How to tell TP-Link archer c7 v1 vs. v2?

[Essence_of_War]

I'm interested in the Archer C7, and my understanding is that the v1 chipset is not compatible with OpenWRT/Gargoyle, but the v2 is.

Is there anyway to tell which version I'm getting if I pick it up either from an online or local retailer?

 

[matricks]

The hardware version is printed on the bottom of the router, and on the outside of the box. It's on the same label as the serial number.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Thanks!

In case anyone else was wondering, the OpenWRT page on this hardware notes it also:

http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-wdr7500

QCA9880-BR4A (v2). v2.0 printed on serial label on packaging. TP-Link support say "V2 has improved chipset which is DFS certificate

 

[smitbret]

I'm interested in the Archer C7, and my understanding is that the v1 chipset is not compatible with OpenWRT/Gargoyle, but the v2 is.

Is there anyway to tell which version I'm getting if I pick it up either from an online or local retailer?

It's a great router for the price, but not for this purpose. I believe if you flash it to alt firmware you lose the 5GHz entirely. You might as well get the WDR3600 at that point. Check the fine print. I don't think they've shipped a v1 in 18 months.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Yeah, I've been doing some reading about it today and yesterday, and it seems a little disappointing.

You're correct about losing 5GHz. Right now, the experimental branch of Gargoyle is working on incorporating the latest OpenWRT Barrier Breaker which should add support for 5GHz on tplink c7 v2 . I am not sure how well the current builds are working, though.