Openwrt Router Firmware

[xiaofan]

For users of EA8100 v1, you should really flash 21.02 release from the Linksys OEM firmware web UI.

But in case you are an early adopter using 19.07 snapshot, then you need to be careful about the upgrade.

************ From the following page **********
Flashing 21.02 squashfs-sysupgrade.bin using sysupgrade in 19.07 will soft brick your router. (Sysupgrade will likely reject the image anyway, and you will have to use force flag if you really want to do it.)

If you insist, force flashing the 21.02 squashfs-factory.bin should allow you to succeed in the upgrade. (Not tested.)
https://wiki.codepowered.com/xwiki/bin/view/Linksys EA8100/Openwrt for Linksys EA8100/

 

[huffie]

ok..I need help with configuring openwrt as a AP Router. Apparently the devices are not getting any IP address and when I was tweaking, it may connect to wifi but no internet. my config files are as follow, please let me know what have I missed out (no issues with guest wifi):
network

config interface 'loopback'
        option device 'lo'
        option proto 'static'
        option ipaddr '127.0.0.1'
        option netmask '255.0.0.0'

config globals 'globals'
        option packet_steering '1'
        option ula_prefix 'fd22:d274:e917::/48'

config device
        option name 'br-lan'
        option type 'bridge'
        list ports 'lan1'
        list ports 'lan2'
        list ports 'lan3'
        list ports 'lan4'
        option bridge_empty '1'
        option ipv6 '0'
        option stp '1'

config device
        option name 'lan1'
        option macaddr '0000000'
        option ipv6 '0'

config device
        option name 'lan2'
        option macaddr '0000000'

config device
        option name 'lan3'
        option macaddr '0000000'

config device
        option name 'lan4'
        option macaddr '0000000'

config interface 'lan'
        option proto 'static'
        option ipaddr '192.168.1.252'
        option netmask '255.255.255.0'
        option ip6assign '60'
        option delegate '0'
        option device 'lan1'
        list dns '192.168.1.244'
        list dns '8.8.8.8'
        list dns '1.1.1.1'
        option type 'bridge'

config device
        option name 'wan'
        option macaddr '0000000'
        option ipv6 '0'

config interface 'wan'
        option device 'wan'
        option proto 'dhcp'
        option hostname '*'
        option force_link '1'
        option peerdns '0'
        list dns '192.168.1.244'
        list dns '8.8.8.8'
        list dns '1.1.1.1'
        option delegate '0'

config device 'guest_dev'
        option type 'bridge'
        option name 'br-guest'

config interface 'guest'
        option proto 'static'
        option device 'br-guest'
        option ipaddr '192.168.3.1'
        option netmask '255.255.255.0'
        list dns '192.168.1.244'
        option ip4table 'default'

config device
        option name 'wlan0'
        option ipv6 '0'
        option acceptlocal '1'

config device
        option name 'wlan1'
        option ipv6 '0'
        option acceptlocal '1'

config interface 'wifi0'
        option proto 'static'
        option ipaddr '192.168.1.230'
        option netmask '255.255.255.0'
        option ip6assign '60'
        option delegate '0'
        list dns '192.168.1.244'
        list dns '8.8.8.8'
        list dns '1.1.1.1'
        option type 'bridge'

wireless

config wifi-device 'radio0'
        option type 'mac80211'
        option hwmode '11g'
        option path '1e140000.pcie/pci0000:00/0000:00:00.0/0000:01:00.0'
        option htmode 'HT20'
        option country 'SG'
        option channel 'auto'
        option txpower '15'
        option cell_density '1'

config wifi-iface 'default_radio0'
        option device 'radio0'
        option mode 'ap'
        option key '*****'
        option ieee80211w '1'
        option ssid 'myhomeplug main'
        option encryption 'sae-mixed'
        option network 'wifi0'

