Which Routers Are Supported by FreshTomato?

Updated

FreshTomato only supports routers built on Broadcom chipsets. If your router uses a Qualcomm, MediaTek, Realtek, or other non-Broadcom platform, it is not a candidate, regardless of how similar the model name looks. The authoritative compatibility list is the Supported Routers page on freshtomato.org — check your exact model and hardware revision there before downloading anything.

The one hard requirement: Broadcom silicon

The project describes itself as "a system based on Linux, dedicated for routers with Broadcom chipset." That single sentence rules out most consumer routers on the market, since Broadcom is only one of several common router SoC vendors.

Practical consequences:

  • A router from a brand that sometimes ships Broadcom (ASUS, Netgear, Linksys, Tenda) is not automatically supported — the specific model and revision matter.
  • A router from a brand that never ships Broadcom is not supported at all.
  • Identical retail model names can ship with different chipsets across production runs, so the model number alone is not enough.

How to verify your router

  1. Find your exact model and hardware version. This is printed on the label on the bottom or back of the device, and is also visible in the stock firmware's status page. Look for a version suffix (e.g. v1, v2, v3) — these often correspond to different chipsets.
  2. Open the Supported Routers page on freshtomato.org and search for that exact model string.
  3. Confirm the hardware revision matches, not just the model family.
  4. Check flash and RAM capacity for the build you intend to install. Firmware images differ in size, and a model with small flash may only accept a trimmed build or none at all.
  5. Download only from the official Download page, and match the image to your model — flashing an image built for a different revision is the most common way to brick a device.

If your model does not appear on the list, treat it as unsupported. Absence from the list is not an invitation to try a similar-looking build.

What you get once a model is supported

The feature set is the reason people seek out compatible hardware. According to the project's own feature summary, FreshTomato includes:

Feature Notes
WireGuard Full support with PBR (policy-based routing) on ARM builds
OpenVPN Built-in server and client
QoS Advanced quality-of-service controls
Bandwidth monitoring Per-client traffic visibility
Access control Restrict or schedule client access
IP/MAC BW Limiter Rate limiting by address
ARP Binding Static IP-to-MAC mapping
SSH / Telnet Enabled by default as management options
SNMP Monitoring protocol support
Configurable buttons and LEDs Remap physical controls
Multiple wireless modes Depends on the radio hardware in your model

Note the ARM qualifier on WireGuard with PBR — on older MIPS-based Broadcom routers, that specific combination is not available. This is a good example of why the per-model list matters more than the headline feature list.

Common ways people get this wrong

  • Buying by brand reputation. "Netgear supports Tomato" is not a usable rule. Only the model-and-revision entry is.
  • Assuming a newer revision is supported. Vendors frequently swap chipsets mid-lifecycle to cut costs; a v3 may be unsupported while v1 and v2 are fine.
  • Confusing FreshTomato with other Tomato forks. Builds, supported hardware, and maintenance status differ between forks. A model supported by one fork is not necessarily supported here.
  • Skipping the capacity check. Even on a supported chipset, insufficient flash or RAM can mean no usable build exists for your unit.

Bottom line

Check the Supported Routers page on freshtomato.org against your router's exact model and hardware revision. If it matches, and the flash/RAM capacity fits the build, you can proceed to the Download page. If it does not match, the router is not supported — no workaround changes that, because the limitation is the chipset itself.