If your Wi-Fi keeps crashing, simply turn it off in /etc/config/wireless :

After reboot, set your PC back to DHCP. The OpenWrt default IP is usually 192.168.1.1 . SSH in:

echo "net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6=1" >> /etc/sysctl.conf

The RTL8196E is not like a Broadcom or Qualcomm Atheros chip. Realtek has historically been unfriendly to the open-source community. Here is the technical breakdown:

Even a $10 used TP-Link TL-WR841N (AR9331) will outperform it by a factor of 5x with modern, secure OpenWrt 23.05. If you already own one, use it as a dumb switch with stock firmware, not a router.

While these forks can get the router up and running with a LuCI web interface, they come with significant downsides:

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rtl8196e openwrt