Hello guys,
I watched this video and decided to go with R4 instead of R3
Found out that wi-fi module is separate so I ordered BE14.
After couple of days I stumbled here and read about BE14 issues and got recommendation to return it.
Can I get something decent from this setup for daily use with latest stable OpenWrt? Even on 6g or 5g?
Is it going to be better in the future with software patches? Or this module is simply bad?
First of all:
→ I didn’t find the video very helpful! If there’s “cool” background music, you’re likely being manipulated!
That said, the video mentioned that this is a development board.
But it also claimed that “… everything works” 
The R3 and R4 have higher noise (among other issues) because the Wi-Fi chips are not shielded. But
if you read the comments for BE14 it is more complex topic … 
Wi-Fi 7 topic:
→ Wi-Fi 7 and the MT7988(A) are still under active (mainline?) development.
→ That’s why you don’t see many Wi-Fi 7 routers on the list of supported openwrt devices.
Linux 6.16 Release: (latest)
Wi-Fi – MediaTek (mt76)
MT7988(A)
New device:
You can:
→ look for AsiaRF AW7915 or AW7916
→ later consider the AW7990
→ check OpenWrt two
→ or BPI BE19
→ Or just buy an OpenWrt-supported Wi-Fi 6/7 router?
Open-source DIY wireless routers are basically a joke. No matter what setup you go with or what new products come out, they’re never going to match the speed and stability of retail routers made for everyday users. The main reason? Chip makers care more about profits and protecting their IP, so true open-source support is never going to happen. If you really want to mess around with OpenWrt, just get a router that officially supports it. Don’t get tricked by development boards that look great on paper.
First I was planning to get a router that supports OpenWrt, while searching I found R3 and after the above video said to myself why not R4 haha.
Everything is already shipped so we will see…if I can get a refund for the module, maybe I’ll buy that AsiaRF.
Anyways thank you guys, that was a cold shower 
As someone that has been tricked into buying the R4 bundle with BE14, antennas, etc. I can confirm, it’s a mess and tragedy, how bad this device is working. Yes it is advertised as the best Wifi 7 opensource router. But reality is completely different and I consider it even a fraud. Wifi range and performance is the worst I’ve ever seen on a OpenWRT device I’ve owned. And man, I’ve been using OpenWRT since more than 15 years now. Used TP-Link, Linksys and Netgear devices.
I have invested about 2 weeks in playing and tuning R4 to get it to work. Sadly, it’s just not useable for everyday wifi. Now it’s sitting in the shelve, hoping to be reused in future maybe. The BE14 card has issues, shielding is only one. The successor card BE19 may be better but that’s not guaranteed because afaik the board has some severe design issues for wifi performance.
My advice, save your money and wait for OpenWRT 2 device. I personally bought a Cudy WR3000E router. Yes it’s only Wifi6 but I don’t own a Wifi7 device yet.
Just for comparison:
BPI-R4 package was € 280,-
frustrating and not working for daily use, and may never will
Cudy was € 50,-
it’s small, fast, 100% OpenWRT support and has an excellent Wifi performance. It’s blasting my Linksys WRT3200ACM in every piece
Oh boy 
serious money burn…I should check the forum earlier. It is what it is
The R4 has performed quite well for me, though I’ve not tried BE14. I can report that AW7915, including DBDC, works well. I installed two, one for persistent 2.4/5g, and the other for play. Noise for both cards remains <-90dBm and temps hover around 50C. The 2.4g signal easily passes through a few walls and 5g penetrates a couple. Also note that I’m running void, with frank-w’s kernel. I understand OpenWRT uses at least kernel 6.6, so AW7915 is likely fine with that OS too.
Not directly applicable to your use case, but I thought I’d provide a little hope.
Yes, I looked up AW7915 after suggestion above and seems like a decent option. Maybe I’ll get one, but at the moment I don’t want to spend a single $ on this whole thing anymore haha. We’ll see, thank you
Understandable. I had a similar experience with a SolidRun box a few years back. It was sloppily hand soldered and failed within ~2 years. But, they are dev-targeted devices, and I’m but a curious scrub, so I cannot complain too much. Juggling issues is a great way to learn.
Chasing the bleeding edge, like WiFi 7, is always a bit more risky.