🔥 2025 Hot Picks: MediaTek MT7981/MT7986 Series
MT7986 (Filogic 830) – Quad-core A53 2.0 GHz
1. GL.iNet GL-MT6000 (Flint 2)
- CPU: MediaTek MT7986A Quad-core A53 2.0 GHz
- RAM: 1 GB
- Flash: 8 GB eMMC
- WiFi: Dual-band AX6000 (WiFi 6)
- Ethernet: 4x Gigabit + 2x 2.5G
- USB: USB 3.0
- OpenWrt Support: Excellent, pre-installed with OpenWrt
- Price Range: $150-200
- Notes: Best-in-class for OpenWrt, excellent hardware, active community support
2. TP-Link Archer AX6000 (XDR6088)
- CPU: MediaTek MT7986A Quad-core A53 2.0 GHz
- RAM: 512 MB
- Flash: 128 MB
- WiFi: Dual-band AX6000 (WiFi 6)
- Ethernet: 4x Gigabit + 2x 2.5G
- OpenWrt Support: Excellent, official support
- Price Range: $120-180
- Notes: Very popular, great value, excellent OpenWrt community support
3. Banana Pi BPI-R3 Mini
- CPU: MediaTek MT7986 (Filogic 830) Quad-core A53 2.0 GHz
- RAM: 2 GB
- Flash: 8 GB eMMC
- WiFi: Dual-band AX6000 (WiFi 6)
- Ethernet: 2x 2.5G
- USB: USB 3.0
- OpenWrt Support: Excellent, official support
- Price Range: $100-150
- Notes: Development board, excellent for advanced users, great documentation
4. Netcore N60 Pro
- CPU: MediaTek MT7986A Quad-core A53 2.0 GHz
- RAM: 512 MB
- Flash: 128 MB
- WiFi: Dual-band AX6000 (WiFi 6)
- Ethernet: 2x 2.5G
- USB: USB 3.0
- OpenWrt Support: Good, community support
- Price Range: $80-120
- Notes: Affordable option with 2.5G ports
MT7981 (Filogic 820) – Dual-core A53 1.3 GHz
5. CMCC RAX3000M (International Variants)
- CPU: MediaTek MT7981B Dual-core A53 1.3 GHz
- RAM: 512 MB
- Flash: 64 GB eMMC (some variants) / 128 MB NAND
- WiFi: Dual-band AX3000 (WiFi 6)
- Ethernet: 4x Gigabit
- USB: USB 3.0 (some variants)
- OpenWrt Support: Excellent, very popular in 2024
- Price Range: $40-60
- Notes: Extremely popular budget option, excellent OpenWrt support, great value
6. TP-Link Archer AX3000 (XDR3020/XDR3040)
- CPU: MediaTek MT7981B Dual-core A53 1.3 GHz
- RAM: 256-512 MB
- Flash: 128 MB
- WiFi: Dual-band AX3000 (WiFi 6)
- Ethernet: 4x Gigabit
- OpenWrt Support: Good, official/community support
- Price Range: $60-90
- Notes: Reliable TP-Link build quality, good OpenWrt compatibility
7. Xiaomi AX3000T / Redmi AX6000 (International Versions)
- CPU: MediaTek MT7981B Dual-core A53 1.3 GHz
- RAM: 256-512 MB
- Flash: 128 MB
- WiFi: Dual-band AX3000 (WiFi 6)
- Ethernet: 4x Gigabit
- OpenWrt Support: Good, community support
- Price Range: $50-80
- Notes: Check for international availability, good value
Why MT7981/MT7986 Series?
