, we will have a complete high-performance mesh WiFi network. In addition, we have a specific menu to administer the Mesh network in an advanced way.
LAN and WAN
In the LAN section we can configure in detail the private subnet that we want, we can also configure the DHCP server and the Static DHCP as we want, other options that we have available are the possibility of creating static routes, configuring VLANs in the Internet WAN and even configure a VLAN for VoIP as well, as long as the AVM router supports this feature.
The WAN options are really complete, we can configure any type of Internet connection, enable NAT and UPnP for each of the connected devices, we can also configure the DNS servers that we want and even enable DNS over TLS to protect our communications with DNS servers. Of course, we will have different filters, the possibility of opening ports to a certain PC and also the DMZ. We can configure the DDNS service with a third party, or use the one from the FRITZ! Box itself.
Other options related to the Internet connection is the firewall, AVM routers have a powerful firewall that mitigates DoS attacks and even blocks pings from the WAN. Of course, FRITZ! Box has not forgotten to incorporate an advanced time-based parental control for different devices, if we want to filter content we can do it based on blocked or allowed websites by configuring different lists, however, the ideal in these cases is use a DNS server with built-in parental control.
QoS and games
The QoS of AVM routers is very easy to use, we have to go to the “Internet / Filters / Prioritize” section to be able to prioritize the different devices and also the applications to be used, this will allow us to prioritize games or VoIP calls to not have any kind of delay. A feature that we like a lot is that we can also limit the bandwidth of the guest WiFi network in case the main one is about to reach the maximum, so that a bottleneck is not generated in the main network due to fault of the guest network.
AVM routers have firmware that is truly optimized for these prioritized applications, so they perform optimally without having to perform any advanced configuration or calculate any guaranteed download or upload values.
VPN, USB and telephony
AVM routers have an IPsec IKEv1 VPN server with xAuth, all we have to do is configure a pre-shared key for all VPN clients generated by the router itself, later we will have to create different users in the operating system and give it permissions to access to the VPN. Once it is done, we can connect remotely to the local network easily and simply. We miss that AVM does not incorporate OpenVPN with all the available configuration options.
Regarding the USB options, AVM routers have all these services to make the most of the USB port or ports they have:
- Samba server
- FTP server
- DLNA media server
- Print server
As for the telephony options, it is something that no router from another manufacturer oriented to the home environment incorporates. The FRITZ! Box has an IP switchboard with which we can make VoIP calls or through the fixed telephone line, they have a DECT base for cordless telephones and even the possibility of configuring a telephone book, answering machine, fax, call forwarding and many more more advanced options. By having a DECT base, we can also install home automation devices such as smart plugs from the AVM manufacturer itself.
As you have seen, FRITZ! OS has a large number of advanced configuration options, and also many services to make the most of its possibilities.
QNAP with your QHora-301W
QNAP has recently launched a WiFi router aimed at a domestic environment and also for small and medium-sized companies, we incorporate it here to highlight some of its functionalities that are really interesting, such as the incorporation of 10GBASE-T Multigigabit ports, SD-WAN technology to interconnect headquarters via VPN and also the incorporation of a really complete firmware.
The manufacturer QNAP has done a great job with this router, and in the next models they launch they will be based on this firmware that works really well. This firmware has a large number of advanced configuration options, the most remarkable thing is that it supports VLANs in the LAN, so we can segment the local network easily and quickly. In addition, they will soon incorporate support for VLANs in the Internet WAN and also VLANs per port, with the aim of being able to connect to FTTH operators and also to provide IPTV services.
All QNAP routers have the same firmware, but modified to meet the hardware requirements of each model, the graphical user interface and its options are the same in all the models we currently have. We have divided the main configuration options available in this QNAP firmware into four well-differentiated parts to explain them in more detail, however, our recommendation is that you access our reviews of the routers to know in detail all the options available in the firmware. .
Wifi
The WiFi configuration menu of the QNAP routers is very complete, the first thing we must indicate is that we can have a total of three main WiFi networks, assigned to one frequency band or both, in addition, we can enable the wireless programmer, the security and we can also assign a specific VLAN to segment the wireless and wired network correctly. This firmware has the possibility of having “Smart Connect” and having band-steering, in this way, we can dynamically connect to both bands, the router will place us in the best band available.
