This page includes most basic settings needed to configure the network. It's divided into sections including MultiWAN, WAN Settings, Ethernet Ports Configuration, LAN and Wireless setttings.

Number of WAN ports: lets you select the number of WAN ports to be used on the device.

On models with 1 physical WAN interface, only “1 WAN” can be selected. Other options are greyed out.

Tune route cache: is used for MultiWAN configurations with load balancing.

Recommended when 2 or more WANs have weight larger than “0”. It uses kernel tweaks to improve workload sharing.

For details, see the Notes section below.

Check Connections Every: makes FreshTomato automatically test WAN link reliability.

It sets how often the router tests its Internet connection. Any option but Disabled runs the Watchdog script.

Watchdog uses ping/traceroute to test WAN connection status. (Default: Disabled).

Any option but Disabled makes “Target 1” and “Target 2” fields appear.

• Target 1 - the address of the first host to ping
  (Default: Google.com)
• Target 2 - the address of the second host to ping
  (Default: Microsoft.com)
  
  

Settings here are used to configure the WAN interface. These settings depend on your ISP.

Depending on the selected type, specific connection settings will be shown or hidden.

Type: sets the connection mode the WAN interface uses to connect to your ISP. (Default: DHCP).

• DHCP - your ISP's DHCP server dynamically assigns a WAN IP lease to FreshTomato.
  • DHCP doesn't use authentication.
    
    

• PPPoE - the WAN port responds to authentication requests from the ISP's PPPoE server.
  • Usually used on DSL networks.
  • FreshTomato stores the PPPoE username/password assigned by your ISP.
  • If authentication succeeds, the PPPoE server allows logon to the ISP network,
    and a DHCP server assigns you a WAN IP lease.
  • Leave the Service Name field blank.
  • Starting with release 2021.3, support for Baby Jumbo Frames (RFC 4638)
    was added to the Miscellaneous menu.
  • When using Baby Jumbo Frames, set MTU to 1500, to be consistent with the
    Baby Jumbo Frames change. (See Notes).
    
    

• Static - will configure your WAN port with a static IP.
  • You must manually enter these settings in FreshTomato, from your ISP:
    • Static IP address
    • Subnet mask
    • Gateway address
    • DNS server addresses
  • This mode is usually used for business, when an IP address mustn't change.
    
    

• PPTP - configures the WAN port to use Microsoft's PPTP protocol to connect.
  • This section requires you to enter:
    • a username
    • password
    • gateway server settings (given by your ISP).
      
      

• L2TP - configures the WAN port to connect using Layer Two Tunneling Protocol.
  • FreshTomato requires you enter the following, provided by your ISP:
    • L2TP username
    • Password
    • L2TP server static IP address
    • Subnet mask
    • Gateway setting
      
      

• 3G modem - enables support for 3G cellular USB modems.
  • To detect modems, enable USB and 3G/4G/5G modem support in USB Support.
    
    

• 4G/LTE - enables support for 4th generation cellular/LTE USB modems.
  • When using 4G, PIN code and APN fields appear. You must enter these settings.
  • To detect modems, enable USB and 3G/4G/5G modem support in USB Support.
    
    

• Disabled - disables the physical WAN port on the router.
  • This makes your device function only as a switch (if it has that function) and/or;
  • It may effectively make your device function as a WiFi A/P (if capable).
    
    

Wireless Client Mode: enables FreshTomato's Wireless Client mode.

This lets the router act as a client (WiFi adapter) to connect to another router/AP.
(For details, see Wireless Mode tables below).

• Disabled - wireless Client mode will be disabled.
• 2.4 GHz - wireless Client mode will be enabled on the 2.4 GHz band.
• 5 GHz - wireless Client mode will enabled on the 5 GHz band.

Load Balance Weight: appears only when number of WANs > 1. Valid settings are (0 - 256).

When FreshTomato is in a MultiWAN configuration, it performs load sharing on the link traffic.

Giving each interface a Load Balance Weight adjusts how it participates in MultiWAN activities.

Load sharing is done on a per-session basis to avoid issues with interactive traffic like:

1. Real-time voice
2. Video
3. RDP.

Using per-packet loadsharing isn't recommended in cases where link speeds vary. It would generate out-of-order packets, and in doing so, could make interactive traffic unusable.

