Site Tools


basic-network

This is an old revision of the document!


Network

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 settings.

MultiWAN


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 > “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.

This sets how often the router tests a WAN connection. Any option but Disabled runs the Watchdog script.
and reveals the “Target 1” / “Target 2” fields.


  • 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)

(Default: Disabled).


WAN(x) Settings

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 uses no use authentication, so it is not secure.

  • PPPoE - The WAN port responds to authentication requests from the ISP PPPoE server.
    • Usually used on DSL networks.
    • The User Name. Password, Service Name, and Options fields appear.
    • Freshtomato stores the User Name / Password you enter.
    • If authentication succeeds, the PPPoE server allows logon to the ISP's network.
    • Since r2021.3, 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 enter these settings (from your ISP) in FreshTomato:
      • Static IP address
      • Subnet mask
      • Gateway address
      • DNS server addresses
    • This mode is usually for businesses, when an IP address mustn't change.

  • PPTP - configures the WAN port to use Microsoft PPTP protocol to connect.
    • The User Name, Password, Gateway, PPTP Gateway, Options fields appear.
      • After you enter the User Name / Password, FreshTomato stores them.
      • The other settings, if required, must be obtained from your ISP.

  • L2TP - configures the WAN port to connect using Layer Two Tunneling Protocol.
    • FreshTomato requires you enter the following, (from your ISP):
      • L2TP username, password, server static IP/subnet mask, gateway address.

  • 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 USB modems.
    • 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.


  • Disabled - disables the wireless Client mode.
  • 2.4 GHz - enables Wireless Client mode on the 2.4 GHz band.
  • 5 GHz - enables Wireless Client mode on the 5 GHz band.



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



In a MultiWAN configuration, FreshTomato 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. Remote Desktop / RDP


Per-packet loadsharing isn't recommended when link speeds vary. It can generate out-of-order packets, thus making 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”, then
    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 new sessions to a WAN is dynamic. You can set which traffic is allocated to each Interface (“sticky connection”) in MultiWAN routing.


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




  • Check your 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 input.
  • The Default device filename is the first serial device on the first USB port:
    • For example, (in ”/dev/ttyUSB0“), the “tty” represents a serial device.
    • “USB0” in the filename means the device is connected to the first USB port.
    • Devices listed as ”/ttyUSB“ use the Serial→USB device driver framework.
  • “ACM” in the device name type means a device type of: “Abstract Control Model”
  • To get modem details, log on via Telnet/SSH and use “lsusb” or “dmesg”.


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: 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.

  • This field appears only when PPPoE, PPTP, or L2TP is selected in the Type menu.


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

  • This field appears only when PPPoE, PPTP, or L2TP is selected in the Type menu.


Service Name: the service name of the connection with your ISP.

  • Most ISPs don't require a value here, so leaving it blank is usually fine.
    Rarely, there are small DSL or Fibre providers that require it. With those
    providers, if you don't include it, you won't be able to log on to their network.


Options: here, you can enter optional settings/parameters for certain connection types.

  • This field appears only when PPPoE, PPTP or L2TP is chosen as the Connection Type.


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: here, you configure the DNS servers to use for name resolution.




  • AUTO - FreshTomato uses DNS server addresses offered
    to your router in your ISP's
    DHCP lease.
  • Manual - enables DNS the server functions in dnsmasq.
    This makes the “DNS 1” and “DNS 2” fields appear.
    • DNS 1 - enter the IP address of your first DNS server here.
    • DNS 2 - enter the IP address of your second DNS server here.


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

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

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 - Enter a custom value. Jumbo Frames
    start at 2000 bytes.


Different MTU sizes across devices may cause issues.




Use DHCP: 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 now.

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

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


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




  • When using separate modem and router, usually the modem is in bridge mode or
    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.

This can be useful for monitoring modem statistics/signal strength. (Default: Disabled).

Call Custom Status Script: allows you to define and execute your own shell script.

This can be useful for monitoring or to report router status.


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.
    • IP to trigger connect - the IP address whose activity will make
      FreshTomato trigger a reconnection to the Internet.
    • Max idle time -
  • Keepalive *
    • Some ISPs drop they connection if they detect no Internet activity. This option 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.
    This minimizes Internet connection response time, as usually the connection
    will be up. (Default: 10 seconds).


(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 2 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 still connected to the ISP.
  • (Default: 10 seconds).


LCP Echo Link fail limit: how many failed LCP echo requests between peers before 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 setting allows you to choos 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


LAN

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. Enter the the last address in the bottom field.

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 in:


  1. AP Mode
  2. Wireless Ethernet Bridge Mode
  3. 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

Settings here are for the Ethernet Ports State graphic in the Overview menu. Link status, Link speed and Diagnostic information are shown for each port, .



Enable Ports State: 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 the opposite order from where they are on the hardware.

This is useful when the order of display icons doesn't match the physical locations on the router. (Default: Off).

Wireless Band Steering

This feature makes FreshTomato assess on which band a client should connect, then “nudge” it towards that band.