config wifi-device 'radio1'
        option type 'mac80211'
        option channel '36'
        option hwmode '11a'
        option path '1e140000.pcie/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.0/0000:02:00.0'
        option htmode 'VHT80'
        option cell_density '0'

config wifi-iface 'default_radio1'
        option device 'radio1'
        option mode 'ap'
        option encryption 'sae-mixed'
        option key '******'
        option ieee80211w '1'
        option ssid 'myhomeplug main 5GHz'
        option network 'wifi0'

config wifi-iface 'guest'
        option device 'radio0'
        option mode 'ap'
        option network 'guest'
        option key '******'
        option ssid 'homeguest'
        option encryption 'psk2+ccmp'
        option disabled '0'

dhcp

config dnsmasq
        option localise_queries '1'
        option rebind_protection '1'
        option rebind_localhost '1'
        option local '/lan/'
        option domain 'lan'
        option expandhosts '1'
        option leasefile '/tmp/dhcp.leases'
        option resolvfile '/tmp/resolv.conf.d/resolv.conf.auto'
        option localservice '1'
        option ednspacket_max '1232'
        option domainneeded '1'
        option authoritative '1'
        option readethers '1'
        list rebind_domain 'plex.direct'
        option sequential_ip '1'
        option nonegcache '1'

config dhcp 'lan'
        option interface 'lan'
        option start '100'
        option limit '150'
        option leasetime '12h'
        option dhcpv4 'server'
        option force '1'
        list ra_flags 'none'

config dhcp 'wan'
        option interface 'wan'
        option ignore '1'
        list ra_flags 'none'

config dhcp 'wifi0'
        option leasetime '12h'
        option dhcpv4 'server'
        option interface 'wifi0'
        option start '160'
        option limit '180'
        list ra_flags 'none'

config odhcpd 'odhcpd'
        option maindhcp '0'
        option leasefile '/tmp/hosts/odhcpd'
        option leasetrigger '/usr/sbin/odhcpd-update'
        option loglevel '4'

config dhcp 'guest'
        option interface 'guest'
        option start '100'
        option limit '150'
        option leasetime '1h'
        list ra_flags 'none'

 

[xiaofan]

The following official guide to set up an AP may help.
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/wifi/dumbaphttps://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/wifi/bridgedap

 

[huffie]

The following official guide to set up an AP may help.
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/wifi/dumbaphttps://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/wifi/bridgedap

Thanks xiaofan for sharing the links,however, I've gone through those articles before and it doesn't really address to what I'm intending to accomplish. Nevertheless, think I'l just thinker abit more myself and see how it goes. Cheers!

 

[TanKianW]

Thanks xiaofan for sharing the links,however, I've gone through those articles before and it doesn't really address to what I'm intending to accomplish. Nevertheless, think I'l just thinker abit more myself and see how it goes. Cheers!

Maybe you should reset everything to default and reconfigure/start afresh.

I will relook at the interface, dhcp and firewall settings. Recommend to read up the basics of IP tables on Linux, if you are not familiar.

 

[huffie]

Maybe you should reset everything to default and reconfigure/start afresh.

I will relook at the interface, dhcp and firewall settings. Recommend to read up the basics of IP tables on Linux, if you are not familiar.

Hi TanKianW, noted on your advise. Thanks

 

[xiaofan]

Raspberry Pi 4B/400 can be a good one to use OpenWRT as well. It has a powerful CPU and a native gigabit Ethernet port.

Three methods to use Raspberry Pi 4B/400 as OpenWRT router/gateway.

1) add a USB 3 to gigabit Ethernet adapter (it applies to any hardware with support of USB 3 port and a supported USB Gigabit Ethernet adapter, Ugreen adpter is usually supported).


2) using a VLAN capable switch (following media applies to any hardware with single Ethernet port)


3) using it as a Gateway only, NAT/routing are still done by the main router. The Gateway can take over DHCP if you can disable the DHCP of the main router. Or you can still keep the DHCP function of the main router, then you can configure individual client to use the Raspberry Pi or the main router as the Gateway.

