Documentation

User guide

Installation

• Back to original firmware
• Devices with OpenWrt as a stock firmware
• FAQ after Installation of OpenWrt
• FAQ before installing OpenWrt
• Filesystem snapshot feature: /sbin/snapshot
• Flashing OpenWrt with Wi-Fi enabled on first boot
• Generic flashing over the Serial port
• Generic NOR backup
• How to restore ART partition
• Installing OpenWrt
• Installing OpenWrt over FTP (generic)
• Installing OpenWrt over XMODEM
• Installing OpenWrt via TFTP
• Installing OpenWrt with TFTP from a Linux computer
• OpenWrt on x86 hardware (PC / VM / server)
• owut: OpenWrt Upgrade Tool
• Preserving OpenWrt packages
• Upgrade from (old) ar71xx to ath79
• Upgrade using Attended Sysupgrade
• Upgrading OpenWrt firmware using CLI
• Upgrading OpenWrt firmware using LuCI and CLI

Installation methods

• ADAM2 FTP
• ap51-flash
• Asus Firmware Restoration Tool
• brnboot web recovery
• CF card
• CFE TFTP + serial recovery
• CFE TFTP recovery
• CFE web recovery
• CLI generic
• D-Link Recovery GUI
• dataclouds
• EVA FTP
• fritzflash
• GUI generic
• GUI OEM
• JBoot web recovery
• JTAG
• Linksys TFTP
• Mikrotik TFTP
• Netboot
• nmrpflash
• RedBoot TFTP + serial recovery
• RedBoot TFTP recovery
• SD card
• see devicepage
• see forum
• see git-commit
• Serial
• Sunxi installation
• Sysupgrade
• Telnet
• TFTP generic
• TP-Link TFTP
• U-Boot TFTP + serial recovery
• U-Boot TFTP recovery
• U-Boot USB recovery
• U-Boot web recovery
• Ubiquiti 2WA
• Ubiquiti WA
• Ubiquiti XC
• Ubiquiti XM
• Ubiquiti XW
• unknown
• x86 installation

Recovery methods

• ADAM2 FTP
• Asus Firmware Restoration Tool
• AVM recovery tool
• Breed web recovery
• brnboot web recovery
• CF card
• CFE TFTP + serial recovery
• CFE TFTP recovery
• CFE web recovery
• D-Link Recovery GUI
• EVA FTP
• GUI generic
• JBoot web recovery
• JTAG
• Linksys TFTP
• Mikrotik TFTP
• nmrpflash
• RedBoot TFTP + serial recovery
• RedBoot TFTP recovery
• SD card
• see devicepage
• see forum
• see git-commit
• TFTP generic
• TP-Link TFTP
• U-Boot TFTP + serial recovery
• U-Boot TFTP recovery
• U-Boot USB recovery
• U-Boot web recovery
• Ubiquiti TFTP recovery
• unknown

Documentation

User guide

Base system

• Basic configuration
• Clarifying the term "Interface"
• Command-line interpreter
• DDNS client configuration
• DHCP and DNS configuration /etc/config/dhcp
• DHCP and DNS examples
• DNS configuration
• Dnsmasq DHCP server
• Dropbear configuration
• Hotplug
• LED Configuration
• Logging messages
• Managing services
• Network basics
• Scheduling tasks with cron
• System configuration /etc/config/system
• System configuration not handled by UCI
• The UCI system
• User Configuration
• Web Server Configuration

Documentation

User guide

LuCI web interface

• Accessing LuCI web interface securely
• Dashboard
• How to get rid of LuCI HTTPS certificate warnings
• LuCI essentials
• LuCI on lighttpd
• LuCI themes
• luci-app-statistics
• Make luci-app-statistics graphs public
• Static IP
• Web interface overview

Documentation

User guide

Network

• Architecture
• DHCP client scripts
• High availability
• Integrating an OpenWrt network device in your network
• IPv4/IPv6 transition technologies
• MAP IPv4-over-IPv6 encapsulation
• Multipath TCP and OpenWrt
• Network configuration /etc/config/network
• Network interface aliases
• OpenWrt as client device
• OpenWrt as router device
• Particularities of Single-Port Devices
• Routed Client
• Router vs switch vs gateway and NAT
• Static configuration
• Tunneling interface protocols
• UCI networking options cheatsheet

architecture

• Network Components

DSA Networking

• Converting to DSA
• DSA Mini-Tutorial
• Upgrading to OpenWrt 21.02.0

IPv4

• IPv4 configuration
• IPv4 examples

IPv6

• How to use OpenWrt behind a Freebox Crystal with IPv6 bridge
• How to use OpenWrt behind a Freebox with IPv6 delegation
• IPv6 configuration
• IPv6 extras
• IPv6 multicast
• IPv6 on L2TP softwire
• IPv6 troubleshooting
• IPv6 with Hurricane Electric
• IPv6 with Hurricane Electric using LuCI
• NAT64 for a IPv6-only network (Jool / TAYGA)
• NAT66 and IPv6 masquerading
• WIDE-DHCPv6 client configuration