Another interesting option is that it supports WiFi roaming, if we configure other QNAP routers we can form a complete high-performance WiFi Mesh network, it allows the 802.11k / v standards and also the 802.11r protocol as an option. In the “Advanced Configuration” section we can enable MU-MIMO, DFS channels, configure the channel width and transmission power, as well as the CTS / RTS that we want. It also allows you to configure 40MHz of fixed channel width in the 2.4GHz band, ideal to achieve the maximum wireless WiFi speed.
Regarding security, we have WPA2 / WPA3-Personal and even WPA2-Enterprise to authenticate to an external RADIUS server, the router does not act as a RADIUS server. In addition, another very important aspect is that it supports OWE to have the WiFi network without password and provide end-to-end encryption in wireless clients. This aspect of security is very important because we have extensive configuration options.
In the “Guest Wireless Network” section we can see an additional SSID that is in a specific VLAN and isolated from the rest of SSIDs and VLANs. Finally, we have a WPS menu to activate or deactivate this protocol.
LAN and WAN
In the LAN section we can configure in detail the private subnet that we want, we can also configure the DHCP server and the Static DHCP as we want, other options that we have available is the possibility of creating VLANs in the LAN, to correctly segment the traffic of the local network and separate it into VLANs. This is ideal if you have manageable switches to configure VLANs there as well. This model allows us to configure the LAN ports as untag or tagged to pass all the VLANs in a trunk to the switch.
QNAP allows different configurations of the Internet WAN port, in addition, it also supports the possibility of load balancing between several connections and even failover of the Internet connection. The firmware gives us the possibility to configure any Internet connection with PPPoE or DHCP, so you will not have problems when configuring your connection. The firmware also allows us to configure static routes.
Other options related to the Internet connection is the firewall, QNAP has incorporated a firmware with many configuration options, we can activate or deactivate the firewall, set different priorities and rules, and we can even open the NAT for port forwarding and also activate the UPnP.
QoS and games
QNAP does not currently incorporate a QoS to prioritize game connections or IP telephony, it is one of the handicaps that their routers currently have, however, we know that they will incorporate it soon. If QoS is not critical to you and you can wait, it will be available in the coming months.
VPN and USB
QNAP routers have a total of three different VPN servers, we have Qbelt which is QNAP’s VPN, we also have L2TP and finally OpenVPN. Our favorite VPN (of which this router incorporates) is OpenVPN, although we will not have many configuration options, as we have in ASUS routers with Asuswrt. For basic home users who want a well-configured VPN it is sufficient, but for advanced users who want to modify the encryption of the control or data channel, the configuration options are insufficient.
Regarding the USB options, the QNAP routers only support the FTP server, they will surely incorporate more services in the future, because at the hardware level they have a very powerful processor, but currently they only have FTP.
As you have seen, QNAP at the WiFi, LAN and WAN level has done a great job with its firmware, however, it lacks fundamental services such as QoS or a more configurable VPN service, in addition, USB services are minimal, it only supports FTP.
NETGEAR and TP-Link
The manufacturers NETGEAR and TP-Link are on par when it comes to configuration options in their routers. They have the main configuration options that we need in the WiFi, LAN and WAN section, in addition, they also incorporate such important services as QoS to prioritize connections, different services to squeeze the USB ports of their routers as much as possible such as samba server, FTP server and also DLNA media server. Of course, they do not forget about VPNs, both incorporate OpenVPN server to connect us securely to the local network from the Internet.
In the case of NETGEAR, the firmware for their WiFi Mesh systems and for their routers is similar, with the same advanced configuration options, something that is appreciated. On the other hand, TP-Link in its WiFi Mesh only allow management through the mobile app, therefore, the available configuration options are very scarce for an “advanced” home user.
In the case of NETGEAR, it currently has routers specifically oriented to gaming, which do not use the “normal” firmware that we can see in the previous image, but rather use DumaOS that is specifically focused on gaming, in this way, we can prioritize our game console, PC gaming or any device on the local network that we want.
As you have seen, there are currently router manufacturers that have a really complete firmware, notably ASUS with Asuswrt and also AVM with its FRITZ! OS, both are very complete and intuitive, with a multitude of configuration options and services to get the most out of the hardware.