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Note -- I didn't realize this when I originally bought mine -- they bundle support in with the starting price, and you have to have 3 months of support minimum, after which you can cancel. So assume you have to pay an extra 60-90 dollars on top of the hardware price.
But then you own a router with open source firmware that you can manage locally.
None of my TPLink, Netgear, or ASUS routers have ever needed a cloud account - I guess this is a new/regional thing? I use Mikrotik hAP2 (~£60/$80) - if you are comfortable with that sort of thing, otherwise I guess anything that supports OpenWRT as others have said. Have you got examples of ones that need a cloud account? I'm intrigued now
Earlier quoted context omitted.
All netgear routers can use routerlogin.net Also have netgear with no cloud account required. Also don't use mobile apps.
New netgear stuff only works without a cloud account when you unplug it from the net. That means no remote admin through a local machine (have to be there to pull the plug), and no settings changes without disrupting internet.
Any system capable of running OpenWRT. https://openwrt.org/supported_devices You might find / inquire about specific devices at the OpenWRT subreddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/openwrt/ The Turris Omnia is priced above your preferred range, but is effectively a small server and has excellent capabilities. It runs a specifically-tuned and live-upgradable version of OpenWRT: https://www.turris.com/en/omnia/overview/
Ubiquiti's EdgeRouter X is relatively inexpensive, has plenty of features, and does not require a cloud account of any sort.
Any system capable of running OpenWRT. https://openwrt.org/supported_devices You might find / inquire about specific devices at the OpenWRT subreddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/openwrt/ The Turris Omnia is priced above your preferred range, but is effectively a small server and has excellent capabilities. It runs a specifically-tuned and live-upgradable version of OpenWRT: https://www.turris.com/en/omnia/overview/
I'd never heard of the Omnia before, I'll have to check this out it looks pretty neat!
Protectli boxes running OPNsense seem good. A bit more expensive though. I advocate separating APs and WiFi from router.
everything else has the equivalent of a cloud account via automatic firmware updates.