Routing

• PBR (Policy-Based Routing)
• PBR app
• PBR with netifd
• Routing basics
• Routing rules
• Static routes

Routing examples

• Routing example: Bridged DMZ
• Routing example: GRE
• Routing example: IPv4
• Routing example: IPv6
• Routing example: OpenVPN
• Routing example: PBR with iproute2

Traffic shaping

• Brain Fuck Scheduler
• CHOKe
• Class Based Queueing
• CoDel
• Deficit Round Robin
• Example1: Traffic Prioritizing with PRIO
• Example2: plain simple bandwidth/traffic sharing with HTB
• Example3: traffic shaping and prioriziting for multiple users with HFSC
• Example4: HFSC + FQ_CODEL + FLOW classifier
• Example5: Traffic Prioritizing with HTB and MAC filtering
• Fair Queue CoDel
• Hierarchical Fair Service Curve (HFSC)
• Hierarchy Token Bucket
• Linux Packet Scheduling
• Netem (Network Emulator)
• QoS (Network Traffic Control)
• QoS configuration /etc/config/qos
• Random Early Detection
• SQM (Smart Queue Management)
• SQM configuration /etc/config/sqm
• SQM Details
• Stochastic Fairness Queueing
• Token Bucket Filter

VLAN (Virtual LAN)

• Extending the router ports with a managed switch with VLANs
• Splitting VLANs
• Switch documentation
• VLAN

WAN (Internet access)

• Accessing the modem through the router
• Bridge mode
• Connect to ISP using L2TP with dual access
• EasyCwmp (CPE WAN Management Protocol daemon)
• How to configure Motorola cable modems (DOCSIS)
• Internet connection
• IPTV / UDP multicast
• ISP Configurations
• Poor Man's Bridge Mode
• Scripts to get information from modems
• Simple WAN Failover with 3G/LTE WWAN - Using a second router in the same LAN
• Smartphone USB reverse tethering with OpenWrt
• Smartphone USB tethering
• TR-069 / CWMP
• Using multiple WAN IPs
• Using multiple wan with multiple routers
• WAN interface protocols
• X Play

Multi-WAN (Internet access through more than one modem/device)

• Multiwan
• multiwan: Connection to spare internet provider
• MWAN with netifd
• mwan3 (Multi WAN load balancing/failover)
• mwan3 install using filesystem (not luci)

WWAN (3G/4G/LTE and similar)

• Dealing with monthly GB quotas
• How to send AT commands to device
• How to use an LTE modem in QMI/MBIM mode for WWAN connection
• ModemManager
• USB mode switch
• Use 3G/UMTS USB Dongle for WAN connection
• Use cdc_ether driver based dongles for WAN connection
• Use NCM USB Dongle for WAN connection
• Use RNDIS USB Dongle for WAN connection

Wi-Fi configuration

• Bridged AP
• Configure A(ccess) P(oint or 'hotspot') + STA(tion or 'client')
• Configure Wi-Fi encryption
• Connect to client Wi-Fi network
• Country code for Wi-Fi operation
• Exceeding transmit power limits
• FreeRADIUS
• Identify Wi-Fi connection as metered on Android automatically
• Identify Wi-Fi connection as metered on Linux automatically
• Identify Wi-Fi connection as metered on Windows automatically
• Introduction to 802.1X
• Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE) and OWE Transition Mode
• Routed AP
• RSN preauthentication
• Setting up DAWN and band-steering
• Setting up usteer and band-steering
• Setting up Wi-Fi repeaters with multiple SSIDs with separated private, tor and guest network
• Table of capabilities for wireless chipsets
• USB 3.0 and Wi-Fi problems
• Wi-Fi /etc/config/wireless
• Wi-Fi Extender/Repeater with relayd
• Wi-Fi on/off buttons
• Wi-Fi toggle
• Wide area Wi-Fi coverage
• Wifi Roaming
• Wireless Access Point (aka "Dumb" Access Point)
• Wireless overview
• Wireless Repeater/Extender with WDS
• wpa_supplicant