When enabled, these settings are saved to NVRAM, then replicated from the first WiFi radio to all other radios:


  1. SSID
  2. Broadcast
  3. KEY1-4
  4. Shared Key
  5. Encryption
  6. Radius Key
  7. Radius Port
  8. 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


This feature is available since r2020.8 (for ARM hardware only). See the Notes section for more details.

Client devices also may try to switch bands on their own, without the influence of Wireless Band Steering.


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: 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, that allows clients to connect to FreshTomato WiFi networks.

- IPv4 & IPv6 communication work for both MIPS and ARM.

Access Point WDS

Sets the router in “repeater mode”. Clients can connect via WiFi while
the router also acts as a Wireless Distribution System base station.


Wireless Client

The router connects to another router/AP as any other WiFi client would.

- Wireless Client mode works for:
- MIPS devices (SDK5: RT and RT-N images)
- ARM devices (SDK6 & SDK7 & SDK714) starting with r2021.5
- This mode does not yet work on SDK6 MIPS RT-AC builds.
(The option was removed from the GUI starting with r2024.3)

- Only one WiFi radio can be used in this mode.
- Other radio modules present can be used in AP mode.

- Disable band steering when in this mode, (at least for initial setup).
- Advanced users may adjust NVRAM values for band steering.

- The recommended WiFi security for this mode is WPA2 Personal/AES.
- If no connection is possible using the above, try those settings.
- This is especially true 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 WEB v1.19, this mode must have security set to WPA2 to work.

- IPv4 communication works for MIPS and ARM builds.
- IPv6 communication will be blocked.
- A bug in the Linux wl driver may cause crashes.
- For IPv6 support, use Media Bridge Mode.

- ARM SDK7 is not working/will never be possible.
- The option was removed from the GUI since r2024.3.
- ARM SDK6 & SDK714 work correctly
- MIPS SDK5: RT and RT-N work correctly
- MIPS SDK6 RT-AC not working/will never be possible
- (The option was removed from the GUI starting with r2024.3)

- Do not enable wireless band steering (BSD) when using this mode.

- Use this interface to connect only 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 started with r2021.6.
- Similar to Wireless Ethernet Bridge mode for SDK6 and up
- (only for MIPS RT-AC images + ARM images).

- Use Wireless Ethernet Bridge mode for MIPS RT / RT-N builds,
like the RT-N16, E4200v1.
- This Mode isn't supported in SDK5 (RT / RT-N) builds.
- ARM SDK6 & SDK7 & SDK714 work properly.
- MIPS SDK6 RT-AC work properly.

- Both IPv4 and IPv6 function well.
- You don't need to enable IPv6 via the GUI. IPv6 traffic just works.

- Don't enable wireless band steering (BSD) with this mode enabled.
Use this interface only to connect to your main A/P (not to virtual interfaces).
- Other 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: selects 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/equipment type. Single dictionary words are also 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.

Common software can easily sniff SSIDs. Contrary to 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 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 for backwards compatibility, it uses a main 20 MHz channel plus a free adjacent channel 20 MHz above/below the main channel.

Control Sideband: lets you choose whether the sideband channel used is above (Upper) or below (Lower) the main channel.

(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:


  • r2023.5 and later: From 1 second to 2592000 seconds
    [for ARM-based and MIPS RT-N / MIPS-RT-AC hardware]
    Where: 0 = disabled (not advised).
  • r2023.4 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 that allows clients to connect to FreshTomato wireless networks.

- IPv4 & IPv6 communication work for MIPS and ARM.

Access Point WDS

Sets the router in “repeater mode”, letting clients to connect via WiFi while acting as a
WDS Wireless Distribution System base station.


Wireless Client

The router connects to another router/AP like any other wireless client would.

- This mode works for:
- MIPS devices (SDK5: RT and RT-N images) and
- ARM devices (SDK6 & SDK7) starting with r2021.5
- This mode doesn't yet work on SDK6 MIPS RT-AC images.

- Only one WiFi radio can be used in this mode.
- Other radio modules present can be used in AP mode.

- Disable Wireless Band Steering with mode during initial setup.
(Advanced users can adjust band steering NVRAM values).

- WPA2 Personal with AES is the recommended security setup for WiFi connections,
especially for MIPS SDK5 (RT + RT-N)
- Try these settings if you cannot establish a connection.


Wireless Ethernet Bridge

Configures FreshTomato to connect to another router.
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 + ARM builds.
- IPv6 will only work for r2021.1 SDK6 ARM Dual-Core and later.

- SDK7 does not work/will not ever work in this mode.

- Do not enable wireless band steering (BSD) with this mode enabled.

- Use Wireless Ethernet Bridge to connect only 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/AP.
All clients connected to both routers remain in the same subnet.

- This 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 function properly. IPv6 traffic works without
needing to enable IPv6 in the web interface.

- Support for this mode started with r2021.6.

- Do not enable wireless band steering with this mode enabled.
- Use Media Bridge interface to connect only to your main AP (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 r2021.8 and later have have a separate setting for 802.11ac.

Any 2.4 GHz band interface will have separate Mode settings.

SSID: the network name of the 5 GHz WiFi.

For security, don't include personal words/phrases indicating your 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:


# 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




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:

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




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

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



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

basic-network.1756004499.txt.gz · Last modified: by hogwild · Currently locked by: hogwild