[wtallis]

The TP-Link Archer C7 has long been one of the best choices for an 802.11ac-capable wireless router, due to being well-supported by OpenWRT. It's currently $75. The only downside is that the CPU is a bit slower than the EdgeRouter X (though faster than the other EdgeRouters), so I looked on WikiDevi [1] for something with the same CPU as the ER-X. Out of the dozens of options, I picked a recent mid-range D-Link and found it listed for $89.99 on Amazon, though I didn't check for OpenWRT support.

I'm personally using a TP-Link Archer C2600 that was on sale for $70 from Newegg in January.

[1] https://wikidevi.com/wiki/MediaTek_MT7621

[ipython]

I deliberately left the OEM firmware on my Archer C7 because OpenWRT cuts the WiFi performance by ~40%: https://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-wdr7500

In the end mucking with open source firmware, while interesting, just wasn’t worth it. I found the ubiquiti solution stable and the UniFi management software (especially their iOS app) are excellent for my needs. Plus mounting my AP in the ceiling means I can cover the entire house from one AP and at the same time keep the rest of my networking equipment stored away in the basement.