Guest Wi-Fi

• Guest Wi-Fi basics
• Guest Wi-Fi extras
• Guest Wi-Fi on a dumb wireless AP using LuCI
• Guest Wi-Fi using CLI
• Guest Wi-Fi using LuCI

Mesh Wi-Fi

• 802.11s - The Mesh11sd Project
• 802.11s Rapid Deployment
• 802.11s Wireless Mesh Networking
• B.A.T.M.A.N. / batman-adv
• IEEE 802.11s Wireless Mesh Networking
• OLSR Mesh

Wi-Fi Extenders/Repeaters

• Extenders/Repeaters - an Overview
• Travelmate, a connection manager for travel routers
• Wi-Fi Extender/Repeater with Bridged AP over 802.11s Mesh
• Wi-Fi Extender/Repeater with Bridged AP over Ethernet
• Wi-Fi Extender/Repeater with RelayD
• Wi-Fi Extender/Repeater with WDS
• Wi-Fi Repeater using AP+STA mode

Wi-Fi network tools

• Aircrack
• Horst
• Kismet
• Wireless Utilities

Zero configuration network setup

• The Homenet Control Protocol (HNCP)
• Zero configuration networking in OpenWrt

Documentation

User guide

Firewall configuration

• Firewall and network interfaces
• Firewall components
• Firewall configuration /etc/config/firewall
• Firewall overview
• fw4 Filtering traffic with IP sets by DNS

Firewall configuration

• Bridge firewall
• DMZ configuration using VLANs
• DNS hijacking
• Filtering traffic with IP sets by DNS
• Firewall usage guide
• IP set examples
• IPv4 firewall examples
• IPv6 firewall examples
• Logging rejected packets
• NAT examples
• Parental controls
• Port forwarding
• Reference network topology

Firewall miscellaneous pages

• How to capture, filter and inspect packets using tcpdump or wireshark tools
• nftables

netfilter and iptables

• Logging Forwarded Packets in OpenWrt
• netfilter Configuration Examples
• Netfilter In OpenWrt
• Netfilter Management

Alternate firewall builders

• Firewall Builder: Essence Reloaded
• Firewall Builder: fwBuilder GUI
• Firewall Builder: Shell scripts
• Firewall Builder: Shorewall-lite

UPnP (Universal Plug and Play)

• miniupnpd
• Universal Plug and Play and PCP/NAT-PMP on OpenWrt

Documentation

User guide

Advanced configuration

• Auto Wake On LAN script for hosts
• Configuring kexec
• Connect an Arduino to OpenWrt
• Expanding root partition and filesystem
• Hotplug extras
• How to Load Balance OpenWrt
• IP set extras
• NTP
• Opkg extras
• PBR extras
• SDR
• Send SMS from Shell
• Send SMS or Email using 3G/GSM modem
• Sharing raw NMEA GPS data over the network with multiple clients
• Smartphone USB tethering
• Snippets
• Steam Caching using Nginx
• Sysupgrade extras
• UCI extras
• Watchcat - network watchdog utility

Documentation

User guide

Installing additional software

• apk package manager
• Create new users and groups for applications or system services
• Extroot configuration
• Managing packages
• Opkg package manager
• opkg to apk cheat sheet
• Saving firmware space and RAM
• Show available package upgrades after SSH login
• Smartmontools
• Using the Image Builder

Documentation

User guide

Hardware features and modifications

• Add a buzzer (beeper) to the router
• Attach functions to a push button
• Change UART serial port speed (baud rate) on OpenWrt
• Debrick ath79 using JTAG
• Devolo Streaming Radio
• ESP8266 serial bridge
• Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) support
• Hardware watchdog
• How to turnoff JTAG to free GPIO (only on ath79 processors)
• How to turnoff UART to free GPIO (only on ath79 processors)
• How to use I²C over USB
• LIRC audio_alsa
• LIRC GPIO blaster
• LIRC GPIO receiver / blaster
• MMC/SD card over GPIO howto
• PirateBox & LibraryBox
• PWM emulation with GPIO
• SIP daemon for Lantiq devices with owsip
• Terminate UART Console
• Turning USB power on and off
• USB Guest configuration

Audio support

• PulseAudio
• USB audio support

Bluetooth in OpenWrt

• Bluetooth Audio
• Bluetooth presence detection
• Bluetooth Speakers/Headphones
• IPv6 over Bluetooth Smart (Low Energy)
• Smartphone Bluetooth Tethering
• USB Bluetooth support

Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) support

• Luleey (Vendor)

LED manipulation and setup

• Signal strength LED meter
• Use LEDs to show signal strength with rssileds

Video support

• USB Video Support

...

