Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OpenWrt VS Arduino

Compare OpenWrt VS Arduino and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

OpenWrt logo OpenWrt

OpenWrt is an open-source firmware based on Linux for wireless routers

Arduino logo Arduino

Build your own electronics
  • OpenWrt Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-14
  • Arduino Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-01

OpenWrt features and specs

  • Customizability
    OpenWrt provides a high degree of customizability, allowing users to install and configure a wide variety of software packages to tailor the firmware to specific needs.
  • Performance
    Being lightweight and efficient, OpenWrt can enhance router performance, leading to faster network speeds and more reliable connections.
  • Security
    OpenWrt receives regular updates and has strong security features, including state-of-the-art encryption and support for VPNs, which can help protect your network.
  • Community Support
    A large and active community surrounds OpenWrt, providing extensive documentation, forums, and support, which can be very helpful for troubleshooting and learning.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, OpenWrt allows users to freely inspect, modify, and share the software, contributing to transparency and community-driven improvements.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    OpenWrt is compatible with a wide range of devices, from routers to embedded devices, making it a flexible option for various hardware.

Possible disadvantages of OpenWrt

  • Technical Complexity
    The high level of customization and advanced features can be overwhelming for inexperienced users, requiring a steep learning curve to effectively manage the firmware.
  • Potential Stability Issues
    Although generally stable, custom configurations and new updates can sometimes lead to instability or bugs, which may require troubleshooting.
  • Limited Manufacturer Support
    Using OpenWrt might void the warranty or result in limited support from the router manufacturer, as it replaces the stock firmware with a third-party alternative.
  • Initial Setup
    The initial installation and setup process can be complex and time-consuming, especially for users who are not familiar with command-line interfaces and networking concepts.
  • Resource Intensive on Low-End Hardware
    On lower-end or older hardware, OpenWrt might not perform optimally, and some features could be too resource-intensive to function properly.

Arduino features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Arduino provides a user-friendly platform, especially for beginners, with an intuitive IDE and a wide range of libraries that simplify coding and hardware control.
  • Large Community
    A vast, active community of users and developers who share knowledge, projects, and provide support through forums, tutorials, and documentation.
  • Open Source
    Both the hardware and software are open source, allowing users to modify, enhance, and create custom projects with the freedom provided by open standards.
  • Diverse Range of Boards
    Arduino offers a wide variety of boards and shields with different capabilities, allowing users to choose the right platform for their specific needs.
  • Cost-Effective
    Arduino boards are generally affordable, making it accessible for hobbyists, students, and educators to experiment and prototype without significant investment.

Possible disadvantages of Arduino

  • Limited Processing Power
    Compared to other microcontrollers and development platforms, Arduino boards typically have lower processing power, which might not be suitable for projects requiring heavy computation.
  • Limited Memory
    Most Arduino boards have limited RAM and storage, which can restrict the complexity of the programs and projects they can handle.
  • Less Suitable for Advanced Projects
    For complex projects requiring more power or advanced features, professional developers might find Arduino's capabilities to be limiting.
  • Dependency on an External Computer
    Arduino's development process often requires a computer for programming and debugging, which might not be ideal in some standalone or embedded applications.
  • Limited Support for Multitasking
    Arduino’s architecture isn't inherently designed for multitasking, which can pose challenges when trying to run multiple processes simultaneously.

OpenWrt videos

Upgrading Your Home Router to OpenWRT and Why It Is Worth It

More videos:

  • Review - Playing with OpenWrt Wireless Settings
  • Review - Make Your TP-LINK Router into a High Power Router with OpenWrt

Arduino videos

Arduino Starter Kit REVIEW

More videos:

  • Review - 🔴 Arduino Unboxing: Arduino vs Elegoo Uno R3 Starter Kit: best kits for your projects
  • Review - The 5 Best Arduino Starter Kits for 2021

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenWrt and Arduino)
Operating Systems
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Linux
100 100%
0% 0
IoT Platform
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using OpenWrt and Arduino. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare OpenWrt and Arduino

