Tag: Linksys

WRT54G to WRT1900ACS: Empowering Networks with OpenWRT

Posted on by Kurt Weiske

What’s a WRT1900ACS?

The WRT1900ACS is a capable router from several years ago that are dirt cheap on the used market and have a ton of features that I like. With an alternative OS like OpenWRT or DD-WRT, you unlock new features that compare to a proper router.

I started running home networks on a Linksys WRT54G, an ancestor to the WRT1900ACS. a pioneering router that redefined home networking. Its open-source firmware became a playground for tech enthusiasts, setting the stage for a community-driven approach to router customization. I still keep one in storage for nostalgia’s sake.

The WRT1900ACS was released in 2015 but still holds its own in 2023. Equipped with a 1.6 GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, and four antennas, the WRT1900ACS holds its own. I use it as a border router on a 600 mbit cable circuit and it keeps up with multiple traffic streams.

This router has a USB 3.0/eSATA connection, a USB 2.0 connection and gigabit ethernet. I’ve used an external USB drive to act as shared storage for my LAN, and shared movies and music using the router’s built-in DLNA server.

One thing that attracted me to the WRT1900AC series of routers is dual firmware images. The router keeps a backup firmware image at all times. If the router crashes and doesn’t come fully up 3 times in a row, it’ll switch to the failover image. I keep the Linksys image on one side and OpenWRT on the other, so I can always go back if needed. If you want to go all-in, you’ll need to upgrade the firmware twice.

Under OpenWRT, I’m able to use enterprise-class networking tools with a friendly GUI. I’ve added network traffic monitoring, a Wireguard client and server, VLANs and a reverse proxy for my network.

If I were to compare the two, I’d say DD-WRT is a little easier to pick up, OpenWRT is more flexible. I’ve been focused more on OpenWRT of late, as I’m running a homelab and use it as a sandbox for ideas to use at work.

Installing OpenWRT

OpenWRT has detailed information about the router and installation instructions at https://openwrt.org/toh/linksys/wrt1900acs, but the process is pretty straightforward. You’ll use the Linksys stock firmware, go to the firmware upgrade section of the web admin tool, and upload the “Firmware OpenWRT Install” version. Mess up and brick your router? turn it on, wait for the lights to come on, then turn it off. Repeat two more times to return to the failover image and try again.

Once you install OpenWRT there is a multitude of extensions and applications available. Be mindful of available disk space and memory when choosing applications to install!

 

Installing OpenWRT and Wireguard VPN

Posted on by Kurt Weiske

Most home routers sold today are running Linux under the hood with a proprietary web GUI intended for home users. There’s been a movement over the past several years to create a more featureful environment for these routers by creating third-party firmware.

I installed OpenWRT on a Linksys WRT1900ACS router acting as my internet gateway. OpenWRT is a fully writeable Linux filesystem, and unlike factory images, allows you to extend the router’s capabilities through add-on packages. OpenWRT can serve files visa NFS, act as a web server or reverse proxy for your homelab, filter web ads for your network, and more. It’s as close to a full router experience as you can get on a piece of commodity home hardware. As a router/firewall, OpenWRT features zone-based firewall rules, NAT, Port forwarding, VLANs and advanced wireless security and support for Wireguard and OpenVPN virtual private networks.

 

The installation took about 15 minutes – going to the OpenWRT site, finding the correct firmware version, and flashing my router from the OEM web interface with the web-upgrade version of OpenWRT. Many Linksys routers feature a dual-flash design, so if you brick the router during the process you can boot over to the working partition and start over again.

As a side-benefit, my WAN speeds increased by roughly 30% by running OpenWRT on the same hardware versus the OEM firmware.

Once I had my router working, I added Wireguard VPN support. Wireguard is an efficient, key-based VPN that claims to be simpler than IPSec or OpenVPN. Torguard, my VPN provider supports Wireguard, so I downloaded my Wireguard configuration from their web site, entered it into the OpenWRT GUI, and enabled Wireguard.

VPNs are great at hiding your traffic from your ISP and local traffic, but many streaming media sites block VPN traffic. That’s where the vpn-policy-routing package comes in. Install it, enter the names of sites that should bypass the VPN and you’re done.

Now, I have all of my traffic routed through a VPN with the exception of streaming services, and can add any new services that need to route over my WAN with a web administration page.

 

 

Google Posterity Post — flashing DD-WRT onto a Belkin FD4230-4 router

Posted on by Kurt Weiske

I’ve had this little router for years, bought it for $20 with a $20 rebate, and since upgrading the OS to DD-WRT it’s performed flawlessly.

I have a Belkin wireless router (model number: F5D7230-4 v1444). For some reason, the Virtual Server (or Port Forwarding) did not work correctly. It’s obviously a firmware problem. I checked the firmware version and my router had the latest firmware from Belkin. I wrote to Belkin Customer Service but who knows how long I have to wait to a response from them.

Continue reading “Google Posterity Post — flashing DD-WRT onto a Belkin FD4230-4 router”

Weird networking knockoff

Posted on by Kurt Weiske

This is one of the strangest knock-offs I’ve seen; they’ve totally borrowed the Linksys case design, but use a one-antenna board:

 

WR214E-unit

I’m pretty sure that even the B Linksys routers had two antennae.

In another project, I have my FON router operational. It’s in a DMZ and allows access to other FON users for free. Check out the web page, it’s a great idea.

The FON router is a WRT54GL, apparently it’s a Linux version of the WRT54G series. Older G series routers ran Linux, newer ones run VXworks. Mine is the router equivalent of putting “Classic” at the name of anything. :)

I’m going to hook one up as the FON point, another as a router to handle PPTP services, featureful firewalling, and act as a border host.

Having a router running embedded Linux changes the way I think of appliance routers. Instead of a box with limited functionality, a finite development path and obscure featureset, linux routers are functional, expandable, can be extended beyond the manufacturer’s end-of-life, and are easy to understand if you know Linux.

The Netopia R- and 3500-series routers and SMC barricades I’ve loved over the years seem crippled by comparison.