No 3 is probably a good method to get started if you are just experimenting. You can still install adblock or adguard Home, using DoH/DoT DNS server and other function as needed.

 

[xiaofan]

Right now I have set up my Raspberry Pi 400 as a Gateway to use with my Asus RT-AX82U.

RT-AX82U: main router, 192.168.50.1, DHCP server
Raspberry Pi 400: gateway only, 192.168.50.2, no DHCP

iperf3 and OOkla Speedtest CLI shows that it does not seem to degrade the performance if I set it as the gateway compared to using the RT-AX82U as the Gateway. Or you can say the upload performance is slightly affected but that should not really matter much.

mcuee@ubuntu64:~$ iperf3 -c 192.168.50.2
Connecting to host 192.168.50.2, port 5201
[  5] local 192.168.50.218 port 41802 connected to 192.168.50.2 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr  Cwnd
[  5]   0.00-1.00   sec   114 MBytes   952 Mbits/sec    0    404 KBytes     
[  5]   1.00-2.00   sec   113 MBytes   948 Mbits/sec    0    404 KBytes     
[  5]   2.00-3.00   sec   112 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec    0    404 KBytes     
[  5]   3.00-4.00   sec   112 MBytes   941 Mbits/sec    0    404 KBytes     
[  5]   4.00-5.00   sec   112 MBytes   941 Mbits/sec    7    362 KBytes     
[  5]   5.00-6.00   sec   112 MBytes   939 Mbits/sec    0    372 KBytes     
[  5]   6.00-7.00   sec   112 MBytes   939 Mbits/sec    7    354 KBytes     
[  5]   7.00-8.00   sec   112 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec    0    368 KBytes     
[  5]   8.00-9.00   sec   112 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec    0    368 KBytes     
[  5]   9.00-10.00  sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec    0    368 KBytes     
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec  1.10 GBytes   943 Mbits/sec   14             sender
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec  1.10 GBytes   941 Mbits/sec                  receiver

iperf Done.


Windows wireless client (Intel AX200 card)

1) Using Default Gateway
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.50.135
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.50.1

PS C:\work\speedtest> .\speedtest.exe -s 2054

   Speedtest by Ookla

     Server: Viewqwest Pte Ltd - Singapore (id = 2054)
        ISP: Singtel Fiber
    Latency:     3.53 ms   (0.22 ms jitter)
   Download:   535.99 Mbps (data used: 243.6 MB)
     Upload:   757.86 Mbps (data used: 693.6 MB)
Packet Loss:     0.0%
 Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/a8cb1654-4271-4122-8588-a888e3d445b9

PS C:\work\speedtest> .\speedtest.exe -s 2054

   Speedtest by Ookla

     Server: Viewqwest Pte Ltd - Singapore (id = 2054)
        ISP: Singtel Fiber
    Latency:     3.93 ms   (0.08 ms jitter)
   Download:   524.20 Mbps (data used: 499.7 MB)
     Upload:   815.70 Mbps (data used: 1.1 GB)
Packet Loss:     0.0%
 Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/aac4fd2a-9902-41ef-ba89-06e165b46e63

2) Using Raspberry Pi 400 running OpenWRT 21.02 release

   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.50.10
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.50.2

PS C:\work\speedtest> .\speedtest.exe -s 2054

   Speedtest by Ookla

     Server: Viewqwest Pte Ltd - Singapore (id = 2054)
        ISP: Singtel Fiber
    Latency:     3.53 ms   (0.42 ms jitter)
   Download:   561.70 Mbps (data used: 373.8 MB)
     Upload:   719.32 Mbps (data used: 1.2 GB)
Packet Loss:     0.0%
 Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/09f28e11-e9ba-4e52-835d-52b1c92eac36

