Click here [dd-wrt.com] for a guide on installing DD-WRT
If you are not interested in using custom firmware yet, these routers support mesh with the stock firmware, but the USB port is disabled.
The stock firmware is relatively new, but is speculated to not receive many, if any, updates, so it may be best to wait until custom firmware support is merged and more mature before messing with installing custom firmware.
How to enable mesh:
- Setup your Main router completely.
- Plug your child node using the wan port to the main router lan port, wait for a solid purple light on the child node before proceeding.
- 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.
- Click Done adding Child Nodes and then Apply.
- Now the child node light should start flashing purple and turn into a mesh mode when it turns blue.
- Disconnect Ethernet and wait for blue light again.
- Move node to desired location.
How to set up as access point:
- Disable DHCP (optional).
- Set the device to Bridge Mode under Connectivity tab.
- Connect cable from your router to a LAN port.
- Get some nail polish and a round sticker to cover the annoying flashing right light.
- Click the 'AC' at the bottom of the page to see the detailed configurations of wifi.
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DD-WRT runs FLAWLESS on this !!!
Here are the details from another thread:-
https://slickdeals.net/f/17735319-linksys-ln1301-tri-band-ax4200-wifi-6-wireless-router-20-free-shipping?p=1753
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With wireless mesh (instructions below), it's one heck of a deal and blows DECO AX5000 deal out of the water, imho.
EDIT: UPDATED instructions for enabling MESH (thanks to @rbtcordell for the original source):
1-Setup your Main router completely.
2-Plug your child node using the wan port to the main router lan port, wait for a solid purple light on the child node before proceeding
3-Log into your main router web admin.
4-Click on CA at the bottom right.
5-Click on Connectivity and CA Router setup.
6-Click on both Add Wired and Add Wireless nodes buttons. Wait for the Add wireless button to re-enable.
7-Click Done adding Child Nodes and then Apply.
8-Now the child node light should start flashing purple and turn into a mesh mode when it turns blue.
9-Disconnect Ethernet and wait for blue light again.
10-Move node to desired location.
https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/v...?p=1304991
openwrt release notes
https://github.com/asd333111/open...ax-fd13d50
disassembly photos for the curious
https://imgur.com/a/linksys-ln130...ly-YJM1qfw
qualcommax: ipq807x: add support for Linksys MX4300 (LN1301)
Hardware specification:
========
SoC: Qualcomm IPQ8174
Flash: 1GB (Micron MT29F8G08ABBCAH4 or AMD/Spansion S34MS08G2)
RAM: 2GB (2x Kingston B5116ECMDXGJD or ESMT M15T2G16128A DDR3L)
Ethernet: 4x 10/100/1000Mbps (Qualcomm QCA8075)
WiFi1: 5GHz ax 2x2 (Qualcomm QCN5054 + Skyworks SKY85755-11) - channels 36-64 (low band)
WiFi2: 2.4GHz ax 2x2 (Qualcomm QCN5024 + Skyworks SKY85340-11)
WiFi3: 5GHz ax 4x4 (Qualcomm QCN5054 + Skyworks SKY85755-11) - channels 100-177 (high band)
LED: 1x RGB status (NXP PCA9633)
USB: 1x USB 3.0
Button: WPS, Reset
1. Disable DHCP (optional)
2. Set the device to Bridge Mode under Connectivity tab
3. Connect cable from your router to a LAN port.
4. Get some nail polished and a round sticker to cover the annoying flashing right light.
5. Click the 'AC' at the bottom of the page to see the detail configurations of wifi.
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1.2K Comments
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otherwise it takes some setup to mesh
Is the OpenWRT/DDWRT support sufficient for the mesh feature or should I stick with the stock firmware for now?
I'm comfortable getting my hands dirty in software but a quick scan on the linked thread seems to show that there's no way to revert to stock without a serial tty which I assume involves soldering, I don't want to do that.
Thanks everyone.
Given how cheap these are a reasonable option to do a proper mesh would be to buy 4 of them. Set one of them up in the basement with the wan port connected to the ATT router/modem combo and then the other three setup as mesh nodes using the wired backhaul. That would give you a total of 4 all working together and clients should pretty quickly and smoothly switch between them. Might not need all 4 depending on where the Office is relative to the Living room and upstairs. You could also use the other ethernet ports on the mesh nodes so things in the office can still be on the wired ethernet even if you have a mesh node there. You'd also want to see if you can set your combo modem/router to bridge mode. I am assuming you haven't already done so because you have computers directly on ethernet in the office so you still need the router functionality and the stuff on your Netgear router is just behind two routers.
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I know TP-Link, for example, has been in the news this week for being scrutinized and having more vulnerabilties: https://industrialcyber
Also, does anyone know how stable and secure the stock firmware is on these from an outside hacker perspective? Are they any WORSE than, say, an old Spectrum/Charter Wave Wifi 5 router that, AFAIK has never and will never get security updates?
Just curious. I have a friend that has one and was thinking this might be a great solution to her performance issues but don't want to make her home network any less secure than it already is.
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