OpenWrt developers consider launching their first hardware design

OpenWrt is a Linux-based open-source operating system designed for embedded devices such as routers. The task has been around for two decades and can now be installed on thousands of routers and devices.

Some of the developers on the assignment have come up with a proposal for the first hardware designed specifically for OpenWrt, with full Linux support. It would be called OpenWrt One/AP-24. XY and the purpose is to produce a router card that would sell for less than $100.

Although OpenWrt is used as a replacement for the firmware that comes with a WiFi router, giving complex users more control over their hardware, you can also install the operating formula on single-board computers or DIY router cards like the ones sold under Banana Pi. . brand.

So, OpenWrt developers approached the company that makes the Banana Pi boards, as well as chipmaker MediaTek, to gauge the interest of those corporations and the feasibility of generating a board that includes features such as:

Other hardware is described in the assignment announcement, adding LED lights, a mikroBUS expansion slot, and a real-time clock. And, of course, the purpose is for the schemes to be made public.

The PCB is expected to be the same length as the Banana Pi BPI-R4, meaning it measures around 148 x 101 mm (5. 8″ x 4″) and will be available for purchase as a single-board or fully assembled computer system. (with the plate inside the body).

While there are other router forums that you can already buy if your purpose is to create your own OpenWrt formula, OpenWrt One would have a few elements that would help it stand out. First of all, it would be designed with the help of OpenWrt software developers, so that the hardware would be specially selected for Linux upstream and formulaArray operational.

Second, although the card would be sold and distributed through Banana Pi, a portion of the sales would be donated to the Software Freedom Conservancy and reserved for OpenWrt. Therefore, you will contribute to the progress of the operational formula with the acquisition of an OpenWrt one.

And the hardware also has some interesting features that, among other things, make blocking almost impossible. Even if you end up messing up the software and bringing the formula to a state where it might not boot normally, you can use mechanical transfer to reboot with the read-only recovery token packed into the 4MB of NOR flash memory, allowing it to repair its formula.

That said, the purpose is also to make this device affordable, so it possibly doesn’t have all the features you could dream of. And 6GHz wireless bands aren’t supported, for example. There’s no USB 3. 0 port (there’s a USB 3. x, but it’s shared via the PCIe bus, so the card can have either a USB 3. 0 connector or an NVMe SSD connector, and the developers chose the latter).

The team has not yet officially committed to creating OpenWrt One. At this point, it’s still in the proposal stage, and the developers are asking for feedback from the community. If there is enough for the project, then it can go ahead and become a genuine project. something you can buy. . . at some point.

You can learn more and follow the discussion on the openwrt-devel mailing list or on the OpenWrt forum.

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I want a mesh Wi-Fi network for emergency communications. I want an edition with solar panel and 365 days off-grid working time.

Nothing:D

I’m surprised some didn’t monetize it sooner.

Wow, huge specs. It’s a sturdy piece of hardware.

Too bad they didn’t collaborate with the open hardware organization that develops RISC-V processors.

I’ve been a big fan of glinet over the past few years. There are a lot of plug and play features for openwrt on the market, which is not satisfactory because it can do so much.

When my friends and family want new routers, they ask me what to buy. I hate recommending products to customers that are hardware and software neutral, with exclusive acquisitions at $$$ prices. If openwrt is released more off-market-box hardware, I call it a big win for customers. Now I can offer my friends and family ad blocking, VPNs, and good parental controls for kids wrapped in a loop. Then, when I inevitably want to help them, later on, I’ll be able to debug a Linux system. It’s a wonderful thing.

Returning to the topic of the article, I think a main barrier to openwrt access is the flickering of third-party hardware, which also benefits from silent revisions under the same model. Personally, I need plug and play hardware from third parties. It has official support through the assignment itself, from a company or from companies

Mmmmmm

I loved the 3rd party open source software for local area network/Internet routers back in the day, pre-OpenWRT and then eventually OpenWRT when it appeared, but fast forward to now and my immediate thought/skepticism is that OpenWRT is maybe gutted and repurposed and all sorts of possible shenanigans or whatnot. I could be wrong, but I dunno, lol

. . . A few minutes later. . .

MDR, for https://search. brave. com/search?q=”Linus Torvalds” “Preserving Software Freedom”

“Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) facilitates hostile takeover (privatizing loose software),” so, as I suspected, mdr

If you use Brave, your argument is invalidated. Fake Crypto Botnet Browser “Privacy as a Product”.

Is MediaTek known for contributing to the upstream and committing to open-mindedness?

No, it isn’t, but very few companies are, and those that are don’t necessarily have well-designed chips for modern WiFi use. At some point, a sufficiently capable chip is chosen.

Apparently, the MT8173 chipset is “still stuck on a proprietary 3. 18 kernel. “

@liliputing_ Certainly interested in this, it’s better when free software creators also care about hardware decisions.

Yeah…I don’t think I could say that in confidence. This hasn’t happened yet, but given the increase in dumb, pointless, moralizing drama in open source communities that punishes users for what developers say, I could see something real stupid possibly coming from it, like an OpenWRT contributor deciding to null route websites based on their content after the routers ship. Like I said, very stupid, but may be impossible to undo at the source if the contributor was sufficiently protected by the code of conduct and the contributor’s own lack of original sin. I’m not saying I know anything about OpenWRT. I’m saying people like that can get a position anywhere now.

This reads a bit like baseless fearmongering to be honest.

I don’t know anything about some guys, but from what I’ve heard recently about humans, it’s possible that they’re just doing bad things.

In short, what I mean here is “you can’t take anything for granted. “But try not to hate humans as a whole, because it means hating yourself.

Could LibreCMC be wiser anyway?

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