Reasons to Use LEDE

People install LEDE because they find it to be superior to the stock firmware of their router or embedded device. This page showcases many aspects of LEDE.

Performance & Stability

LEDE is designed by network professionals and others who care about the performance of their network. LEDE incorporates many algorithms from recent research that perform far better than vendor-supplied firmware.
  • LEDE is stable, and operates reliably for long periods of time.
  • LEDE reduces latency/lag and increased network throughput via bufferbloat control algorithms.
  • Wi-Fi improvements support higher data rates and airtime fairness between stations.
  • Older devices are still supported by LEDE improvements (as long as RAM/Flash of your device can accommodate new releases) long after the manufacturer stops making updates.

Security

LEDE is an open source software. Many developers from all over the world review the code before it’s released.
  • No hidden backdoors left by hardware vendors.
  • LEDE is resistant to common vulnerabilities thanks to its Linux OS which is unaffected by many common attacks.
  • LEDE is actively updated so any vulnerabilities are closed shortly after they are discovered.
  • Default LEDE configuration is very conservative allowing full internet connectivity without exposing your router or connected devices to attacks.
  • Many of the older devices are supported by LEDE and can enjoy security LEDE brings, long after vendors stop releasing firmware updates.
  • LEDE prolongs the life of your router. While many vendors only provide updates for your router/device until the newer model is released, LEDE supports all compatible models for as long as their RAM/Flash can accommodate new releases.

Extensibility

While vendor firmware for a router ships with a fixed set of capabilities, LEDE provides more than 3000 packages ready to be installed. Some of the more popular packages allow you to:

Community Support

The vibrant community of developers, volunteers, and other long-time LEDE users are always available to help solve an issue.

Research Platform

Many teams who are doing cutting-edge research into networking topics use LEDE as a stable platform for their work. As their work moves from the experimental realm into practical, production-quality code, it is available in LEDE builds first. Some teams using LEDE include:
  • Continuing development of the fq_codel and cake algorithms that decrease bufferbloat.
  • The Make Wi-Fi Fast team has been working to decrease queueing and latency in the wi-fi stack, and is testing out their airtime fairness code using LEDE.
  • Homenet provides implementation of zeroconf IPv6 (and IPv4) routing, prefix assignment and service discovery for a home network consisting of multiple routers connected to multiple service providers. There’s a hnet-full package for LEDE.

Configuration

Because LEDE is a true Linux-based system, you have full control over all functions of your router/device.
  • LEDE provides both command-line interface (via SSH) and a web-based user interface for configuration.
  • Configuration information is stored in plain-text files to ease the editing and/or copying.
  • LEDE Image Builder allows you to create your own firmware images for your device with any customizations (pre-defined password, WiFi, etc).
  • The Web GUI allows you to select themes that suit your needs/tastes In addition, Localization of Web UI is available via packages in over 20 languages.
  • Configure the external LEDs and buttons/switches to suit your needs.

Zero Cost

LEDE is provided for free through its GPL license, and thanks to the efforts of many volunteer contributors (both individuals and companies). There are no subscription or licensing fees.