- Modern Architecture: ARM Cortex-A53 cores, excellent performance
- WiFi 6 Support: Latest WiFi standard with better range and speed
- Excellent OpenWrt Support: Well-supported by OpenWrt community
- Great Value: Competitive pricing with modern features
- 2.5G Ethernet: Many models feature 2.5G ports for future-proofing
- Active Development: Strong community support and regular updates
High-End Routers (Legacy/Alternative Options)
1. Netgear R7800 (Nighthawk X4S AC2600)
- CPU: Qualcomm IPQ8065 Dual-core 1.7 GHz
- RAM: 512 MB
- Flash: 128 MB
- WiFi: Dual-band AC2600 (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
- OpenWrt Support: Excellent, official support
- Price Range: $150-200
- Notes: Very popular for OpenWrt, excellent performance
2. Linksys WRT3200ACM
- CPU: Marvell Armada 385 Dual-core 1.8 GHz
- RAM: 512 MB
- Flash: 256 MB
- WiFi: Tri-band AC3200
- OpenWrt Support: Excellent, official support
- Price Range: $150-250
- Notes: Designed with open-source in mind, great community support
3. Linksys WRT1900ACS
- CPU: Marvell Armada 385 Dual-core 1.6 GHz
- RAM: 512 MB
- Flash: 128 MB
- WiFi: Dual-band AC1900
- OpenWrt Support: Excellent, official support
- Price Range: $100-150
- Notes: Classic OpenWrt-friendly router
Mid-Range Routers
4. TP-Link Archer C7 v2/v4 (AC1750)
- CPU: Qualcomm QCA9558 720 MHz
- RAM: 128 MB
- Flash: 16 MB
- WiFi: Dual-band AC1750
- OpenWrt Support: Good, official support
- Price Range: $50-80
- Notes: Budget-friendly, widely available, good for beginners
5. Netgear WNDR3700v4
- CPU: Atheros AR7161 680 MHz
- RAM: 128 MB
- Flash: 16 MB
- WiFi: Dual-band N600
- OpenWrt Support: Good, official support
- Price Range: $40-60
- Notes: Older but reliable, good for learning
6. GL.iNet Routers (Various Models)
- Popular Models:
- GL-AX1800 (Flint)
- GL-MT3000 (Beryl AX)
- GL-AR750S (Slate)
- OpenWrt Support: Excellent, pre-installed with OpenWrt
- Price Range: $50-150
- Notes: Come with OpenWrt pre-installed, very user-friendly
Budget-Friendly Options
7. TP-Link TL-WR841N v11/v12
- CPU: Qualcomm QCA9533 650 MHz
- RAM: 64 MB
- Flash: 16 MB
- WiFi: Single-band N300
- OpenWrt Support: Good, official support
- Price Range: $20-30
- Notes: Very affordable, good for basic needs
8. D-Link DIR-860L B1
- CPU: MediaTek MT7621AT Dual-core 880 MHz
- RAM: 128 MB
- Flash: 16 MB
- WiFi: Dual-band AC1200
- OpenWrt Support: Good, official support
- Price Range: $40-60
- Notes: Good value for money
Important Notes
Before Purchasing:
- Check OpenWrt Compatibility: Always verify the exact model number and hardware version on the OpenWrt Hardware Table
- Hardware Versions Matter: Different hardware versions of the same model may have different compatibility
- Flash Size: Ensure sufficient flash memory (16 MB minimum recommended)
- RAM: More RAM allows for more packages and features
Recommended Resources:
- OpenWrt Hardware Table: https://openwrt.org/toh/start
- OpenWrt Forum: https://forum.openwrt.org/
- OpenWrt Wiki: https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/start
- MediaTek Filogic Series Info: Search for “MT7981” or “MT7986” on OpenWrt forum/wiki
Popular Router Brands with Good OpenWrt Support:
- GL.iNet (Pre-installed OpenWrt, excellent MT7986 support)
- TP-Link (Strong MT7981/MT7986 support, especially XDR series)
- Linksys WRT Series
- Netgear (select models)
- D-Link (select models)
- Banana Pi (Development boards with excellent OpenWrt support)
2025 Trends:
- MediaTek MT7981/MT7986 chips are becoming the standard for new OpenWrt-compatible routers
- WiFi 6 (AX) support is now standard in new routers
- 2.5G Ethernet ports are increasingly common in mid-to-high-end models
- eMMC storage (instead of NAND flash) provides more space for packages