Example: Load Balance Weight: 0 (Failover)

If “0” is used, FreshTomato won't route traffic when other WAN interfaces are functioning. However, if all other WAN interfaces with weight “1” or higher fail, a WAN connection with weight “0” will automatically enable. Then, when the interface with weight “0” is automatically enabled, it is assigned a weight of “1”. Such functionality is commonly used as a failover configuration.

For example, let's say:

• There are 2 WANs
• WAN0=“weight 0”
• WAN1=“weight 1”
  

In this example, routing would proceed as follows:

1. When the failure of WAN1 is detected, WAN0 will activate
   (assigned with weight: “1”) and begin routing packets.
2. Later, WAN1 recovers its connectivity. As soon as FreshTomato
   notices, (seconds/minutes), WAN0 will be reset to idle status
   while traffic is rerouted through the revived WAN1.

Recovery back to the originally-active interface is called preempting. It's the default (fixed) behavior.


Example: Load Balance Weight: 1

Any value > “0” makes an interface actively route packets.

A weight of “1” isn't very meaningful, since weights are relative. Each weight is compared to others to direct functionality.

A good way to understand this is:

• “1=100%
• “0=0%”
• Thus, if WAN0=“weight 0” and WAN1=“weight 1”, WAN1 would handle 100% of the traffic.

Example: Load Balance Weight: 5

Basically, an interface set to weight: “5” would handle 5 new sessions before any other interface was used.

For example, say we have 3 WANs, as follows:

• WAN0 = weight 0
• WAN1 = weight 1
• WAN2 = weight 5

In this example, routing would proceed as follows:

1. WAN0 would be used only if WAN1 and WAN2 are failing/unable to route.
2. WAN1 would handle the first new LAN client session through the router.
3. WAN2 is set to handle the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth sessions.
4. The seventh new session would be treated as another, first new LAN client,
   so would start again from WAN1.
5. WAN2 would then handle the next five new sessions, (eighth through twelfth).
   
   

These settings affect only outbound traffic. Return traffic tries to return via the WAN interface it came from.

Allocation of a new session to a WAN is dynamic. You can set which traffic is allocated to which interface in MultiWAN routing.
Such settings are also known as “sticky settings”.

Modem device: here, specify the 3G/4G/5G modem's Linux device path/filename.

• If unsure, check the modem is listed in 3G/4G/5G Dongle compatibility.
• If it isn't detected, enable 3G/4G/5G modem and USB support in USB Support.
• If WAN type is 3G or 4G/LTE, fields appear asking for more information.
• The Default device filename is the first serial device on the first USB port: (/dev/ttyUSB0).
  • The “tty” part of the filename represents a serial device.
  • “USB0” in the filename means the device is connected to the first USB port.
  • Devices listed as ”/ttyUSB“ use the newer Serial→USB device driver framework.
• “ACM” in the device name type means the device type is: “Abstract Control Model”

To get modem details, log on to FreshTomato via Telnet/SSH and use the “lsusb” or “dmesg” commands .

PIN Code: the 3-digit PIN code for the SIM card associated with your cell account.

• Leave this blank if your SIM card code was deactivated.
  
  

Modem init string: here, enter the modem's default initialization string.

• Your cellular provider or modem manufacturer gives you this. (Default: *99#).
  
  

APN: the access point name (provided by your cell carrier).

• Sets a gateway to route data between the carrier and the Internet. (Default: internet).
  
  

Username: the (carrier-provided) username to access your cell carrier's APN gateway.

• Some carriers don't require this.
  
  

Password: the (carrier-provided) password to authenticate to your cell carrier's APN gateway.

• Some carriers do not require this.
  
  

Network Type: appears when WAN type is set to 4G/LTE. (Default: 4G/3G/2G).

• The default makes FreshTomato start negotiating with a 4G connection.
  If that fails, it falls back to negotiating 3G. Finally, it tries a 2G connection.
  
  

DNS Server:

• AUTO - FreshTomato uses DNS server addresses in your ISP's
  DHCP lease.
• Manual - enables DNS server functions in dnsmasq. “DNS 1”
  and “DNS 2” fields appear.
  • DNS 1 - enter DNS server 1 address here.
  • DNS 2 - enter DNS server 2 address here.

