OpenWrt: installing dig from opkg
For troubleshooting DNS issues, running the dig utility directly from OpenWrt can be essential. This is easily done by installing the ‘bind-dig’ package as shown below. opkg update opkg install bind-dig
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OpenWrt: sysupgrade using Attended Sysupgrade
OpenWrt now has a feature called Attended Sysupgrade that removes the friction required to do a sysupgrade. Previously, we needed to take note of the user installed packages on a system so they could be manually re-installed after the sysupgrade, but now the ASU backend dynamically builds an image with our custom packages pre-installed. This … OpenWrt: sysupgrade using Attended Sysupgrade
OpenWrt: upgrading from older OpenWrt versions to 19.x
If you have neglected to upgrade your OpenWrt router from an older version (such as 15.x) to the latest 19.x release, there are manual steps that must be taken to ensure persistence of any custom configurations and package installations. This article will take you through a manual sysupgrade to 19.x. The reason we are upgrading … OpenWrt: upgrading from older OpenWrt versions to 19.x
OpenWrt: Installing tcpdump from opkg
For troubleshooting deep rooted network issues, you may be accustomed to using tcpdump against a network interface on Linux. This same utility can be used on OpenWrt to troubleshoot network issues. The Opkg Package manager makes this easy to install.
OpenWrt: Archive router configs for backup
You should always have a backup of the main configuration settings of your OpenWrt device. A single change via LuCI or from the console can leave you with questions on what changed and how to get back to your original working condition. In this article, I’ll show you how to archive your main configuration settings, … OpenWrt: Archive router configs for backup
OpenWrt: Upgrading OpenWrt to the latest snapshot build
Update Jan 2023: I have written an updated article on doing a sysupgrade from older OpenWrt versions to 19.x. If you want to do an in-place sysupgrade of a 19.x or earlier snapshot, use the instructions from the newer article, but selecting a snapshot image instead of a stable release image. Although stables releases of … OpenWrt: Upgrading OpenWrt to the latest snapshot build
OpenWrt: Enabling HTTPS for the LuCI Web Admin Interface
By default, LuCI, the web admin interface for OpenWrt is not HTTPS enabled. This may not be a critical issue for you since it is a LAN facing service, but the type of infrastructure information being exchanged combined with the fact that it is usually accessed over WiFi protocols might make you want to consider … OpenWrt: Enabling HTTPS for the LuCI Web Admin Interface
OpenWrt: Flashing Linksys WRT1X00AC/S from USB-TTL Using Ubuntu
Flashing the firmware of the Linksys WRT1X00AC/S is well documented on the OpenWrt wiki. So I don’t feel the need to go over the architectural concepts in this article, but I did want to provide instructions for the Ubuntu specific tools you can use to flash the firmware. If you want to try flashing to … OpenWrt: Flashing Linksys WRT1X00AC/S from USB-TTL Using Ubuntu
OpenWrt: Installing LuCI Web Interface after Deploying latest OpenWrt Image
The stable OpenWrt images are built with LuCI, an OpenWrt web administration interface. But if you are using the bleeding edge or trunk OpenWrt images, then you won’t get this package. Luckily, it is not difficult to add the LuCI package to the install. As long as you have Dropbear enabled for ssh access, or … OpenWrt: Installing LuCI Web Interface after Deploying latest OpenWrt Image
OpenWrt: Installing a TFTP Server on Ubuntu for OpenWrt Firmware Updates
The Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is an extremely simple protocol most often used for network booting strategies, such as PXE and flashing OpenWrt images unto consumer routers. I go over full instructions for flashing OpenWrt using Ubuntu and flashing a sysupgrade in another post, this article will focus specifically on setting up a tftp … OpenWrt: Installing a TFTP Server on Ubuntu for OpenWrt Firmware Updates
OpenWrt: Use setenv firmwareName for newer versions of Linksys WRT1900AC/S
When flashing an OpenWrt image to your newer versioned WRT1900AC/S, be aware that instead of using ‘setenv firmware_name’, you should instead use ‘setenv firmwareName’. The command will not fail, but the router will not understand that it should look for a non-default name for the image and your tftp transfer will fail. This change appears … OpenWrt: Use setenv firmwareName for newer versions of Linksys WRT1900AC/S
Ubuntu: Serial level access to your Linksys WRT1X00AC/S
Whether you are updating the official LinkSys router firmware or taking it a step further and installing open-source firware like OpenWrt, serial level access to your Linksys router is the most dependable way of guaranteeing a connection. And if you have tried to flash the firmware via the web admin interface and after a reboot … Ubuntu: Serial level access to your Linksys WRT1X00AC/S