I have this router and will give you some advice.I use ddwrt for
pretty much every router i have ever owned but DDWRT for this router is problematic and I suggest a different third party FW. Every time they post a new firmware i pray that the issues are fixed but they continue to get worse. DNSMASQ crashes constantly and after all of their help and input the only thing the mods could come up with is the router is faulty(router is not faulty). With the latest firmware from 54569 & 54604 the wireless 5Ghz would constantly disconnect after few hours and say Incorrect password and force me to reboot the router in order for wifi to work again. I think the most recent stable release but still has issues with dnsmasq was 12-18-2023 54545.
Freshtomato is a good alternative. It is very stable but your wifi range and speeds will be reduced. With ddwrt i can get 630mbps down and full signal through out a 2500 sq ft house. With fresh tomato i was only able to achieve about 575mbps down max and the wifi signal would drop between 2-3 bars in the next room over which is not ideal. Recently as a desperation move i switched to ASUSwRt-Merlin and have gotten the best of both worlds with stability and wifi speeds. I get 630-645mbps down and full wifi signal
through out the entire house with out disconnects and with out dnsmasq crashing. Pleasantly surprised with the merlin firmware and has exceeded my expectations.The biggest downside of merlin firmware is the gui is a bit clunky and has some bufferbloat.This is about all the advice i can give you. Good luck, the choice is yours
