New Test Firmware 26091303bro

Community Neanderfunk - Mettmann District
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Testing Release Notes 26091303bro

Neanderfunk Test Firmware (broken) based on Gluon v2023.2.6

Firmware version: 26091303bro, built on September 13, 2026. The images are available at Freifunk Neanderfunk Firmware Seite

Compared to the test version from the previous day (26091213bro), new features include: improved stability for dual-band routers with limited RAM, no more constant load on mesh VPN without internet, realistic channel utilization on the map, and the SSH commands vpn and flash (details below).

This is a test version. It contains lots of new features from the last two weeks, but is not yet final. If you’d like, flash it to a router, take a look around, and report what you notice: what works well and what doesn’t.

Please send feedback to:

Getting the Test Firmware onto Your Router

SSH into your router and paste this single line:

U=http://imageslive.ffdus.de/images2023.2ad;C=$(uci get autoupdater.broken.mirror|cut -d/ -f6);T=$C;grep -q '"ssh-' /lib/gluon/site.json&&T=$C-key;for D in $(wget -qO- $U/|grep -o 'images-[0-9]*'|sort -ru);do M=$U/$D/$T/$C/sysupgrade;wget -qO- $M/broken.manifest|grep ^BRANCH>/dev/null&&break;M=;done;echo ${M:-kein Image fuer $T};[ "$M" ]&&{ :>/tmp/au;(trap '' HUP;exec autoupdater -f -b broken $M)>>/tmp/au 2>&1 </dev/null& tail -f /tmp/au& sleep 60;kill $!;exit;}
  • The line searches for the latest finished test firmware for your router’s domain, with or without SSH keys, just as before.
  • The update runs in the background. You’ll see the output for one minute, then your session will log off automatically. After that, the router flashes and restarts, which takes a few minutes.
  • The line doesn’t change your configuration. With the next stable release, your router will automatically switch back to stable.
  • If it says „No new firmware available“, your router is already on this version or newer.

Setup (Setup Mode)

  • New design: Everything on one page, and your input won’t be lost when switching. Works on mobile phones in portrait mode with dark mode support. Errors are explained directly at the field. And the setup now displays the Neanderfunk logo :slightly_smiling_face:

  • Easier to reach: In addition to http://192.168.1.1, you can now also use http://setup.gluon or http://gluon.setup.

  • Setup via WiFi, without cable: In setup mode, the router creates its own WiFi network.

    • Name: setup.gluon_ plus the last 4 characters of the MAC address
    • Password: freifunk_ plus the first 2 characters, all lowercase
    • Example: From the MAC address 28:d1:27:db:33:f1, the WiFi becomes setup.gluon_33f1 and the password becomes freifunk_28.

    After connecting, the setup page opens automatically. After 20 minutes, the setup WiFi shuts down; you can continue via cable.

  • New settings:

    • Allow or prevent node placement: The community can then move the router to a different domain without visiting on site.
    • Assign WiFi button, for example as night mode with LEDs off.
    • Client WiFi on schedule (AP timer).

  • Impatience is no longer punished: If you click „Save & Restart“ twice, you won’t end up with a router that suddenly says „OpenWrt“ and is set to UTC time.

WiFi

  • Channels and transmit power remain as set, even after updates.
  • Routers no longer get stuck on the offline SSID.

Stability

  • Dual-band routers with limited RAM now run stably: On routers with 64 MB of RAM and two radio modules (e.g., TP-Link Archer C2 v3, C25, C58, C60, D50, TL-WR902AC, FRITZ!WLAN Repeater 1750E), it was tight with 5 GHz enabled, leading to crashes. These routers now get compressed RAM (zram) and do without a few extras.
  • Slightly more free RAM on all routers: Background services run more efficiently.
  • Mesh VPN on, but no internet at the WAN port: Failed VPN connection attempts no longer slow down the router. Previously, this caused high load based on the number of CPU cores.
  • Fewer unnecessary automatic restarts.
  • The NodeMonitor app now displays the gateway status correctly.

Map

  • No more impossible channel utilization (over 100% or below 0%), as reported by some routers with MediaTek WiFi (MT7915/MT7981).

Router Status Page

  • Active SSIDs
  • Offline SSID counter: currently offline, offline SSID since startup, gateway losses
  • Link speed per LAN port
  • Flash and RAM size, board name, and CPU

SSH Login

  • Redesigned and colorful, with more information and warnings.
  • nodeinfo shows neighbors and LAN ports.
  • LAN ports can be switched between mesh and client via command.
  • help is complete.
  • vpn shows whether mesh VPN is on and can permanently enable or disable it.
  • flash <URL> and sysupgrade now work reliably even on routers with limited RAM: Before flashing, WiFi and network are stopped the same way the autoupdater does.

Particularly Interesting for Testing

Most importantly: the new setup mode, set up via WiFi from your smartphone. Put the router in setup mode (hold reset button for at least 3 seconds), then connect your phone to the WiFi setup.gluon_… (see above) and set up the router completely. We’re interested in:

  • Does the setup WiFi appear? Does connecting with the password work?
  • Does the setup page open automatically? If not: Does it work via http://setup.gluon?
  • Is everything easy to use, even in portrait mode and with dark mode?
  • Does the router get into the network correctly configured after „Save & Restart“?

Please include which phone and which system (iPhone/iOS version, Android version and manufacturer). Older Android devices and iPhones in particular behave differently with WiFi networks without internet.

Also:

  • Are channels and transmit power retained after the update?
  • Dual-band routers with 64 MB (Archer C2 v3, C25, C58, C60, D50, …): Does it run stably over days, even with many WiFi clients?

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P.S. In the release, the WiFi setup mode can be started by pressing a button (briefly), and the LED will blink faster instead of just slowly.

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