Manually-set DNS servers can be helfpul if your ISP's DNS servers are slow/unreliable.

MTU: sets the Maximum Transmission Unit, (Ethernet frame size) for traffic between WAN and LAN.

This is for the WAN interface only and won't affect LAN traffic.

• (Default: 1500) - good for most Ethernet devices.
  Choosing it greys out the Manual field.
• Manual - lets you set a custom value. Jumbo Frames
  start at 2000 bytes.

Different MTU sizes across devices may cause issues.

Use DHCP: this is rarely used. Usually, you should leave it disabled.

• A few Internet providers separate addressing from PPPoE functions.
  
  

Single Line MLPPP: is outdated, and rarely used nowadays.

This Multilink PPP version lets a modem bond the bandwidth of multiple PPPoE sessions.

A side effect was that it bypassed some ISPs' bandwidth throttling.

Route Modem IP: lets you access a modem “behind a router” with a quick setting change.

• When using separate modem and router, usually the modem is in bridge mode or
  PPPoE passthrough mode. This makes it hard to access the modem's LAN interface,
  as it's “behind” the router.
• The router's WAN interface has a public address, but the modem is reachable
  only via a private LAN address.
• Private addresses aren't routable, so by default, FreshTomato blocks any traffic
  on a path of: LAN —> WAN —> (MODEM with PRIVATE IP).
• Route Modem IP adds a static route to the routing table, giving the modem a
  private address on a /32 subnet. This makes the private address reachable via
  the WAN interface, and thus via the LAN.
• The mask allows only one host, so only the modem is reachable on that subnet.

.

(Default: Off)

Query Hilink Modem IP: is for Huawei USB modems with Hilink mode.

It lets you communicate with a modem in Hilink mode connected to a LAN device other than the router.

It can be used to monitor modem statistics/signal strength. (Default: Disabled).

Call Custom Status Script: TBD.

Connect Mode: chooses the method to keep the router connected to the Internet provider.

• Connect on Demand - makes the router disconnect from the ISP after
  the Max Idle Time. FreshTomato reconnects to the Internet as soon as
  a LAN client requests Internet access.
• Some ISPs drop a connection if their router detects no Internet activity.
  • Keepalive * - makes FreshTomato send keepalive packets at brief,
    specified intervals. This makes the ISP “see” intermittent activity
    when no clients request
    Internet access.
• Redial Interval - how often the router checks the Internet connection.
  (Default: 10 seconds). This minimizes Internet connection response time,
  since usually the connection will be up.

(Default: Keepalive).

Redial Interval: if PPPoE dialing fails, this delays attempts for a defined number of seconds.

This allows more time for the PPPoE server/network equipment to restart properly before re-establishing a PPPoE link.
(Default: 10 seconds).

LCP Echo Interval: Link Control Protocol exchanges frames between two peers to check they're connected.

• LCP Echo Interval is the time between these signals.
• Usually used to check a DSL modem's PPPoE is connected to the ISP.
• (Default: 10 seconds).

LCP Echo Link fail limit: how many failed LCP echo requests between peers before a link is deemed down.

• The client DSL modem will then drop the PPPoE link.
• LCP will then try to renegotiate a new PPPoE session.

Disable Watchdog: disables the Watchdog function, for only the WAN connection in the menu.
(Default: Enabled/Tracert).

Watchdog Mode: regularly checks a given WAN connection is up.

This chooses the method used to test the connection.

• Traceroute *
• Ping

The Watchdog function supports connection types:

1. DHCP
2. PPPoE
3. PPTP
4. L2TP
5. 3G/4G/5G LTE

The LAN section includes information and settings to configure FreshTomato's LAN interface functions.

This includes:

1. LAN IP address and subnet mask
2. Spanning Tree Protocol function
3. DHCP server status/settings (via dnsmasq), such as scope and lease time
4. Stubby (DNS-over-TLS) setting and WINS settings

Bridge: lets you selects the bridge whose LAN settings will be modified

STP: enables Spanning Tree Protocol to prevent forwarding loops in switches.

The default (off) is recommended, unless you are highly experienced.

IP Address: the IP Address to assign to the specified LAN interface.

