In 2016, I posted an article about mainstream router CPUs in the graphics card forum. After several years, the router market has changed significantly. Today, let’s get to know the mainstream router CPUs available on the market. First, thanks to the webmaster of acwifi, most of the images I used are borrowed from him.
1: MTK 7621A
When I posted back in 2016, it was still the era of 7620, but the fatal flaw of 7620 is that it only has a hundred megabits and poor performance. The 7621A perfectly compensates for the shortcomings of 7620, with all-gigabit interfaces and a dual-core 880MHz MIPS processor, so there’s no need to worry about performance issues. The firmware production difficulty is similar to that of 7620. With the popularization of the K2P from a certain manufacturer, the 7621 can be said to firmly occupy the low-end market. Many routers under 300, such as ASUS’s RT-AC1200, use the 7621 CPU, making it a favorite among enthusiasts who enjoy tinkering; after flashing breed, it’s basically easy to flash firmware.
2: Little Crab RTL8197FS
This CPU is mostly used in routers priced under 200 yuan, such as the WS5200 standard version. It is manufactured using a 28nm process, has a MIPS architecture, and a clock speed of 1GHz. It comes with 64MB of memory and a 2.4GHz processor, usually paired with the RTL8812BRH chip for 5G solutions. However, I do not recommend buying routers with this chip.
3: Lingxiao
Actually, Lingxiao is not considered a mainstream CPU because it is only used in Huawei’s own routers, available in dual-core and quad-core versions. This includes the enhanced version of WS5200, the quad-core version, and the latest AX3 and AX3 Pro, all using Lingxiao CPUs. However, apart from the clock speed, there is no information available online about these two CPUs, so I won’t go into too much detail.
4: Broadcom BCM47189
This is also a common CPU for routers priced around 100 yuan, with a single-core ARM A7 architecture at 900MHz. Its default performance is comparable to the 7621. It comes with a built-in 5GHz chip and supports 2×2 MIMO, with a maximum rate of 867Mbps. Typical routers include Tenda AC9 and K2P champagne gold version, which do not have significant performance issues. However, I personally prefer the 7621 for its ease of firmware flashing.
5: IPQ4019/4018
This CPU from Qualcomm is mainly used in AC routers, with the most typical product being ASUS’s ACRH17. It has an ARMv7 architecture, is a 32-bit processor with four cores at 700MHz. The maximum memory support is 1GB, and it supports various wireless configurations, such as dual 5G, 2.4G + 5G, etc. It also integrates WiFi and supports 2×2 MIMO, with a maximum speed of 1.7Gbps.
6: BCM4708/09
I must say this chip has really lasted long, starting from the 6300v2 and still having new products in use today. It has an ARM A9 architecture, with frequencies ranging from 800MHz to 1400MHz. Of course, the two most typical products are the 6300V2 and AC68U. However, I do not recommend buying routers that still use this chip, as the architecture is too old and performance is poor. Also, this chip, manufactured using a 40nm process, generates a lot of heat. The 6300V2 even has the nickname “electric stove,” which speaks volumes.
Due to space limitations, I will introduce this much for now. In the next issue, I will mainly introduce mainstream AX router solutions. Although there are still some AC solutions I haven’t written about, it’s basically almost done. The future is the era of AX.
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