[Bloat] fixing bufferbloat in 2017

[David Lang]

On Wed, 23 Nov 2016, Rich Brown wrote:

> I feel particularly acutely the fact that we don't have a good "simple to 
> deliver" solution today for the curious (not deeply commited) person. I was 
> trying to help a friend with a TP-Link Archer C7, but was stymied because I 
> can't simply install OpenWrt CC because of their "FCC fix".

The FCC has issued an order that TP-Link open their devices to being flashed by 
third pary firmware. We just need to wait for this to trickle back down to the 
supply chain. It may be that they have a new firmware that you can update to 
that will then let you install OpenWRT

> Besides, OpenWrt CC is now eight months old: although it's stable, it probably 
> doesn't have the latest bufferbloat/make-wifi-fast fixes. The DD development 
> and release process is uncertain. DD-Wrt is of unknown quality (does it 
> include fq_codel? make-wifi-fast? will it ever?), with a really ugly and not 
> terribly-welcoming forum. I have great hopes for LEDE, but it is still 
> sprinting toward its first stable release, so we can't count on it today.

CC doesn't have the latest, but it does have fq_codel, so it's a huge step up 
from the factory firmware.

Most of the OpenWRT developers left to fork the project and now have the LEDE 
project. Most of the development and testing of new stuff is happening there.

Neither project has made a release since the split, but LEDE is working on 
setting up the infrastructure to do a release.

In the meantime, you can install the nightly builds or compile your own.


> So we are stuck in the short term with a "lack of a product". I have faith 
> that it will happen, but we need to build our plan around its arrival date.

Part of the question boils down to what you define as the "product" that you are 
waiting for.

OpenWRT/LEDE are very unlikly to have rapid releases, if they do one a year they 
will be doing much better than they have in the past.

Do you need a device that ships with the fixes in it from the factory?

Do you need a stable release of OpenWRT/LEDE?

Do you need the fixes in the master git repository for OpenWRT/LEDE?

Do you need the latest and greatest fixes?

the last one in incompatible with the earlier ones :-)

David Lang