FreshTomato supports Class A/B/C networks. (Default: 192.168.1.1).

Netmask: the subnet mask associated with FreshTomato's LAN IP address.

(Default: 255.255.255.0 - class “C” netmask).

DHCP: enables DHCP server functions in dnsmasq. (Default: Off)

IP Range (first/last): the range of IP addresses the DHCP server will assign to LAN clients. In the top field, enter the first valid address in the subnet. In the bottom field, enter the last address.

Lease Time (mins.): the DHCP lease time, in minutes. (Default: 1440).

Automatic IP: lets FreshTomato obtain a LAN IP via DHCP. Since release 2022.6, this option is supported if the router is in:

- AP Mode - Wireless Ethernet Bridge (WEB) Mode - Media Bridge Mode.

After saving settings, the router's new default address is 192.168.1.1 until it obtains DHCP data.
===== Ethernet Ports State - Configuration ===== These settings are for the Ethernet Ports State graphic in the Overview menu. For each port, Link status, Link speed and Diagnostic information are shown.

Enable Ports State: Checking this enables the Ethernet Ports State graphic. (Default: On).

Show Speed Info: Checking this displays the link speed of each port, (1GB/100MB/10MB). (Default: On).

Invert ports order: Displays port icons in in the opposite order from where they are on the hardware. This is useful when the sequence of display icons doesn't match the actual locations on the router. (Default: Off). ===== Wireless Band Steering ===== This feature makes FreshTomato assess on which band a client device should connect, and then “nudges” the client towards that band.

When enabled, these settings are saved to NVRAM, then replicated from the first wireless radio to all other radios:
- SSID - Broadcast - KEY1-4 - Shared Key - Encryption - Radius Key - Radius Port - Radius IP
(Visibility depends on the wireless security selected) Among the wireless settings that will NOT be replicated are:
* Channel * Channel Width * Wireless Network Mode * Band (2.4 / 5 GHz) * Country Code/Rev * Beamforming
Client devices also may try to switch bands on their own, without the influence of Wireless Band Steering. This feature is available since release 2020.8 (for ARM hardware only). See the Notes section for more details.
==== Wireless (2.4 GHz / interface eth1) ==== The Wireless (2.4 GHz) section displays information and settings for the 2.4 GHz wireless interface. Your device may show a different device name than eth1. Hardware device numbers begin at “0”. The first Ethernet device might be called “eth0”. The second might be called “wl1”.
Enable Wireless: When checked, enables the 2.4 GHz WiFi interface. When unchecked disables that interface.

MAC Address: Displays the MAC address of the 2.4 GHz WiFi interface. Clicking this takes you to the MAC Address page, to specify a custom address for this interface.

Wireless Mode: Here, choose the wireless mode (function) of the 2.4 GHz WiFi interface.


^ ^ Table: 2.4 GHZ Interface Wireless Modes ^ | Wireless Mode | Description | |
Access Point |
The (default) setting, which allows clients to connect to FreshTomato's wireless networks.

- IPv4 & IPv6 communication work for both MIPS and ARM.
| |
Access Point WDS |
Sets the router in “repeater mode”, allowing clients to connect via wireless while simultaneously acting as a
WDS Wireless Distribution System base station.

| |
Wireless Client |
The router connects to another router/access point as any other wireless client device would.

- Wireless Client mode works for:
MIPS devices (SDK5: RT and RT-N images)
ARM devices (SDK6 & SDK7 & SDK714) starting with release 2021.5
- This mode does not work yet on SDK6 MIPS RT-AC builds.
(The option will be removed from the GUI starting with Release 2024.3)
- Only one wireless radio can be used in this mode. Other radio modules, (if present), can be used in Access Point mode.
- Disable band steering if using this mode (at least for the initial setup. Advanced users may adjust NVRAM values for band steering).
- The recommended security setup for WiFi connections is WPA2 Personal with AES.
- If no connection is possible using the above, try WPA / WPA2 Personal + AES.
- This is the recommended security setup for MIPS SDK5 (RT and RT-N) wireless client mode).

| |
Wireless Ethernet Bridge |
Configures FreshTomato to connect to another router.
All clients connected to both routers remain in the same subnet.

