Good news for developers and modders of router software. A new Linux distribution, OpenWRT 19.07 has just been released, created primarily for WLAN devices, which debuted with the iconic Linksys WRT54G routers. OpenWrt 19.07 is mainly developed for devices using the AVR32, ARM, CRIS, m68k, MIPS, PowerPC, SPARC, SuperH, Ubicom32, x86 and x86-64 architecture.
What’s new in OpenWrt 19.07
A lot changed from the previous version of OpenWrt 18.06 version. Even WPA3 support has been added. However, it is not enabled by default and requires the installation of additional packages. Hostapd-openssl is needed for WPA3 to work in access point mode, it will need wpa-supplicant-openssl or wpad-openssl (additional AP) to use in Wi-Fi station mode.
Software developers have decided to switch to ath79 from ar71xx – in the future support for ar71xx will be completely withdrawn. In addition, the Linux kernel has been updated to version 4.14.162, and support for adm5120, adm8668, ar7, au1000, ixp4xx, mcs814x, omap24xx, ppc40x, ppc44x and xburst has been terminated.
A new feature is the updated LuCI, an integrated web interface for OpenWRT that implements client-side rendering. The LuCI ecosystem is large and not all LuCI applications have been adapted for this change, which can cause cbi.lua crashes. If so, install the luci-compat package.
The latest version of software can be downloaded from the project’s official website, here where you can also find the full list of changes.
Why should you try OpenWRT?
People who like to modify soft routers will confirm: OpenWRT dramatically increases the capabilities of network devices. OpenWRT is several thousand software packages that advanced users can install or remove depending on their needs. The software also improves network security – after all, the router owner will have full control over the configuration of every aspect of the hardware.
Industrial use of OpenWRT-based solutions
One of industrial IoT devices, supporting the technology and it’s varieties is ModBerry M series from TECHBASE. Economical, M300 model, based on NanoPi boards can serve as an OpenWRT modem, with optional changes in standard ModBerry controller. For more information check Industrial IoT Shop with all the configuration options for ModBerry M series .
