> Let me see if I can nail down the argument here:

Wrong nail. My home router runs OpenWRT. While it's not a 100% guarantee to be safe, it's a lot better than any closed-sourced firmware.

That said, if the choice is limited to closed-sourced firmware options, it's best to choose a reputable brand, so that the list of people who can access your router is limited to three letter agencies (US and China), as opposed to random scammers, like with all these malware-ridden Android phones from Aliexpress: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/android-malware-that-comes-...

So, yes. Not buying network equipment on Aliexpress is a sound advice.

Why would it be better than the realtek chip found in so many devices that the odds of yours being bugged are proportional to how much you're wanted by the authorities. Consumer hardware doesn't have backdoors because the monumentous task required to keep that hidden isn't worth the non-payoff of not getting the military or state secrets that would make it worth the effort.

This is just a switch but similiar 2.5gbe routers can run pfsense or opnsense with i225/i226 chips and intel/amd cpus. Servethehome covers quite a few of them.

OpenWRT does not replace the firmware on any of the actual controllers inside the device, which is where a backdoor would likely reside.

Safer indeed.

I do not worry about people spying on me, I worry about empowering China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, or any such country that would happily eat our lunch if given the opportunity.

Do not empower people who would happily screw you over.

Keeping as much distance as possible from Chinese influence in all of the products you use in your home is essential to having a home that remains functional should we ever go to war.