In the previous article, we briefly introduced various router systems. This article focuses on OpenWRT and recommends some useful plugins.
In simple terms, OpenWRT is a home router operating system that allows the router to function properly once installed. Similar to how domestic mobile manufacturers develop various ROMs based on the open-source Android system, router manufacturers can also conduct secondary development based on the OpenWRT platform to add richer features and unique router systems. Independent developers can also create various plugins based on OpenWRT, enabling routers equipped with OpenWRT to have more functionalities. So, what interesting and powerful plugins are available?
Internet Time Control
Often, we need to reasonably control internet time. For example, for children at home who lack self-control, we need to manage their internet usage to prevent them from becoming addicted; or we might not want home internet devices to upload any information, but we still need them connected to the home network. This plugin allows us to completely disconnect their internet connection; for some freelancers, to work during fixed hours, we need to use this plugin to completely isolate network interference for related devices during certain times.
Adblock Master Plus +
For the vast majority of internet companies, various forms of advertisements on web pages are an important source of revenue, while for users, untimely ads are always annoying. Therefore, how to get rid of ads and achieve a fresh and clean internet experience has always been a pursuit for users.
On OpenWRT, we can use the Plus plugin to achieve an ad-free effect. If installed on the router, all devices in the same network environment can enjoy the benefits of ad-blocking, which can be said to benefit the whole family.
If you have a strong need to remove ads, you can try this plugin.
If you find completely disconnecting the internet connection for related devices too harsh, it may interfere with reasonable internet use. The application filtering plugin can meet our more detailed needs. Through it, we can configure rules according to our needs, filtering only specific websites or applications.
For example, the following scenarios:
Reasonably arrange entertainment time without blocking other necessary internet sites
Limit access to certain video, recruitment, shopping, gaming, and commonly used websites in the network environment
Record online activity of terminals to understand various application usage in real-time
This is a method for those who want to develop self-discipline.
Dynamic DNS, also known as DDNS, primarily functions to capture the IP address of a user’s network device whenever it changes, binding it to the corresponding domain name. This way, regardless of how the IP changes, we can access and interact with the network device through the domain name. We can choose service providers based on our preferences, such as DNSPod, Alibaba DDNS, Cloudflare DDS, etc., and install plugins according to different service providers.
Using dynamic DNS services, we can conveniently access network devices at home and all terminals connected to those devices. Based on this, we can do many interesting things, such as internal network penetration, building a home VPN, allowing others to access your information files, etc.
Unlocking Gray Songs on NetEase Cloud
With the development of streaming music, most people have said goodbye to local music and rely more on online music platforms. NetEase Cloud Music has won a large number of users with its niche high-end taste, precise FM recommendations, direct music reviews, and perfectly categorized song charts. However, copyright has always been a concern for NetEase Cloud Music, resulting in many songs being grayed out due to copyright issues.
The plugin for unlocking gray songs allows music without copyright to play normally. The principle is simple; it replaces the NetEase Cloud Music song links with mainstream client music link sources (such as QQ Music, Xiami Music, Kuwo Music, etc.), allowing the client to listen to music normally. As long as we choose to configure proxies or trust certificates based on our device model, we can restore the grayed-out music in our home song list.
In a previous article, the role of DNS was explained: “To ensure a good internet experience, how to set up a safer DNS?” An excellent DNS can not only speed up web page loading times but also enhance browsing security. Through the SmartDNS server plugin, we can deploy a DNS server locally, taking over all DNS query requests from terminals connected to the router, obtaining query results from different DNS servers, and returning the fastest addresses to clients, thus improving network access speed. It also supports binding domain name IP addresses to enhance compatibility and achieve ad filtering effects.
Detailed descriptions and configurations can be found in the official documentation. The author has recently open-sourced the code, allowing everyone to contribute.
Shairplay is an open-source project on GitHub (address) that succeeded a similar project called ShairPort, which is no longer maintained. As its successor, Shairplay implements Apple’s Airplay Server protocol on Linux systems, allowing audio output from iOS devices to any device running Shairplay.
In terms of practical usability, Shairplay is not very suitable for installation on a regular router; it is better suited for installation on a Raspberry Pi or other development boards. Once Shairplay is installed on the Raspberry Pi and connected to speakers, we can use AirPlay from our phone to stream music to the corresponding speakers. This method allows speakers that do not support AirPlay to play music.
Wake on LAN (WoL) allows us to send specially formatted data frames to network cards that support waking up, achieving the purpose of starting a computer. Since it sends data through the LAN port, the device needs to be connected to the router via an Ethernet cable. In layman’s terms, it allows for remote booting.
After configuring the necessary network interface and the MAC address of the device to be woken up in the plugin interface, we can remotely wake up devices through the router. Imagine if we bind the router’s IP address with DDNS, we can remotely wake up our home computer and then connect to it through remote connection methods like TeamViewer, allowing us to avoid keeping the home computer on all the time, saving electricity and achieving “cloud control” over home devices.
Turbo ACC Network Acceleration
The Turbo ACC network acceleration module is a collection of plugins that utilize open-source projects that have proven effective, allowing us to optimize and accelerate our network. For example, the BBR acceleration, which was open-sourced by Google at the end of 2016, is a congestion control algorithm for the TCP protocol that can more effectively utilize the current network environment to enhance TCP performance. In addition to BBR, DNS acceleration can effectively improve network request speed through multi-threaded queries and caching DNS records, while also preventing DNS ads and domain hijacking by ISPs to some extent. We can choose to enable relevant acceleration methods based on our hardware and actual usage conditions.
Moreover, OpenWRT also has a plugin for the NetEase UU accelerator aimed at domestic users, which can be used simply by binding an account.
In addition to these plugins, there are many advanced plugins that have not yet been explored. As for certain indescribable plugins for scientific internet access, I won’t elaborate on them due to some reasons, haha.
Conclusion
As an open-source router system, OpenWRT has a history of 18 years since its inception. Its emergence has greatly improved network performance and accelerated internet speeds. In addition to OpenWRT, other open-source systems like DD-WRT and Tomato are also very active. Just as the development of the internet has not been smooth sailing, OpenWRT has also experienced many ups and downs, with some core developers leaving and launching LEDE. However, after the unremitting efforts of many developers, OpenWRT now has a rich and complete ecosystem. In this article, I did not discuss the details of the tutorial but simply listed various interesting and practical plugins, hoping to spark curiosity in readers to explore and modify their network environment and discover a broader world.