- Since Wireless Ethernet Bridge 1.19, this mode must have security set to WPA2 to work properly.
- IPv4 communication works for MIPS and ARM builds.
- IPv6 communication will be blocked (Bug within wl driver =⇒ router may crash; Use Media Bridge Mode for IPv6 support)
- ARM SDK7 not working/possible (Option will be removed from the GUI starting with Release 2024.3)
- ARM SDK6 & SDK714 working correctly
- MIPS SDK5: RT and RT-N working correctly
- MIPS SDK6 RT-AC not working/possible (Option will be removed from the GUI starting with Release 2024.3)
- Do not enable wireless band steering (BSD) while this mode is enabled.

Recommendation: Use this interface only to connect to your main AP (no virtual interfaces). Other radio modules present can be used, for example, in A/P mode.

| |
Media Bridge Mode |
Configures FreshTomato to connect to another router/access point. \\
All clients connected to both routers remain in the same subnet.

- Support for this mode is available starting with release 2021.6 .
- This mode is similar to Wireless Ethernet Bridge mode for SDK6 and up (only for MIPS RT-AC images and all ARM images).
- Recommendations: Use Wireless Ethernet Bridge mode for MIPS RT and RT-N builds (like the RT-N16, E4200v1).
- This Mode is not supported in SDK5 (RT / RT-N) builds.
- ARM SDK6 & SDK7 & SDK714 working correctly
- MIPS SDK6 RT-AC working correctly
- Both IPv4 and IPv6 communication function well. You don't need to enable IPv6 via the web interface. IPv6 traffic will work.
- Do not enable wireless band steering (BSD) if this mode is enabled.

Reccomendation: use this interface only to connect to your main A/P (not to virtual interfaces). Other present radio modules can be used, for example, in A/P mode.

| |
WDS |
Serve as a Wireless Distribution System (WDS) base station only.

| | Table derived from (Creative Commons) Wikibooks - “Tomato Firmware/Menu Reference” Wireless Mode Selections ||

Wireless Network Mode: select which 802.11 WiFi protocols to make available to clients. The network modes available here will depend on your hardware.
* Auto: * - router/WiFi clients automatically negotiate the best protocol. * Recommended, unless you have advanced networking skills. * Incompatibilities may exist. * The best settings may not be obvious. * B Only - allows WiFi clients to connect using only 802.11b. * G Only - allows WiFi clients to connect using only 802.11n. * B/G Mixed - allows clients to connect using 802.11b/802.11g. * N only - allows clients to connect using only the 802.11n.
These apply only to the 2.4 GHz interface. Any 5 GHz interface will have separate Mode settings.
SSID: the network name (Service Set IDentifier) for the 2.4 GHz WiFi interface. For security, don't include personal identity, address, location, or equipment type. Single dictionary words are also very poor for security. (Default: FreshTomatoXX, where “XX” is the two band numbers.) On a 2.4 GHz network, the default SSID is: “FreshTomato24”.

Broadcast: enables SSID broadcasting. This “announces” the SSID, so it's easy to find and connect to. SSIDs are easily sniffed with common software. Contrary to some claims, disabling Broadcast provides little security increase.

Channel: the channel on which the 2.4 GHz interface operates. Generally, choose a different channel than your neighbours'. (Default: Auto).
* Auto* - This default is generally safe unless there's too much interference from
other, nearby equipment.
FreshTomato chooses/uses the channel it senses has the least interference. * Channel - lets you manually choose available channels on the band.
Unavailable channels won't appear.

Channel Width: lets you choose the (frequency) width of the channel.
* 20 MHz * 40 MHz
802.11n can use 40 MHz channel width, but to maintain legacy compatibility, it uses one main 20 MHz channel plus a free adjacent channel 20 MHz above or below the main channel.