PS C:\work\speedtest> .\speedtest.exe -s 2054

   Speedtest by Ookla

     Server: Viewqwest Pte Ltd - Singapore (id = 2054)
        ISP: Singtel Fiber
    Latency:     3.99 ms   (0.81 ms jitter)
   Download:   548.80 Mbps (data used: 793.3 MB)
     Upload:   743.58 Mbps (data used: 1.3 GB)
Packet Loss:     0.0%
 Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/a4fd4f79-05e5-4395-ac26-668f07a01b10

 

[xiaofan]

Using Raspberry Pi 400 as the router by adding a Ugreen USB 3.0 gigabit Ethernet adapter for WAN port. Using Huawei AX3 Pro as the AP and attached it to the LAN port of the Raspberry Pi 400.

Speedtest seems to be pretty okay: Singtel 1Gbs plan, Singtel speedtest server, an older late 2017 Acer Swift 3 laptop with Ugreen 2.5G Ethernet adapter (as I do not have other USB 3 gigabit adapter).

Hostname OpenWrt
Model Raspberry Pi 400 Rev 1.0
Architecture ARMv8 Processor rev 3
Firmware Version OpenWrt 21.02.0 r16279-5cc0535800 / LuCI openwrt-21.02 branch git-21.285.75922-4fd8c83
Kernel Version 5.4.143
Local Time 2021-10-21 18:50:32

 

[xiaofan]

From the RT-AX86U/RT-AX82U thread. My experiments with SQM/QoS on the RPi 400 seems to be of some success.

Using the Raspberry Pi 400 as main router (using Ugreen USB 3 Gigabit Ethernet adapter to add the WAN port) and Huawei AX3 Pro as AP, wired connection, bufferbloat is A. Wired speed is normal.
https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=d463ec43-302c-4e3d-a190-dd6c459be1ae
The Raspberry Pi 400 is running OpenWRT 21.02 release. With OpenWRT SQM/OoS settings: limit upload to 500Mbps, using fq_codel (piece_of_cake qos script), I can get an A+.
Edit to add: SW/HW routing/NAT offloading is enabled. Packet Steering is also enabled.
https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=705f0510-3c32-4b09-82cb-8cffa25f84b2
And DSLreports Bufferbloat score is also A+.
http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest/69848222
All in all the CPU plays a big part if you want to run SQM/QoS algorithms. Intel mini PC (eg: low power J4105 CPU) based router running OpenWRT/pfSense will have an edge here. But newer generation ARM development boards may be good enough already (eg: Raspberry Pi 4B/400, Nano Pi R4S RK3399, etc).

Ookla SpeedTest shows download speed is still intact. Upload speed is clamped at below 500Mbps as based on the settting.

 

[xiaofan]

Today I followed the steps here to create an openvpn server. The LuCI GUI is basically useless in this case.
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/services/vpn/openvpn/server
It seems to run well on the Raspberry Pi 400 openwrt 21.02 version.

Speed test from another network. Most of the benchmarks are for OpenVPN client. But this seems to be pretty okay. I get around 50Mbps from Instant Guard on my Asus RT-AX82U (IPsec VPN server).

 

[xiaofan]

I should have applied for the DDNS before setting up OpenVPN (next step is WireGuard).

Anyway, just applied a free account from dynu.com and the setup is pretty simple with the command line (LUCI GUI is confusing).
https://www.dynu.com/DynamicDNS/IPUpdateClient/OpenWrt

 

[xiaofan]

Wireguard server with multiple peers script: using the first 1
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/services/vpn/wireguard/automated
This seems to work fine for the Raspberry Pi 400 runing OpenWRT 21.02 release.

Tested using wireless with an older Dec 2017 Acer Swift 3 laptop with cheap Comfast Intel AX200 card.

