Setup your Main router completely.
Plug your child router using the wan port to the main router lan port.
Log into your main router web admin. Click on CA at the bottom right.
Click on Connectivity and CA Router setup. Click on both Add Wired and Add Wireless nodes buttons. Wait for the Add wireless button to re-enable then click Done adding Child Nodes. And then Apply.
Now the child node light should start flashing purple and turn into a mesh node when it urns blue.
This is really finicky but mines up and running again after a full reset.
Benefits of installing open sources openwrt/DD-wrt -
1.Current firmware is EOL and this router will not get future updates. But with Openwrt/dd-wrt, you will get longer support.
2. Support for additional packages/features
3. Easy mesh setup
4. VPN support
5. Potential for activating the USB3 port, which doesn't function with the stock firmware.
IMPORTANT Caution for following: As of Sept. 2nd, there is no official release of OpenWRT available yet for this unit - only the developers' testing versions noted below. The Linksys included stock firmware version shipped is from Spring 2024, so you may want to wait for installing an official Openwrt release, which may come within next few weeks.
Steps to install openwrt -
There are two models of this router, one is straight MX4300 and other is Homewrk version (please clarify/update this and ways to identify them. i believe all woot routers are Homewrk version) [Edit by hiroll: Actually most or all of those shipped from Woot are almost certainly the MX4300 ... it's confusing, because the outer brown shipping box is still labeled for the original Homewrk, but the router units packed within the inner white box are labeled MX4300. AFAIK, all of the Woot units are shipped via slow UPS ground from a 3rd party in CA. I received two different ones weeks apart from the earlier deal posts, one ordered through Amazon and the other directly from Woot - and both outer boxes and contents are exactly the same.]
Based on the router version, you need to install different variation of openwrt. One is lytr [github.com] and second is qosmio's build [github.com]. You have to install right version to right router otherwise you may end up with bricked router.
Here are instructions, thanks to @andythepandy
1. Go to https://github.com/testuser7/open...ax-2540ea6 and download the squashfs file for your device (e.g., LN1301 is the same as MX4300, so you'd download openwrt-qualcommax-ipq807x-linksys_mx4300-squashfs-factory.bin).
2. Follow the installation steps from https://openwrt.org/toh/linksys/mx4200_v1_and_v
3. SSH into your router as user "root" and no password. By default, the IP address for the router would be 192.168.1.1
4. Make sure your router is connected to the internet (WAN port is connected to your ISP). Then in the router CLI, type "opkg update", press enter. Once finished, type "opkg install luci" and press enter. Once the command completes, reboot the router or power cycle.
5. Now you should be able to access Luci by going to 192.168.1.1 in your browser.
Some Relevent links:
https://openwrt.org/toh/linksys/mx4200_v1_and_v
https://forum.openwrt.o
https://forum.openwrt.o
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246 Comments
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ALso, do you know how many wifi iterfaces can be added ?
what do you mean by interfaces ?
the device got three radios ...
what do you mean by interfaces ?
the device got three radios ...
no idea, I'm not even going to plug it in, until openwrt support is finished.
with stock firmware ?
no idea, I'm not even going to plug it in, until openwrt support is finished.
The subcontractor (to Amazon/Woot) here is doing some questionable tactics. Credit card has been charged and the order status on the Amazon website has been set to "shipped" several days ago.
Everybody else's definition of shipped means left the warehouse and in the possession of the carrier.
Creating a tracking number (and not leaving the leaving the warehouse promptly) is a sleazy tactic to satisfy the credit card company's rules against charging a customer's card too early for an order.
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There are options to avoid the poor stock fw. Third party fw options like Openwrt are maturing nicely for it.
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The killer feature of 6ghz to me is all the extra spectrum that it has. You mentioned backhaul. I don't know if you know this, I assume not based on your comment, but people go out of their way to buy mesh systems with 6ghz backhaul. The lack of congestion combined with being able to add nodes with mesh and alleviate the problem of range has made those systems into desirable products for a lot of people.
All that said, I think your overall sentiment isn't wrong. Most people don't need it. I'm not running out to replace my stuff yet. These Linksys routers are a great value. I ordered three of them before I wrote my comment. I wasn't trashing them. I was only pointing out factors for why these aren't going to fly off the shelves if Linksys wanted to try to market and sell them as high end routers today rather than what they've done in essentially writing them off. They didn't decide to stop selling routers. They've moved on to new products.
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