Control Sideband: lets you choose whether the extra sideband channel used is above (Upper) or below (Lower) the main channel used. (Default: Upper). This is only available If 20 or 40 Channel Width is selected. * Upper * * Lower

Security: Here, choose the security protocol used on the 2.4 GHz WiFi interface.
* Disabled - disables all security, leaving the network open to anyone.
Avoid using this. It is a basically an unlimited security risk. * WEP - enables Wired Equivalent Privacy protocol. Avoid this. It's obsolete
due to serious vulnerabilities, including weak encryption. * WPA Personal - enables WiFi Protected Access Protocol 1.x. * Uses the RC4-based TKIP protocol. * Lets hosts exchange pre-shared keys, for more security. * More secure than WEP, but has weaknesses like lower encryption standards. * WPA2 is strongly encouraged instead. * WPA Enterprise: (AKA: WPA-802.1X) - is similar to WPA Personal,
but each user has his/her own username/password. * No common pre-shared key is used. * Doesn't require a RADIUS server. * Is more secure against dictionary attacks on short passwords. * Is suitable for larger, more formal networks. * WPA2 Personal - WiFi Protected Access version 2 uses parts of 802.11i. * Supports mandatory AES encryption, so much more secure than old protocols. * Recommended for small- to mid-sized, informal networks. * WPA2 Enterprise - enables the Enterprise version of WPA2. * Uses WPA2, but each user has their own WiFi username/passkey. * Is based on parts of 802.11i. * Doesn't require a RADIUS server. * Appropriate for larger, more structured networks. * WPA / WPA2 Personal - enables both protocols.
The router will communicate
via whatever it detects from the client. * WPA / WPA2 Enterprise - enables both protocols.
The router will communicated
via whatever it detects from the client. * RADIUS - enables Remote Access Dialup User Service. * Designed for larger organizations. * Uses a separate server to authenticate/permit/track users. * Supports authentication via certificates. * Is usually only for advanced users.

Shared Key: the authentication key for WiFi LAN clients. Asterisks display before inserting the cursor.

Group Key Renewal: sets how often encryption keys used between clients and router are rotated.
This is a part of the WPA protocol. (Default: 3600 seconds/1 hour).
The following limits apply to adjusting key rotation interval:
* Release 2023.5 and later: From 1 second to 2592000 seconds
[for ARM-based and MIPS RT-N / MIPS-RT-AC hardware]
Where: 0 = disabled (not advised). * Releases 2023.4 and earlier (for all hardware): 60 - 7200 seconds. ===== Wireless (5 GHz / interface eth2) ===== The Wireless (5 GHz) section displays settings and information for the 5 GHz WiFi network interface. Your device may show a different device name than eth1. FreshTomato hardware device numbers begin at 0.
For example, * The first Ethernet device might be called “eth0”. * The second wireless device might be called “wl1”.
Typically, the 5 GHz WiFi band has higher bandwidth, but shorter range than the 2.4 GHz band.
Enable Wireless: checking this enables the 5 GHz WiFi interface.

MAC Address: displays the MAC (hardware) address of the 5 GHz WiFi interface.
Clicking on this takes you to the MAC Address page to choose your own address for the interface.

Wireless Mode: lets you select the wireless mode (function) of the 5 GHz interface.


^ ^ Table: 5 GHz interface Wireless Mode ^ | Wireless Mode | Description | |
Access Point |
The (default) setting, which allows clients to connect to FreshTomato's wireless network(s).

- IPv4 & IPv6 communication work for both MIPS and ARM.
| |
Access Point WDS |
Sets the router in “repeater mode”, allowing clients to connect via WiFi while acting as a
WDS Wireless Distribution System base station.

| |
Wireless Client |
The router connects to another router/access point as any other wireless client device would.

- Wireless Client mode works for: MIPS devices (SDK5: RT and RT-N images) and
ARM devices (SDK6 & SDK7) starting with release 2021.5
- This mode does not yet work on SDK6 MIPS RT-AC images.
- Only one wireless radio can be used in this mode. Other radio modules present can be used in A/P mode.
- Disable Wireless Band Steering when in this mode during default setup.
(Advanced users can adjust band steering NVRAM values).
- [WPA2 Personal with AES] is the recommended security setup for WiFi connections.
- If connection won't establish using the above, try [WPA / WPA2 Personal + AES]. This is the recommended security configuration for MIPS SDK5 (RT and RT-N) wireless client mode.

| |
Wireless Ethernet Bridge |
Configures FreshTomato to connect to another router.
All clients connected to both routers remain in the same subnet.