Without wireguard: Singtel 1Gbps plan, RT-AX82U router wireless connection, PT Mora Telematika Indonesia speedtest server

With wireguard running on the Raspberry Pi 400 (another network), Singtel 1Gbps plan, Asus RT-AX82U wireless, PT Mora Telematika Indonesia SpeedTest server

Edit to add: it is easier to use QR code to add the Wireguard profile on the mobile (iOS/Android).

Eg:

qrencode -t ansiutf8 -o - <4_lan_Delta.conf

 

[xiaofan]

So far the Raspberry Pi 400 based openwrt installation seems to work pretty well, with the following running.
1) Singtel 6rd IPv6
2) DNS over HTTPS (1.1.1.3 Cloudflare Family protection)
3) DDNS
4) Wireguard server
5) OpenVPN server
6) Adblock
7) SQM/QoS

Hostname OpenWrt
Model Raspberry Pi 400 Rev 1.0
Architecture ARMv8 Processor rev 3
Firmware Version OpenWrt 21.02.0 r16279-5cc0535800 / LuCI openwrt-21.02 branch git-21.285.75922-4fd8c83
Kernel Version 5.4.143
Local Time 2021-11-01 21:33:46
Uptime 9d 7h 14m 50s
Load Average 0.08, 0.02, 0.01

 

[xiaofan]

After one month of running 24/7, today I broke my Raspberry Pi 400 OpenWRT router when I tried to experiment with expanding the uSD card (only 100MB allocated to the overlay file system by default) -- it does not work for me. I tried two methods but the following two commands complained about super block issues.

fsck.f2fs /dev/loop0
resize.f2fs /dev/loop0

root@OpenWrt:~# resize.f2fs ${LOOP}
Info: Segments per section = 1
Info: Sections per zone = 1
Info: sector size = 512
Info: total sectors = 62364416 (30451 MB)
Magic Mismatch, valid(0xf2f52010) - read(0x6388)
    Can't find a valid F2FS superblock at 0x0
Magic Mismatch, valid(0xf2f52010) - read(0x2005)
    Can't find a valid F2FS superblock at 0x1

Method 1:
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user...tion_methods/sd_card#expanding_the_filesystem
Method 2:
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/installation/openwrt_x86#resizing_filesystem
So I have to start from scatch again, restoring the configuration is not too difficult but not all things work after restoring the configuration. I have another Raspberry Pi 400 so I will try again.

Another thing not working is extroot -- to use an USB drive as the overlay file system.
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/additional-software/extroot_configuration
Restart the OpenWRT journey again.

Hostname	OpenWrt
Model	Raspberry Pi 400 Rev 1.0
Architecture	ARMv8 Processor rev 3
Firmware Version	OpenWrt 21.02.1 r16325-88151b8303 / LuCI openwrt-21.02 branch git-21.295.67054-13df80d
Kernel Version	5.4.154
Local Time	2021-11-20 19:31:58
Uptime	4h 9m 57s
Load Average	0.00, 0.00, 0.00

 

[xiaofan]

Using ext4 file system and the method here works. So I have changed to ext4 image even though it may not be the best for the SD card. It is good to have lots of space to experiment with different packages, including development tools (gcc, python, etc) and docker.
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/installation/installation_methods/sd_card#ext4_image
Video tutorial to set up Raspberry Pi 4B as an Openwrt router, with tips on SD card resize (ext4 file system) and USB Gigabit Ethernet adapter installation and even wireless setup (I am not using the built-in wifi of the Raspberry Pi 400 myself, rather I use another AP).

 

[xiaofan]

Previously I have problems to get the 21.02 release to work properly under my Linksys EA7500 v2 and I had to use the snapshot. WIth the latest 21.02.01 release, it seems to work fine.

I have also successfully used extroot to have a 64GB USB 3.0 Sandisk drive as the root file system. Now I can freely install any packages I want. Of course the 256MB RAM is still there as a limit but I think it is enough if you do not do too much.

