Before discussing any further, there should be an introduction on the Tomato itself as we are not going to talk about the tomato plant or fruit. Tomato here is the firmware that is using Linux. This firmware can be used to replace the program that is building in and has a router. It can help to make the router to be more functional as well as effective and also can change the budget friendly consumer level router to the high standard business powerhouse. Another similar firmware is the DD WRT. In fact, the later is more popular among the two as it is one of the best supported VPN providers. DD WRT is also the most compatible to a wider range of models and easier to use.
On the other hand, many still chose Tomato over the DD WRT because it has an excellent capabilities in real time monitor, has a better Graphical User Interface, and also because it can handle the Open VPN better. There have been complaints that the DD WRT has some issues with the Open VPN. So actually if we are talking about which one is better, it will be up to people’s preferences. Which one do you prefer and which advantage do you need.
Obtaining the two is another issue. If you want to obtain the DD WRT, then you can simply buy the pre flashed one or flash the compatible router yourself. Which one is the best option for you will depend on your own ability, effort as well as fund. The cheapest way to obtain a tomato router would be to flash it yourself. However, you will need more ability as well as the wish to spend some effort. It is certainly not a job for the novice users. Once you try to flash it and fail, there will be no way that you can use its warranty. Once it is flashed, the warranty is invalidated. The second cheapest option would be to purchase the flashed ones. Some technicians actually sell the flashed routers.
The tomato firmware has the ability to support PPTN as well as the OpenVPNVPN ones. The one that is most suitable for the novice users is the PPTP ones because it is easiest to set up. Although it is easy to set up but in term of security, the PPTN is not recommended by Microsoft and therefore cannot be considered as secured.
