OpenWrt packages for prplMesh

This feed contains packages for enabling WFA Multi-AP on a router.

This work was sponsored by prpl Foundation.

What is WFA Multi-AP?

WFA Multi-AP networks utilize multiple APs that work together to ensure all areas of the home have complete Wi-Fi coverage and adapt to changing network conditions. See the links below for details.

• https://www.wi-fi.org/file/wi-fi-certified-easymesh-technology-overview
• https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/specifications
• https://www.wi-fi.org/news-events/newsroom/wi-fi-certified-easymesh-delivers-intelligent-wi-fi-networks
• https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-easymesh
• https://www.wi-fi.org/file/infographic-wi-fi-certified-easymesh
• https://www.wi-fi.org/file/wi-fi-certified-easymesh-highlights

How to add the prplMesh Feed to you OpenWrt/LEDE build

prplMesh requires a modified hostapd which is not yet in upstream OpenWRT. Therefore, you need to use multiap-upstream branch from https://git.openwrt.org/openwrt/staging/dangole.git

At the root of your OpenWrt/LEDE tree, add the following to your feeds.conf file:

src-git prplmesh https://github.com/prplfoundation/prplMesh-openwrt.git

Now to add the packages on your prplmesh feed to your OpenWrt/LEDE instance:

./scripts/feeds update prplmesh #retrieve the prplmesh feed from service/update to latest
./scripts/feeds install -p prplmesh #make all of the prplmesh feed packages available to the build

For more control over the package versions being installed, you can fork the feed using Github (and replace the src-git url) or maintaining a copy of the feed on your local system by using this line instead:

src-link prplmesh /full/path/to/feed/root

Configuring the system

prplMesh must be configured with at least an AL MAC address. Configuration is done in the prplmesh config of UCI. This contains one section of type prplmesh that contains the configuration of prplMesh itself, and additional sections of type registrar that contain the AP Autoconfiguration information for the controller. The prplMesh section must contain an option al_address with the AL MAC address.

To set up an unconfigured device that can be onboarded with push-button configuration, create an interface in UCI with the following configuration:

{
	"encryption": "wps",
	"device": "radio0",
	"mode": "sta",
	"network": "lan",
	"wps_pushbutton": "1",
	"multi_ap": "1"
}

At the moment, prplMesh does not yet detect the new interface, so it needs to be restarted by hand, with /etc/init.d/prplmesh restart.

Push-button configuration can be started with:

ACTION=pressed BUTTON=wps /etc/rc.button/wps

prplMesh will then start to perform AP-Autoconfiguration over the new interface. It will get the AP information from the controller and configure the APs.

To configure a controller, add sections of type registrar to the UCI configurationo of prplMesh. This section must at least contain the option ssid with the SSID to configure. It can also contain the option key with the encryption key, which sets WPA2-PSK on that SSID. Setting the option backhaul to 1 enables Multi-AP backhaul functionality on this AP. If also backhaul_only is set to 1, it is a backhaul-only AP, otherwise it is both backhaul and fronthaul. Finally, the bands can be selected with the band option: 1 for 2.4GHz, 2 for 5GHz, and 3 for both.

Installing OpenWrt with Purple Mesh on Turris Omnia for the first time

Materials

• Make sure you have a serial cable plugged into the 3 leftmost pins inside the Omnia next to the LED lights. Left to Right: Black Yellow Orange

• TFTP Server available on your network

• An Ethernet cable from the host computer to any Omnia Lan Port

• An ethernet cable in the Omnia Wan Port to a DHCP server for the network containing the TFTP Server

• Files:

  • omni-medkit-openwrt-mvebu-cortexa9-turris-omnia-initramfs.tar.gz
  • openwrt-mvebu-cortexta9-turris-omnia-sysupgade.img.gz

Setup

• Unzip the medkit file. It will create ./boot/dtb and ./boot/zImage

• Place these files on your TFTP server

• Plug your serial cable into the serial pins on the Omnia Left to Right: Black Yellow Orange

  • Note 4 pin should not be used.

• Connect to the Omnia over serial

• screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200

Ramdisk

• Reset the Omnia by holding in the reset until 4 lights are shown then release

• Omnia will reboot

• Interrupt uboot in the serial terminal console by hitting enter a few times

• Should get a => prompt

• Type dhcp

• this should get an ip address from the dhcp server

  • Note this will fail getting the tftp server because it’s not set

=>setenv serverip <TFTP server IP address>
=>tftpboot 0x01000000 zImage
=>tftpboot 0x02000000 dtb
=>bootz 0x01000000 – 0x02000000

• Once the boot is done, from another terminal copy the sysupgrad to the Omnia

$scp openwrt-mvebu-cortexta9-turris-omnia-sysupgade.img.gz [email protected]:/tmp 

• Log into the Omnia through ssh and run sysupgrade

$ssh [email protected]
=>sysupgrade /tmp/openwrt-mvebu-cortexta9-turris-omnia-sysupgade.img.gz

• This should chug and churn for a while with lights flashing. If all goes well, the Omnia will reboot itself and you should see on the serial console

OpenWRT. Wireless Freedom. OpenWrt SNAPSHOT r8703-e056a9cdbe (or some such)

Possible Issues

• If the Omnia gets in a weird state (e.g. can’t find kernel) reset the environment

env default -a
saveenv

• If all else fails, try reseting by holding in the reset until 4 lights are shown then release