Linux on the Linksys WRT54G wireless router
O'Reilly Network: Linux on the Linksys [July 21, 2003]
So, we've known for a while that Linksys 802.11g unit (the WRT54G) runs linux underneath the hood, and O'Reilly Network: Rob Flickenger [July 21, 2003]
Rob FLickenger from Seattle wireless, and Author of the excellent Building Wireless Community Networks, 2nd Edition, talks about the struggle to get a custom linux onto this box.
If they succeed, this box, which is cheap, reasonably stable, and handles external antennas, could become the de facto standard for building low-cost wireless networks. Especially in the developing world, where a cheap embedded solution with no mechanical parts should, in most cases, outlast the P-based approach for complex access points.
Of course there have been wireless devices from a number of vendors which have been 'flashable' with linux for years, but the current market offering is kind of limited, and Linksys is the number one distributor of WiFi hardware in terms of units shipped, so let's hope the guys at SeattleWireless succeed in this mission.
A number of SeattleWireless geeks and I have been working on getting a shell on the Linksys WRT54G access point. It is in fact running Linux 2.4.5 with a number of interesting bits in the filesystem (namely full iptables support, zebra, bridging, and even a Rendezvous responder).
