Hi Everyone,
Question: Given that the Netgear R7000 is over 10 years old at this point, is there a consensus on the best Firmware (i.e. FreshTomato?) to use, specifically for the purposes as a wireless Access Point? I thought I had read that custom firmware such as FreshTomato couldn't take advantage of hardware acceleration or something like that. I haven't used Tomato for about 15 years, so I am out of the loop.
FreshTomato seems appeling as it's still receiving active updates, but I wouldn't want to swich to it if it will adversely affect wireless performance. My takeaway of revieing the documentation is that a lot of the features it supports are benefical if you are using it for your main Router, but several of these won't apply if you are using it as an Access Point. Let me know if I am mistaken.
Also, if there is a particular version of the stock Netgear firmware that works the best, I would be open to switching to that.
Addiitonal Background/Context
After a lot of trial-and-error with a defective ZenWifi XT8 unit (link to thread), I have replaced my ASUS RT-AC56U (AC1200 rated) with a spare/hand-me-down Netgear R7000. This is being used as an Access Point, as we have a Verizon G1100 serving as our main router (Wi-Fi has been disabled). We are on a 300/300 plan, and aren't heavy streamers or anything. My primary desktop is hardwired via Ethernet.
I did a Factory Reset when I got the R7000, and then flashed the latest stock firmware manually (I did not do a subsequent factory reset). I then set it up in Access Point mode with the same SSIDs and credentials as my RT-AC56U (Different SSIDs for 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz). I have the 2.4Ghz Channel Selection on Auto, and I had set Channel 40 for the 5Ghz band (the R7000 only supports 8 channels for 5Ghz, and there is no "Auto" mode). I used the open source WiFi Analyzer app to spot-check the channels in my area, and this seems like a good compromise (we are in a townhome neighborhood, so there are a lot of networks overlapping).
That 5Ghz speeds are about the same as the RT-AC56U, but 2.4Ghz speeds are a bit better. However, 5Ghz signal strength does seem to be stronger in the couple of weak spots that I was trying to address - previously, devices would fall back to the 2.4Ghz network, which speed tested in the single-digits in those spots. We will see how it goes over the next couple of weeks.
I am hoping that the external antennas on the R7000 can provide the extra "oomph" to cover those areas adequately. Also hoping to get some benefit moving from a 2x2 2.4Ghz + 2x2 5Ghz configuration on the RT-AC56U to the 3x3 2.4Ghz + 3x3 5Ghz configuration on the R7000. Some of our newer mobile devices should support 2x2 connections.
Question: Given that the Netgear R7000 is over 10 years old at this point, is there a consensus on the best Firmware (i.e. FreshTomato?) to use, specifically for the purposes as a wireless Access Point? I thought I had read that custom firmware such as FreshTomato couldn't take advantage of hardware acceleration or something like that. I haven't used Tomato for about 15 years, so I am out of the loop.
FreshTomato seems appeling as it's still receiving active updates, but I wouldn't want to swich to it if it will adversely affect wireless performance. My takeaway of revieing the documentation is that a lot of the features it supports are benefical if you are using it for your main Router, but several of these won't apply if you are using it as an Access Point. Let me know if I am mistaken.
Also, if there is a particular version of the stock Netgear firmware that works the best, I would be open to switching to that.
Addiitonal Background/Context
After a lot of trial-and-error with a defective ZenWifi XT8 unit (link to thread), I have replaced my ASUS RT-AC56U (AC1200 rated) with a spare/hand-me-down Netgear R7000. This is being used as an Access Point, as we have a Verizon G1100 serving as our main router (Wi-Fi has been disabled). We are on a 300/300 plan, and aren't heavy streamers or anything. My primary desktop is hardwired via Ethernet.
I did a Factory Reset when I got the R7000, and then flashed the latest stock firmware manually (I did not do a subsequent factory reset). I then set it up in Access Point mode with the same SSIDs and credentials as my RT-AC56U (Different SSIDs for 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz). I have the 2.4Ghz Channel Selection on Auto, and I had set Channel 40 for the 5Ghz band (the R7000 only supports 8 channels for 5Ghz, and there is no "Auto" mode). I used the open source WiFi Analyzer app to spot-check the channels in my area, and this seems like a good compromise (we are in a townhome neighborhood, so there are a lot of networks overlapping).
That 5Ghz speeds are about the same as the RT-AC56U, but 2.4Ghz speeds are a bit better. However, 5Ghz signal strength does seem to be stronger in the couple of weak spots that I was trying to address - previously, devices would fall back to the 2.4Ghz network, which speed tested in the single-digits in those spots. We will see how it goes over the next couple of weeks.
I am hoping that the external antennas on the R7000 can provide the extra "oomph" to cover those areas adequately. Also hoping to get some benefit moving from a 2x2 2.4Ghz + 2x2 5Ghz configuration on the RT-AC56U to the 3x3 2.4Ghz + 3x3 5Ghz configuration on the R7000. Some of our newer mobile devices should support 2x2 connections.