- As of version 1.19, this mode must have security set to WPA2 to work properly.
- IPv4 communication works for MIPS and ARM builds.
- IPv6 communication will only work for FreshTomato 2021.1 SDK6 ARM Dual-Core and newer
- SDK7 not working/possible.
- Do not enable wireless band steering (BSD) while this mode is enabled.
- Recommendation: Use Wireless Ethernet Bridge only to connect to your main AP (no virtual interfaces). Other radio modules can be used, for example, in AP mode.

| |
Media Bridge Mode |
Configures FreshTomato to connect to another router/access point.

All clients connected to both routers remain in the same subnet.

- This new mode is similar to Wireless Ethernet Bridge mode for SDK6 and up (for MIPS RT-AC and all ARM images).
- Using Wireless Ethernet Bridge mode is recommended for MIPS RT and RT-N images (like the RT-N16, E4200v1).
- This Mode is not supported with SDK5 (RT / RT-N) builds
- Both IPv4 and IPv6 communication function. IPv6 traffic works without needing to enable IPv6 in the web interface. .
- Support for this mode started with release 2021.6.
- Do not enable wireless band steering with this mode enabled.
- You should use use Media Bridge interface to connect to your main AP only (no virtual interfaces). Other radio modules can be used, for example, in AP mode.

| |
WDS |
FreshTomato will act only as a Wireless Distribution System (WDS) base station.

| | Table derived from (Creative Commons) Wikibooks - “Tomato Firmware/Menu Reference” Wireless Mode Selections ||

Wireless Network Mode: Select the 802.11 WiFi protocols available to clients.
* Auto - FreshTomato/WiFi clients automatically negotiate the best WiFi protocol. * Recommended unless you're highly experienced with WiFi. * Compatibility issues may occur. The “logical” setting isn't always the best. * A Only - allows WiFi clients to connect using only 802.11a. * N Only - allows WiFi clients to connect using only 802.11n. * N/AC mixed - allows WiFi clients to connect using only 802.11ac or 802.11n. * AC Only - allows WiFi clients to connect using only 802.11ac.
(Default: Auto) Only releases 2021.8 and later have have a separate setting for 802.11ac. Any 2.4 GHz band interface will have separate Mode settings. See the 2.4 GHz section.

SSID: the network name of the 5 GHz WiFi. For security, don't include personal words/phrases indicating youir name, identity, address, location, or equipment type. Single dictionary words also make for very poor security.

(Default: FreshTomatoXX, where “XX” is the digits in the band.) On a 5 GHz network, the default SSID is “FreshTomato50”.

Broadcast: enables SSID broadcasting. This “announces” the SSID, so it's easy to find. Contrary to claims, SSIDs are easily sniffed with common software. Disabling SSID Broadcast offers little security improvement.

Channel: selects the channel on which the 5 GHz WiFi interface will operate.. Generally, you should choose a different channel than the one your neighbours use.
* Auto: This default is usually safe unless there's too much interference from nearby equipment. * FreshTomato selects/uses the channel it believes has the least interference. * Channel: lets you manually choose from available channels on the band.
Unavailable channels won't appear.
Channel Width: lets you select the channel width (frequency-wise).
* 20 MHz * 40 MHz * 80 MHz * 160 MHz (not yet supported. May be supported on some SDK714 models)

Larger channel widths provide more speed/bandwidth if there's low interference. The 5GHz band is less prone to interference and noise, because on that band, 20 MHz channels don't overlap. Interference is more common on the 2.4 GHz band. Usually, it's fine to choose a larger channel width. However, if you see slow traffic, or clients having trouble authenticating/associating with the router, try a narrower channel width. 802.11n can use 40 MHz channel width. However, for legacy compatibility, it uses a main 20 MHz channel plus a free adjacent channel 20 MHz above or below the main one.

Control Sideband: select whether the extra channel used is above (Upper) or below (Lower) the main channel. This is available only if 40/80/160 MHz Channel Width is selected. (Default: Upper).

