Products · Product
OpenWrt
Raised as a usability problem by 35 people on Hacker News over 18 years (2009–2026), in 29 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads in the last 5 years.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Basic settings editable only via config files unless web interface installedUnreviewed
20092026- Web interface lacks features, forcing manual editing of config files over shell2024-12-01
- Config files, defaults and settings are hard to learn; users must hunt online for fixes2023-10-13
- Many basic settings only editable via config files unless a web interface is installed2009-05-03
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 40 complaints
- Installing OpenWrt requires using TFTP and catching the router during boot2026-10-12
- Installing and upgrading is hard; upgrade via LuCI gets stuck and documentation is scattered2026-07-06
- Installation instructions were a confusing mess and hard to follow2026-05-15
- Documented root partition expansion steps render the system unbootable and must be redone after upgrades2025-09-09
- Documented root filesystem expansion script left system unable to boot; upgrades seem brittle and confusing2025-09-09
- Documented script for expanding root filesystem left system unable to boot2025-09-09
- Network configuration is unnecessarily complex and messy to set up2025-09-08
- Commenter finds OpenWRT kinda hard to use2025-02-20
- Documentation for doing things beyond LuCI is scarce and assumes expert knowledge2024-12-25
- Setting up OpenWrt as an access point needs conflicting, combined steps and no single LuCI button2024-12-01
- Web interface lacks features, forcing manual editing of config files over shell2024-12-01
- USB LTE dongle setup is unintuitive, with wrong translations causing trial and error and lockouts2024-12-01
- VLAN configuration is confusing to set up2024-11-27
- Hours of reading threads and docs gave no clear answer for joining a VLAN2024-11-27
- Anything beyond changing SSID needs trawling outdated wikis and old forum posts2024-11-27
- Setting up guest WiFi requires weeks of searching outdated wiki and forum posts2024-11-27
- Firmware UI is hard to use, requires tinkering and more effort than point-and-click alternatives2024-11-27
- Must hunt for separate packages and LuCI settings to configure things2024-01-13
- Web interface is so convoluted it was frustrating to use2023-10-16
- Couldn't figure out how to set up guest and IoT VLANs through the web interface2023-10-13
- Config files, defaults and settings are hard to learn; users must hunt online for fixes2023-10-13
- Website is extremely slow to load, making it unusable2023-10-13
- Website doesn't clearly say which routers give good performance, so buyers pick slow hardware2023-05-18
- Kernel config is layered across sources, so it's hard to know where to change things2022-10-28
- Key WireGuard option not accessible through the UI, must edit config file by hand2022-09-06
- Firmware not supported by default on the router, hard to get running, and QoS problems2022-08-15
- Commenter struggles to filter supported TP-Link devices by Wi-Fi version2022-05-26
- Changing network name or password requires editing every access point manually2022-02-01
- Firmware updates sometimes render routers unbootable, making upgrades stressful2022-01-20
- Routing and firewall setup becomes unpredictable and confusing once VLANs, dual-stack and policies are added2021-09-03
- Wired and wireless devices cannot reach each other; some phones won't connect2020-11-06
- Must search forums to find a working numbered build, since newer builds are often broken2020-01-11
- Commenter finds OpenWRT's interface less clear and harder to understand than OPNsense's2019-11-15
- Old command-line guides are found via search, while current Web admin info is hard to find2019-07-04
- Web pages are confusing and list too many products2019-06-09
- OpenWRT's web interface is far less easy to use than pfSense's2018-09-04
- Modifying settings or updating breaks half the features, so a factory reset is needed2018-09-03
- Router web interfaces are not usable with screen readers, blocking blind users2018-07-18
- Hard to find current status of a router; must dig through dated posts2016-05-04
- Many basic settings only editable via config files unless a web interface is installed2009-05-03