Openwrt installation guide for EA7500 v2. Last time I have to try twice using the stock Linksys FW Web GUI to upload the OpenWRT FW. This time I am lucky and only one time is enough from the Stock Linksys FW Web GUI.
https://openwrt.org/toh/linksys/linksys_ea7500_v2
Extroot guide:
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/additional-software/extroot_configuration
If you have Linksys EA7500 v2 or Linksys EA8100 v1 (from Starhub, or very cheap from Carousell at around S$10 to S$30), OpenWRT is really a good option to boost the FW stability and features.

But if you have Starhub TV+ Box, then you can not use OpenWRT if you need the MediaCorp FTA channels.
You may also need to setup Singtel VLAN if you use SIngtel ONT (with or without SIngtel TV box). For SIngtel ONR users (or Whizcomms/Viewquest ONR users) then it is better to set your OpenWRT installation as an AP. No issues if you are using other ONT from M1/Starhub/MyRepublic/Viewquest/Whizcomms.

 

[xiaofan]

Wired speedtest using OOkla SpeedTest app after enabling SW/HW Routing/NAT offloading.

The Linksys EA7500 v2 is connected to my Asus RT-AX82U main router (Double NAT) as this is only a test and I am not using it myself since Raspberry Pi 400 CPU is much more powerful.

Wired bufferbloat test is not bad with a score of "A". Today wavefrom.com is pretty fast (download 902.8Mbps, upload 889.3Mbps), latency: unloaded 3ms, download +27ms and upload +7ms.
https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=e58d8180-8966-4d85-9731-969ff1a659fc

 

[xiaofan]

Wireless speedtest of the EA7500 v2 OpenWRT installation, using my new Acer Swift 3 laptop with Intel AX201 wifi adapter (2*2 AX 160MHz, 2*2 AC 80MHz). The wireless speed is pretty decent.

Using OOkla Speedtest with PT Mora Telematika Indonesia SpeedTest server.

Using iperf3 to check the wireless performance without the impact from external servers. Take note the weak MIPS dual core 880MHz CPU inside the EA7500 v2 may also limit the iperf3 performance. For example, I can not get good results with wired iperf3 performance.

PS C:\work\speedtest\iperf3.10.1_64bit> .\iperf3.exe -c 192.168.1.1
Connecting to host 192.168.1.1, port 5201
[  5] local 192.168.1.120 port 62070 connected to 192.168.1.1 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
[  5]   0.00-1.00   sec  56.2 MBytes   470 Mbits/sec
[  5]   1.00-2.00   sec  57.2 MBytes   481 Mbits/sec
[  5]   2.00-3.00   sec  70.6 MBytes   593 Mbits/sec
[  5]   3.00-4.00   sec  71.9 MBytes   602 Mbits/sec
[  5]   4.00-5.00   sec  70.9 MBytes   595 Mbits/sec
[  5]   5.00-6.00   sec  71.4 MBytes   600 Mbits/sec
[  5]   6.00-7.00   sec  72.6 MBytes   608 Mbits/sec
[  5]   7.00-8.00   sec  72.9 MBytes   611 Mbits/sec
[  5]   8.00-9.00   sec  71.9 MBytes   603 Mbits/sec
[  5]   9.00-10.00  sec  70.4 MBytes   591 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec   686 MBytes   575 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  5]   0.00-10.01  sec   686 MBytes   575 Mbits/sec                  receiver

iperf Done.

 

[xiaofan]

Today I followed the steps here to create an openvpn server. The LuCI GUI is basically useless in this case.
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/services/vpn/openvpn/server
It seems to run well on the Raspberry Pi 400 openwrt 21.02 version.

Speed test from another network. Most of the benchmarks are for OpenVPN client. But this seems to be pretty okay. I get around 50Mbps from Instant Guard on my Asus RT-AX82U (IPsec VPN server).

With my new installation of OpenWRT 21.02.01, I see performance drops with OpenWRT on my Raspberry Pi 400, not so sure why, probably because I installed too many things. Of course this is still usable.