Security: lets you choose the security protocol to be used on the 2.4 GHz interface.
* Disabled - disables all security, leaving the network open to anyone. * Avoid using this. It's basically an unlimited security risk. * WEP - enables Wired Equivalent Privacy protocol. Avoid using this. * Obsolete due to serious vulnerabilities, such as weak encryption. * WPA Personal - enables WiFi Protected Access 1.x (with RC4-based TKIP protocol). * Lets hosts exchange pre-shared keys, for more security. * More secure than WEP, but problems include low encryption standards. * Strongly encouraged instead of WPA. * WPA Enterprise (or: “WPA-802.1X”) - similar to WPA Personal,
but each user has
their own username/password. * No common pre-shared key is used. * Doesn't require a RADIUS server. * Is more secure against short-password dictionary attacks. * Is suitable for larger, more formal networks. * WPA2 Personal - uses elements of the 802.11i standard. * Supports mandatory use of AES encryption. More secure than old protocols. * Is recommended for small/mid-sized informal networks. * WPA2 Enterprise - enables the Enterprise version of WPA2. * Uses WPA2, but each user has their own username/passkey. * Is based on parts of 802.11i. * Doesn't require a RADIUS server. * Is appropriate for larger, more structured networks. * WPA / WPA2 Personal - uses WPA2 Personal, and if that fails, WPA security. * WPA / WPA2 Enterprise - uses WPA2 Enterprise, and if that fails, WPA . * RADIUS - enables Remote Access Dialup User Service. * Is designed for larger organizations. * Uses a separate server to authenticate/permit/track users. * Supports authentication via certificates. * Suitable for advanced users.
Shared Key: the shared authentication key for WiFi LAN clients. Asterisks display until you click your cursor.

Group Key Renewal: sets how often encryption keys used between clients/router are rotated. This is part of the WPA protocol. See the first wireless radio unit for more details. (Default: 3600 seconds). ===== Network Notes and Troubleshooting ===== ==== Tune Route Cache ==== Specifically, enabling this option does the following:
<code bash> # 2018-01-19 # Reduce and flush the route cache to ensure a more synchronous load-balancing across multi-wan # https://vincent.bernat.im/en/blog/2011-ipv4-route-cache-linux /bin/echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/flush /bin/echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/secret_interval /bin/echo 0 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/min_delay /bin/echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/max_delay /bin/echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/gc_interval /bin/echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/gc_elasticity /bin/echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/gc_min_interval_ms /bin/echo 0 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/gc_min_interval /bin/echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/gc_thresh /bin/echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/gc_timeout #Causes connectivity issues if this value is too small, use defaults or tune accordingly /bin/echo 512 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/route/max_size </code>


==== Baby Jumbo Frames ==== Support for Baby Jumbo Frames is included since release 2021.3. It works only on gigabit routers. Not all ISPs support Jumbo Frames for PPPoE.
To enable Baby Jumbo Frames: * Go the Miscellaneous menu. Check Enable jumbo frame support .
The router will reboot. * In the Network menu, Set MTU to manual. For PPPoE operation,
enter an MTU of: 1500. (Usually, use packet size: 1492). * Clamping can be manually disabled, if needed. At a FreshTomato
command prompt: type: “nvram set tcp_clamp_disable=1” * Ping with packet size of 1472 to verify a working PPP MTU of 1500.
==== Wireless Band Steering ====
This example shows the default parameters to steer clients from the 2.4 GHz band to the 5 GHz band:

<code → Steer Policy: max=0 period=5 cnt=3 rssi=-52 phyrate_high=110 phyrate_low=0 flags=0x22 state=3 Rule Logic: OR RSSI: Greater than VHT: Allowed NON VHT: Allowed NEXT RF: NO PHYRATE (HIGH): Greater than or Equal to LOAD BALANCE: NO STA NUM BALANCE: NO PHYRATE (LOW): Less than N ONLY: NO </code>


This example shows default parameters to steer clients from the 5 GHz band to the 2.4 GHz band:

<code → Steer Policy: max=80 period=5 cnt=3 rssi=-82 phyrate_high=0 phyrate_low=0 flags=0x20 state=2 Rule Logic: OR RSSI: Less than or Equal to VHT: Allowed NON VHT: Allowed NEXT RF: NO PHYRATE (HIGH): Greater than or Equal to LOAD BALANCE: NO STA NUM BALANCE: NO PHYRATE (LOW): Less than N ONLY: NO </code>

For more details, see:
Smallnetbuilder.com: Asus RT-AC3200 Smart Connect-the Missing Manual