• Webcam with the Linux UVC driver

Documentation

User guide

Storage functions

• Disk Encryption
• Filesystems
• Fstab Configuration
• hd-idle Configuration
• Installing and troubleshooting USB Drivers
• mountd Configuration
• Using storage devices

...

• Writable NTFS

Documentation

User guide

Additional services

• Ad blocking
• AOE ((s)ATA over Ethernet) with vblade
• Babel routing protocol (babeld)
• banIP
• CHROOT
• CrowdSec
• geoip-shell
• Gitolite user-restricted git hosting
• Honeypots
• Irqbalance
• Kerberos Server HowTo
• Prosody XMPP Server (open messaging protocol)
• PXE-Boot network boot server
• Python
• Random Number Generator
• Single Packet Authorization with Fwknop
• Snort
• Telegraf
• USB over IP tunnel

Automation, home automation and similar

• Crelay
• Domoticz on OpenWrt
• FHEM on OpenWrt
• pywws Python Weather Station HowTo
• Weather station control with WeeWX

Captive portals (splash pages for free or paid WiFi)

• CoovaChilli captive portal
• Nodogsplash (Outdated document)
• NoDogSplash Captive Portal
• OpenNDS Captive Portal
• WiFiDog captive portal (defunct)

DC (Direct Connect file sharing)

• DC overview
• Direct Connect and Advanced Direct Connect

DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name System)

• DDNS client
• DDNS Client DuckDNS
• DDNS Client Hurricane Electric
• DDNS with bind as own DNS server

DNS (Domain Name System)

• AdGuard Home
• Bind
• bind-server-filter-aaaa: forcing domains to resolve only to IPv4 addresses
• DNSCrypt with Dnsmasq and dnscrypt-proxy
• DNSCrypt with Dnsmasq and dnscrypt-proxy2
• dnscrypt-proxy
• DoH with Dnsmasq and Cloudflared
• DoH with Dnsmasq and https-dns-proxy
• DoH/DoH3, DoT, DoQ and DNSCrypt with Dnsmasq and dnsproxy
• DoT with Dnsmasq and Stubby
• DoT with Unbound
• ipset-dns
• KadNode
• Stubby
• Tinydns
• Unbound

Downloading and P2P file sharing

• BitTorrent
• NZBGet
• Transmission configuration

Email server and functionality

• E-MailRelay
• SMTP clients
• XMail mail server

Media server (stream media to devices in the local network)

• DLNA Media Server
• iTunes server (forked-daapd)
• MiniDLNA
• Rygel DLNA Media Server
• uShare configuration

NAS (Network Attached Storage)

• AFP Netatalk share configuration (Apple Time Machine)
• CIFS Client
• FTP servers
• iSCSI
• ksmbd
• Network File System (NFS)
• NFS client
• NFS share configuration
• ownCloud or NextCloud
• RemoteFS Client
• RemoteFS Server
• Samba
• Samba 3 (old version)
• Samba Advanced Settings
• SFTP server
• Share USB hard-drive with Samba using LuCI
• WebDAV Share

Network monitoring

• Bandwidth Monitoring Guide
• Bandwidth Monitoring through scripts
• Bandwidthd
• Bandwith Monitoring with wrtbwmon
• collectd.rrdtool
• Darkstat
• Network Traffic Monitor with vnStat
• Zabbix network monitoring

zabbix

• Zabbix Server Frontend Tutorial

NTP (time synchronization over Network Time Protocol)

• NTP client / NTP server
• Ntpclient configuration
• Stratum 1 NTP server using USB GPS

Print server (printing over the network)

• CUPS Print Server
• p910nd
• p910nd Print Server
• p910nd Printer Server
• Printing over SSH

Proxy server

• Privoxy
• Proxy server overview
• Shadowsocks
• Squid
• Tinyproxy
• udpxy
• VNC repeater
• ZNC IRC network bouncer

Control your device remotely without direct SSH access

• daloRADIUS management system
• Ostiary Client (run a fixed set of commands remotely)
• Ostiary Daemon (run a fixed set of commands remotely)
• Port knocking server knockd
• Remote control OpenWrt device via instant messengers (Telegram, XMPP) and EMail

