Choosing a router to run OpenWRT on is a complex task... OpenWRT's Table of Hardware has the complete documentation on what models are supported and which are not. OpenWRT even provides a nice filter for their Table of Hardware of devices that are "Ideal for OpenWRT".
I chose the Linksys EA4500 for a variety of reasons: * Available on Amazon * Cheap (<=$40) * Gigabit Ethernet * USB Port (to attach additional storage) * All Known Model Variations/Versions Supported by OpenWRT (less risk of finding out that the version you were shipped is unsupported) * Backup Firmware - Devices stores two firmware images so if you flash a bad firmware, you're less likely to brick the device because it can fall back on the known good firmware.
I ordered a couple of "certified-refurbished" Linksys EA4500s from Amazon. Here's what I found in the box:
And a front picture of the router:
And the back of the router showing all of the ports and buttons:
I have a V1 device (as in it doesn't have a version marking on the bottom so it's version 1 by default). I tried several times to get OpenWRT to install, but each firmware flash attempt failed until I upgraded to the latest Linksys Stock firmware (v.2.1.42 at the time of this writing).
Important Information: The defaults you'll want to know for the installation are:
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Username | admin |
| Password | admin |
| IP Address | 192.168.1.1 |
Upgrade to Latest Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Firmware
I'm not exactly sure why this is necessary, but the latest Linksys stock firmware probably includes some kind of bootloader updates that are needed for OpenWRT to work. The download of v2.1.42 at Linksys's website (the latest version as of authoring this article). Download the firmware before you attach to your EA4500.
Plug in to your router, open your web browser of choice (I was using Chrome), and go to 192.168.1.1
You should be greeted by a login screen like this (if your router arrived with the same version that mine did):
Click on the "Continue with an open and unsecured network" link. It's nice that Linksys tries hard to make sure you know what you're starting out with an open, no-password network:
It shold prompt you for a username/password at this point. The default username is admin and the default password is admin
One of my Linksys EA4500s came with firmware version 2.0.36 (pictured below).
Click on "Administration" from the top navbar, then "Firmware Upgrade" from the 2nd navbar. Then select the "Manual Upgrade" radio button.
Click "Choose File" and navigate to the new Linksys firmware file. The file I downloaded is called FW_EA4500_2.1.42.183584_prod.img and is about 23MB large. Here's the SHA256 hash if you want to verify your install:
10ef3208100e7b3c135d961e2ff03e61140ffcbb6afdf6c44bd2236db949bff2 FW_EA4500_2.1.42.183584_prod.img
Then click "Start Upgrade". The progress bar will go almost to 100% then the router should reboot. If all goes well (and it worked first time for me), you should see the current firmware login below:
Install OpenWRT (from the Linksys Firmware)
Navigate your web browser over to 192.168.1.1
Login with "access router" code (a.k.a. password) admin
Here's what my home page looked like on Linksys Firmware v2.1.42
Choose "Connectivity" from the left sidebar:
Look on the right side for the "Firmware Update" box. Under "Manual", pick "Choose File" then choose the OpenWRT firmware image you downloaded (has the words kirkwood and viper in the name). Click "Start" when you're ready:
The device will reboot. Watch the light on the top. The stock firmware and bootloader do a nice slow fade of the light when loading. If OpenWRT flashed successfully, the slow fade in/out will quickly change to a bright fast flashing. Wait till the light goes solid (which indicates that booting is complete).
Connect to OpenWRT
OpenWRT's initial IP address is the same as Linksys: 192.168.1.1. Open your browser and try to connect:
OpenWRT's luci configuration page should display:
Or, if you want to configure manually using the good ol' command-line, ssh as root to 192.168.1.1
What's next?
Well, first thing... set a root password! Otherwise your device is effectively open to anyone to configure and manipulate! Run the passwd command at the command-line or follow the warning banner buttons in the luci web interface.
Next... Well that's up to you! I've got some suggestions here on this blog. Enjoy your OpenWRT box!