Admin Access

The Admin Access menu contains settings for who is allowed to administer the router and access the network, how those users connect, and more. The Admin Access menu is divided into sections. These sections include Web Admin, SSH Daemon, Telnet Daemon, Admin Restrictions and Username/Password.

The Web Admin section has settings to control who can access FreshTomato's web interface, how, and from where. It also allows you to choose which menus stay nested or shown. Finally, it also has settings for the web interface's color scheme.

Local Access: This let you choose which web protocol(s) are allowed to communicate with the web interface via the LAN.
Port and Wireless access options will appear, depending on the selections you choose.

• Disabled - Choosing this disables all LAN access to FreshTomato's web interface via web protocols.
• HTTP - Choosing this allows LAN Ethernet clients to access the web interface via the HTTP protocol.
  • HTTP Port - Here, enter the port number on which you want HTTP administration traffic to flow. (Default: 80).
  • Allow Wireless Access - Checking this lets LAN WiFi clients access the web interface. (Default: enabled).
• HTTPS - Choosing this allows LAN Ethernet clients to access the web interface via the HTTPS (SSL-encrypted web) protocol.
  • HTTPS port: Here, enter the HTTPS port number to use. (appears only if HTTPS is among the chosen options).
  • Allow Wireless Access - Checking this lets LAN WiFi clients access the web interface via HTTPS. (Default: enabled).
• HTTP and HTTPS - Choosing this allows LAN Ethernet clients to access the web interface via both HTTP and HTTPS protocols.
  • HTTP Port - Here, enter the port number on which you want HTTP administration traffic to flow. (Default: 80).
  • HTTPS port: Here, enter the HTTPS port number to use. (appears only if HTTPS is among the chosen options).
  • Allow Wireless Access - Checking this lets LAN WiFi clients access the web interface. (Default: enabled).

Common Name (CN): Here, enter the human-friendly name of the SSL web administrative certificate you wish to generate.

Regenerate: TBD.

Save in NVRAM: TBD.

Remote Access: This lets you choose whether and how a user can remotely access FreshTomato's web interface.

• Disabled - This prevents all access to FreshTomato's web interface via the WAN port/Internet.
  Only LAN clients will be able to access the web interface. For security reasons, this is
  the default and recommended setting.
• HTTP - This allows web access to FreshTomato's WAN interface/Intenet via the
  HTTP web protocol.
• HTTPS - This allows web access to FreshTomato's WAN interface/Internet via the
  HTTPS (SSL-encrypted web) secure protocol.

Unmount JFFS during upgrade: Checking this unmounts any existing JFFS partition during firmware upgrades. !

Allow Remote Upgrade: Enabling this allows authenticated Internet/WAN clients to perform firmware upgrades via the web interface.

Remote Access: This menu lets you specify which, if any protocols will be allowed when remotely accessing the web interface.

• Disabled - No Remote access to the web interface will be permitted.
• HTTP - Remote access via the HTTP protocol will be permitted.
• HTTPS - Remote access via the HTTPS protocol will be permitted.

Allow Wireless Access: Checking this allows WiFi and Ethernet clients to access the web interface. (Default: Disabled).

Directory with GUI files: Here, select the directory which contains the files that provide the graphical web interface.
CAUTION: Do not change this setting unless you're experienced. An error could prevent you from accessing the web interface.

Theme UI: This lets you choose the color scheme (theme) used for the web interface pages. (Default: Default).

Open Menus: Checking a menu name here will show all its submenus as open. Unchecked menu will display their submenus as nested.

Secure SHell is a tunneling protocol that allows you to make secure local and remote connections to the FreshTomato router. With the help of the Dropbear service, it also allows you to make SSH connections though the router, to LAN clients. Setings here enable or disable the SSH and the Dropbear daemon, and configure their operation.

Enable at Startup: Checking this starts the SSH Daemon when the router boots. (Default: Enabled).

Extended MOTD: Checking this enables the Message of the Day function. This displays a custom message when you first log in via Telnet. The message can be important information, updates about the system or just a personal greeting.

Remote Access: Checking this allows SSH connections from remote WAN/Internet clients. (Default: Disabled).

Remote Forwarding: Checking this enables the Dropbear service. This service/daemon provides SSH services on the router and supports SSH port tunneling/forwarding. Do not confuse this with standard (local) Port Forwarding.

For example, let's say you want to be able to access a Windows PC on your LAN via Remote Desktop, but you don't want the security risk of opening up a port for RDP to the Internet via standard Port Forwarding. Instead, you can make an SSH connection into the router with an SSH port tunnel/forward configured (example: 127.0.0.1:1234 gets tunnelled/forwarded through SSH to 192.168.1.66:3389. This way, when you're connected via SSH to the router, you can open up RDP on the machine running the SSH client, and connect to 127.0.0.1:1234 and you're securely connected to 192.168.1.66 on your LAN. All traffic flows through SSH, and thus is encrypted. (RDP already uses encryption, but it's weaker than that provided by SSH).

Port: Here, can enter the port number on which SSH traffic will flow. Changing from the default is recommended, as port 22 is being constantly scanned by hackers. (Default: 22).

Allow Password Login: Checking this let clients login via SSH with only the normal administrative username and password. No authorized encryption key is needed. When disabled, SSH will require an authorized key to allow log on.

Authorized Keys: Here you can enter one or more encryption keys which authorize an SSH client to access to the LAN.

Stop Now: Clicking this button immediately stops the SSH daemon. SSH will start again at the next bootup. After clicking Stop Now, the button will display as “Start Now”. Clicking this will immediately start the SSH daemon.

(Terminal EmuLation over the NEtwork) is a protocol which allows LAN and remote connections via a command-line interface. Unlike SSH, Telnet is not a secure protocol.

Enable at Startup: Checking this enables the Telnet Daemon, allowing connections to FreshTomato via Telnet.

Port: Here, you can enter the port number on which Telnet connections will be made to the router. (Default: 23).

Stop Now / Start Now: Clicking this button immediately stops the Telnet Daemon. The daemon will restart at the next reboot (if Enable at Startup is checked). When the Daemon has stopped, this button will display as “Start Now”. Clicking Start Now immediately starts the Daemon. When Telnet is finished starting, the text on this button will change back to “Stop Now”.

Allowed Remote IP Address: Here, enter the IP addresses/DNS names of hosts you want to allow to connect to the router's web interface. Addresses can be individual, comma-separated or a range separated by a dash (1.1.1.1-2.2.2.2). This applies to local and remote administration via HTTP(S), SSH and Telnet.

Limit Connection Attempts: Here, specify whether SSH or Telnet connection attempts will be limited to a certain number of attempts (n) at a certain frequency (f). (Default: 3 connection attempts allowed every 60 seconds).

Checking SSH limits the number of SSH connection attempts to number “n” at frequency “f”. Checking Telnet limits the number of Telnet connection attempts similarly.

Here, you can set FreshTomato's main logon Username and Password. You are strongly urged to change these from the default to keep the network secure.

Username: Here, enter the FreshTomato logon Username to set. Leaving this field empty sets the username as the default, of: “root”.

Password: Here, enter the FreshTomato logon password to set. (Default: “admin”).

Re-enter to confirm: In this field, enter the password again to confirm it's correct. It will be changed only when the text entered here and in the Password field match exactly.