Linksys Blue Box Router HOWTO

Eric Steven Raymond

Revision History
Revision 2.32006-08-12Revised by: esr
Minor update. Announce End of HOWTO maintainance.
Revision 2.32006-05-19Revised by: esr
Revised the list of open firmware distributions, and other minor corrections.
Revision 2.22005-12-01Revised by: esr
Removed the suggestion that Cisco be boycotted over the Lynn firing, as the lawsuit seems to have been settled on satisfactory terms. Added advice to get the WRTG54l.
Revision 2.12005-07-28Revised by: esr
Added the suggestion that Cisco be boycotted over the Lynn firing.
Revision 2.02005-01-18Revised by: esr
Major update to reflect changes in 2.x and 3.x firmware. More firmware replacements described. Dropped Hansen Online as it hasn't been updated in a while.
Revision 1.62004-02-26Revised by: esr
Added Link-n-Log
Revision 1.52003-07-31Revised by: esr
Added the Seattle wireless.net link.
Revision 1.42003-07-03Revised by: esr
Linksys has released source code.
Revision 1.32003-06-08Revised by: esr
Added notes about SNMP security problems, casemodding, Linksys tech support. The Linksys turns out to have Linux inside.
Revision 1.22003-04-29Revised by: esr
Typo corrections.
Revision 1.12003-04-25Revised by: esr
Added link to the linksysmon project. More configuration tips.
Revision 1.02003-04-09Revised by: esr
Initial release, reviewed by LDP.

Linksys makes a line of cheap, ubiquitous router/firewall boxes (models BEFSR41 and up, including the WRT54G) well-suited for use on a home DSL connection and popular among Linux hackers. This HOWTO gives hints and tips for managing Linksys routers from a Linux system, including the firmware upgrade procedure.

This HOWTO is no longer actively maintained, because as of 12 Oct 2006 the author is no longer a Linksys user. Time and technology nmarch on, and I now have a much fancier router in my basement that came with my optical-fiber service. If you are qualified and interested in taking it over, contact me.


Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. Why this document?
1.2. New versions of this document
1.3. License and Copyright
2. How and where to deploy
3. Lost the manual?
4. Configuration hints
5. Upgrading the firmware
6. Hacking the hardware
7. Hacking the software
8. Utilities
9. Troubleshooting tips
9.1. Occasional catatonia and epilepsy
9.2. Mozilla interface quirks under 1.38 and earlier firmware
10. Related Resources