R9000 DROPPING WIFI EVERY 15-20 MINS

While I personally would not count to heavily in the two mentioned Open Source collections for routers and the like - mainly for technology licensing and hardware features not available to the direct Open Source , I agree with you.

For a 300..500 USD price tag I expect more then a fancy designed enclosure: I want to see a modern user Interface (Web based, see what QNAP or Synology do!), managing a complete feature set (including firewall rules, including VPN client compatible with all the hide-my-a** providers, a capable little VPN concentrator, business class audit trail, support for ISP considering IPv6 can be reconfigured in a network at least every 24 hours (because thery are stuck in some intermediate paths to true IPc6), .... and much more. Today the Nighthawk router software isn't even fit for a USD 4.99 Best Buy grab table offering.

With the Netgear router platform Netgear won't win any customers. Much more, they are providing that poor designed products like the BR500 intended for advanced home and small businesses, trying to hide the many shortcomings under a marketing designation for a niche VPN feature. Again not a core feature the market does require.

Dropping Genie programs and Apps I favour of the Nighthawk App can't be a palb either to make this platform baby better. It's just lipstick on a pig.