Scanner server

• saned Scanner Server

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)

• Minimal SNMP Daemon (mini_snmpd) configuration
• SNMPD
• snmpd

SSH (Secure Shell remote access)

• Autossh
• OpenSSH Multi Factor Authentication
• Replace Dropbear to OpenSSH + SFTP
• SSH FileSystem
• SSH tunnel
• SSHFS client

TLS encryption

• Get a free HTTPS certificate from LetsEncrypt for OpenWrt with ACME.sh
• Installing and trusting a root CA certificate in a PKI
• TLS libraries
• TLS/SSL certificates for a server

Tor

• Tor client
• Tor extras
• Tor onion services

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)

• APC BackUps ES-500 - Linksys EA3500 - LuCI graphs
• APC SmartUps SU-700 - Linksys EA3500 - LuCI graphs
• How to add data from a TP9605BT multimeter to apcupsd rrd and graphs.
• NUT (Network UPS Tools)

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

• Asterisk
• chan-lantiq for Asterisk
• FreeSWITCH on OpenWrt intro
• Siproxd on OpenWrt intro
• µMurmur

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

• Cloudflare tunnel
• Netbird
• Pseudowire
• Zerotier

Libreswan / IPsec

• IPsec site-to-site
• Libreswan L2TP/IPsec

OpenConnect

• OpenConnect client
• OpenConnect extras
• OpenConnect server

OpenVPN

• OpenVPN client
• OpenVPN client using LuCI
• OpenVPN extras
• OpenVPN PC script automated
• OpenVPN performance
• OpenVPN server
• OpenVPN server with dynamic IPv6 GUA prefix

PPPoSSH

• PPPoSSH client
• PPPoSSH extras
• PPPoSSH server

PPTP

• PPTP client
• PPTP extras
• PPTP server

SoftEther VPN

• SoftEther VPN Client

strongSwan / IPsec

• IPsec basics
• IPsec Firewall
• IPsec Legacy IKEv1 Configuration
• IPsec Modern IKEv2 Road-Warrior Configuration
• IPsec Performance
• IPsec Site-to-Site
• IPsec With Overlapping Subnets
• strongSwan IPsec Configuration via UCI

Tinc

• Tinc client
• Tinc extras
• Tinc server

WireGuard

• WireGuard basics
• WireGuard client
• WireGuard extras
• WireGuard multi-client server automated
• WireGuard peers
• WireGuard performance
• WireGuard road-warrior automated
• WireGuard routing all traffic
• WireGuard server
• WireGuard site-to-site automated

Wake on LAN (sending Ethernet messages to power up network devices)

• Etherwake configuration
• Wake on LAN configuration

Web servers

• Apache HTTP Server
• BusyBox HTTP Daemon (httpd) webserver
• Hiawatha webserver
• Lighttpd webserver
• mini-httpd webserver
• Netcat as Webserver
• Nginx webserver
• PHP
• Set up a LAMP webserver stack
• uHTTPd Web Server Configuration
• uHTTPd webserver
• Using OpenWrt to build a LAMP/WordPress server

Documentation

User guide

Troubleshooting

• Backup and restore
• Failsafe mode, factory reset, and recovery mode
• For Developers: Activating EAD (Emergency Access Daemon) Before Running into Problems
• OpenWrt Debricking Guide
• Rescue from failed firmware upgrade
• Resetting the root password
• What is TFTP Recovery over Ethernet?

Documentation

User guide

Virtualization

• Docker OpenWrt Image Generation
• Metarouter Virtualization on Mikrotik RouterBoard
• OpenWrt as a Docker Image
• OpenWrt as a Xen DomU guest
• OpenWrt as Docker container host
• OpenWrt as DomU in Debian Xen4 in a private network
• OpenWrt as QEMU/KVM host server
• OpenWrt in LXC containers
• OpenWrt in QEMU
• OpenWrt on UTM on Apple Silicon HowTo
• OpenWrt on VirtualBox HowTo
• OpenWrt on VMware Fusion on Apple Silicon HowTo
• OpenWrt on VMware HowTo
• OpenWrt running as metarouter on mikrotik routerOS
• Podman Containers
• VirtualBox Advanced

Documentation

User guide

Security

• Dropbear key-based authentication
• Elevating privileges with sudo
• Key Generation
• OpenWrt Public Keys
• OpenWrt security features
• OpenWrt security hardening
• Regaining access to an OpenWrt device in client mode
• Release Signing
• Secure access to your router
• Security Guide for the Paranoid