OpenWrt Reviews

Best pfSense Software Alternatives and Competitors
Both pfSense and OpenWRT are formidable and versatile alternatives for network administration software. While OpenWRT is designed for embedded devices such as routers, Pfsense focuses on firewalls and routing functions that are more complex. Pfsense is more user-friendly, while OpenWRT provides more configuration options. Both are supported by thriving online communities...
The Best Open Source Router OS Software for Large or Small Networks
OpenWrt also offers a range of advanced networking configurations, including support for Quality of Service (QoS), network address translation (NAT), and virtual LAN (VLAN) tagging. These features make OpenWrt an attractive option for businesses and organizations that require more advanced networking capabilities. The open-source nature of OpenWrt means that users can...
Best free Linux router and firewall distributions of 2023
Unlike IPFire, OpenWRT has a large number of optional packages in its repository. As a result, you can configure this OS in countless different ways. Most importantly, OpenWRT has drivers for all hardware supported by Linux. This means that almost all Wireless hardware is supported, making it the most versatile OS for creating Access Points.
Source: teklager.se
Top 7 pfSense Alternatives
OpenWRT is made primarily to replace the software on existing routers, but it can also run on x86 (PCs, server hardware, VMs) machines. It is a very mature OS and has some of the best Wi-Fi support around, unlike a lot of other router software options. It has a pretty good GUI and a ton of add-on packages.
7 Best Router Firmware | Open Source | 2022
OpenWrt Project is a Linux based alternative open source firmware for routers in 2022 and embedded systems. And it is one of the best Open Source Firmware that offers you an utterly writable filesystem along with package management. It allows for full customization and lets you customize the device for any application.
Source: viralhax.com

Arduino Reviews

We have no reviews of Arduino yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenWrt should be more popular than Arduino. It has been mentiond 103 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

OpenWrt mentions (103)

  • Recommendation for a wifi router with L2TP or other VPN server support?
    If your current router supports a custom firmware like openWRT then you could do this without having to buy a new one. Source: over 1 year ago
  • OpenWrt Site Account Creation
    Unfortunately, I can't create an account via Github on the openwrt site. Source: over 1 year ago
  • openwrt.org not loading
    Anyone else having trouble reaching openwrt.org right now? I can't get the forums, main page or downloads. I've done plenty of troubleshooting and there isn't anything else on my network having trouble reaching anything else on the internet. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Things just got a little weird, my current network is down, I'm a newb trying to start from the ground up and I found out I actually have another (newer) wifi router.... what to do?
    On the router. openwrt.org has lots of great documentation that lays out exactly what you're looking for and then some. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • As of June 2023, what is the best router that I could buy specifically for ease of use with all things pi-hole related
    Is the Verizon one a combined modem/router? If you want to add your own router, you might have to call them and ask them to put it into bridged mode. I like OpenWRT because it gives you a lot of customization options. I've just been running it on an old TP-Link Archer C7 for the past 5 years or so and I haven't had any issues, but that's ancient hardware now. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

Arduino mentions (63)

  • Tips
    I was gonna say the arduino.cc site but that works too. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Help? DFR Nano Unresponsive
    When you write your code and compile it, what environment are you doing it in? Are you using an online cloud service like arduino.cc's IoT cloud? Or have you downloaded and installed the Arduino IDE application from arduino.cc's software download page? Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Need help with a sound module
    There are tons of libraries for the Arduino platform that people have written and there are many available for use with this module, so you don't have to do any super heavy lifting programming-wise. In the Arduino IDE you can download from arduino.cc I installed a couple of libraries just now as a test. The reason I installed them is because almost every library comes with several short example programs showing... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What to do after Paul McWhorter's New Arduino Tutorials?
    Did all of it make sense? Could you do the projects he shows by yourself without starting and stopping the video? That might show areas that you would want to brush up on. Another great idea is to go through all of the commands on the arduino.cc language reference page. Make sure you instinctively understand what each function listed does and experiment with any that you aren't familiar with. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • LCD on pc
    There are also IoT cloud style dashboards at places like arduino.cc that let you add various widgets for dials and controls to represent the data you have locally with your Arduino. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenWrt and Arduino, you can also consider the following products

MikroTik RouterOS - The main product of MikroTik is a Linux-based operating system known as MikroTik RouterOS.

Iotellect - Iotellect helps businesses on all continents to develop, deliver and operate IoT/IIoT solutions, services and products.

pfSense - pfSense is a free and open source firewall and router that also features unified threat management, load balancing, multi WAN, and more

Ubidots - A cloud service to capture and make sense of sensor data

OPNsense - OPNsense® you next open source firewall. Free Download. High-end Security Made Easy™. Offers Intrusion Prevention, Captive Portal, Traffic Shaping and more.

Amazon AWS - Amazon Web Services offers reliable, scalable, and inexpensive cloud computing services. Free to join, pay only for what you use.