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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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.
I thought the reset button 5 times is what worked but I was wrong.
It also shows two nodes in the Linksys app.
plug Port 3 on main, and Wan port on Child Node...then follow rbtcordel's instructions..use linksys app to verify then unplus the ethernet cable...child node flash purble to blue (connected mesh by wifi)
plug Port 3 on main, and Wan port on Child Node...then follow rbtcordel's instructions..use linksys app to verify then unplus the ethernet cable...child node flash purble to blue (connected mesh by wifi)
plug Port 3 on main, and Wan port on Child Node...then follow rbtcordel's instructions..use linksys app to verify then unplus the ethernet cable...child node flash purble to blue (connected mesh by wifi)
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* Wired Backend - Is this saying a Wired Mesh?
* Wireless Mesh - How is this different from an Access Point? Wouldn't I see bandwidth cut in half
* Parent Child Something Something - What?
* Wired Node - How is this different From an Access Point or Mesh?
Is there a Website or Youtube Video that can clarify all these terms for me appropriately, and the others in this thread?
I picked up 3, and would LOVE to put them into a Mesh Mode with my AT&T Gateway - where the AT&T Gateway goes through a Passthrough (i.e. no more heavy lifting), and all the Routers communicate in a Mesh over Ethernet to get things done with minimal latency...but still let me access my devices primarily through my Wifi.
Am I looking into the wrong option(s)?
* Wired Backend - Is this saying a Wired Mesh?
* Wireless Mesh - How is this different from an Access Point? Wouldn't I see bandwidth cut in half
* Parent Child Something Something - What?
* Wired Node - How is this different From an Access Point or Mesh?
Is there a Website or Youtube Video that can clarify all these terms for me appropriately, and the others in this thread?
I picked up 3, and would LOVE to put them into a Mesh Mode with my AT&T Gateway - where the AT&T Gateway goes through a Passthrough (i.e. no more heavy lifting), and all the Routers communicate in a Mesh over Ethernet to get things done with minimal latency...but still let me access my devices primarily through my Wifi.
Am I looking into the wrong option(s)?
Mesh - is a setup where you have multiple wireless routers that work together to provide greater wireless coverage, while making it seamless for the client (ie- same SSID, smooth handoffs, etc.). In a mesh, one router is designated the parent node, and the rest are referred to as child nodes. Child nodes can be connected to the parent node either wirelessly or via ethernet.
Wired node, wired backend, wired backhaul are all referring to the same thing - that is, a child node in a mesh that is connected to the parent node via ethernet.
Wireless node, wireless backhaul is referring to a child node that is connecting to the parent wirelessly.
Note: you can have a mix of wired and wireless nodes.
You will get the best results with wired nodes but you can still get good bandwith with wireless nodes as this router has a dedicated 5GHz band for the backhaul.
As for your AT&T Gateway, you can disable wi-fi if your Linksys is giving good coverage in that location. As for DHCP, you can either leave it enabled or disabled on the AT&T Gateway. However, if you are using AT&T's IPTV service you may need to keep it enabled on the AT&T Gateway. With my Orbi, I left DHCP enabled on the AT&T Gateway and had it disabled in the Orbi (bridge mode). With the Linksys, DHCP is still enabled on my AT&T Gateway and I also left it enabled on my Linksys as that was the default setting and I am testing it with the Orbi still hooked up. Once I remove the Orbi, I can either leave DHCP enabled on the AT&T Gateway and either have it enabled or disabled on the Linksys, or I can disable it on the AT&T Gateway and enable it on the Linksys (I do not have IPTV).
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