Linux vs OpenWrt Proxy Router Choice | Generated by AI
Question: Is using a Linux Mint laptop with Clash (Ethernet in + USB-Ethernet out) better than installing OpenWrt on the same old ThinkPad laptop and using OpenWrt to handle routing and proxying?
Answer:
No single method is universally “better” — it depends very strongly on your priorities, skills, and what problems you want to solve. Here’s a realistic 2025–2026 comparison for an old ~2010–2012 ThinkPad used as a home proxy router.
Comparison Table – Linux Mint + Clash vs OpenWrt on the same hardware
| Aspect | Linux Mint + Clash (your current plan) | OpenWrt installed on the laptop | Winner (most cases) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of initial setup | Medium (many manual steps) | Hard (very hard on non-supported old x86 hardware) | Mint + Clash |
| Long-term maintenance | High effort (Mint updates can break things) | Very low effort once running | OpenWrt |
| Resource usage (RAM/CPU) | Higher (full desktop + Clash) | Much lower (bare embedded-like system) | OpenWrt |
| Stability as 24/7 router | Medium–low (desktop distro not designed for it) | Excellent (designed exactly for this) | OpenWrt |
| Clash / proxy support | Native, latest cores easy (Clash Meta, mihomo, etc.) | Good but usually older packages or manual install | Mint + Clash |
| luci web interface | No (have to use terminal / install cockpit/webmin) | Yes – very polished & beginner friendly | OpenWrt |
| Support for very old hardware | Excellent (any Linux kernel supports old ThinkPads) | Spotty – many old models need custom builds | Mint + Clash |
| Power consumption | Higher (full OS + possibly screen on) | Lower (can run headless, optimized) | OpenWrt |
| Ability to use as normal laptop again | Easy (just boot normally) | Difficult (have to re-install Mint/Windows) | Mint + Clash |
| IPv6 support | Usually good | Excellent & fine-grained control | OpenWrt |
| Firewall / QoS / VLAN / SQM | Manual / need extra software | Built-in, very powerful | OpenWrt |
| Risk of bricking during install | Almost zero | Medium–high on unsupported hardware | Mint + Clash |
Realistic recommendation for your situation (old ThinkPad ~2010–2012)
Use Linux Mint + Clash if any of these are true:
- You still want to occasionally use the laptop as a normal computer
- You are afraid of breaking the machine during OpenWrt install
- You want the absolute latest Clash core / features / dashboard (Clash Verge, Clash Nyanpasu, etc.)
- You already spent time configuring Clash and it mostly works
- You only need basic NAT + proxy routing (no advanced QoS, multi-WAN, guest networks, etc.)
Switch to OpenWrt if any of these are true:
- You want this machine to run 24/7 as a dedicated tiny router/proxy box
- You care about low power usage and rock-solid stability
- You like having a nice web GUI for everything (luci + many plugins)
- You want better bufferbloat control (SQM cake/fq_codel), traffic shaping, VLANs, etc.
- You are okay spending 2–10 hours fighting with OpenWrt x86 image creation / installation
Quick verdict for most people in 2026 with old hardware like yours
→ Start with Linux Mint + Clash (what you are already doing)
→ If it proves unstable, consumes too much power, or you want more router-like features → then try OpenWrt
Many people who tried both end up going Mint/Debian lightweight → OpenWrt after a few months, but almost nobody regrets starting with the easier Mint method first.
If you decide to try OpenWrt later, look for:
- x86_64 generic image (or netinstall)
- People have success with models like ThinkPad X220/T420/T520 using community builds or mainline snapshots
- Use iperf3/speedtest-cli to compare throughput & latency before/after
So short answer:
No, your current way is not worse — for most people with old hardware it is actually the more practical and lower-risk starting point.
References:
- None required (comparison based on common real-world usage patterns of both systems in 2025–2026)