Setting up a wireless hotspot using TP-Link TL-MR3020 Wireless N Router

- Download the OpenWRT firmware for TP-Link TL-MR3020 to the computer.
- I'm download openwrt-ar71xx-generic-tl-mr3020-v1-squashfs-factory.bin to my computer since my router hardware version is Version 1.
- Connect the router to the computer via a network patch cable.
- Launch the browser and navigate to http://192.168.0.254 which is the default IP for TP-LinkTL-MR3020.
- Log in to router, enter admin for both User Name and Password.
- Click on System Tools and select Firmware Upgrade
- Click on Browse button and choose the OpenWRT firmware that you had downloaded to your computer.
- Finally click on Upgarde button to start the firmware upgrading as shown in figure below.
- Navigate to http://192.168.1.1 (notice that the IP had been changed from 192.168.0.254).
- Click on Login button without enter any password.
- For first time login, please click on Go to password configuration to change the password and SSH will be enabled automatically.
- As shown in figure below is the OpenWRT status for my TP-Link TL-MR3020
- AP (existing WIFI with internet connection): 192.168.1.1
- TP-Link TL-MR3020: 192.168.0.1

- Select Network->Interfaces and click on Edit button as shown in figure below.
- Change to desired network IP, I'm using 192.168.0.1 for my router.
- Reboot the router and waiting the router to boot up.
- Renew your computer IP and matching with the router IP range.
- Navigate to http://192.168.0.1 (use your own router IP) and login to OpenWRT.
- Select Network->wifi and click on Scan button.
- Click on Join Network button which is associate to your AP (your home WIFI)
- Enter key/passphrase which is matching to your existing AP and click on Submit button.
- Do not change any settings for the next screen, just click on Save button and continue.
- Click on Wireless Security tab to view your network security settings (this step is not necessary)
- Finally click on Save & Apply button, the changes will take effect immediately.
- After the router is ready, you shoud able to surf internet from your computer which is connected to the TP-Link TL-MR3020 via a network patch cable.
- When TP-Link TL-MR3020 router work as a client, it connect to your existing AP (home WIFI) wirelessly.
- When TP-Link TL-MR3020 router work as an AP, it offer free Wireless Internet Access for guests.
- Select Network->wifi and click on Add button as shown.
- Enter your ESSID, this is the network name for guests to access your internet (link to TP-Link TL-MR3020).
- The network is not selected by default, make sure you have select the lan as shown in figure below.
- Click on Wireless Security tab to allow you to set the security key for your SSID, I leave it to No Encryption since it is open for public access.
- Reboot the router, when the router is ready, any one is able to connect to the TL-Link TL-MR3020 via WIFI with the 123 SSID.
- Make sure your TP-Link TL-MR3020 have internet connection.
- Click on System->Software and click on Available packages tab, notice that there is no packages list available.
- Click on Update lists button on the same screen allow it to download and install OpenWRT packages from local package repositories or ones located in the Internet.
- Click on Available packages tab again, there is a list of available packages for you to install
- Enter the package name in the Filter text box to find out the package that you want to install.
- Here we enter nodogsplash and click on Find package button since we want to install NoDogSplash.
- Click on Install button as shown in figure above to start installing NoDogSplash. NoDogSplash installing successful as shown in figure below.
- Select System->Startup, click on Disable button next to nodogsplash as shown in figure below.
- Click on Restart button to start NoDogSplash service as shown in figure below, the service is take effect inmmediately (NoDogSplash may consist of bug, sometime you need to restart twice in order to start the service correctly, but there is no problem if you reboot the router).
- Navigate to any website (eg. google.com or your router IP), the NoDosgSplash splash page (landing page) should appear.
- Click on the NoDogSplash icon to start surfiing internet.
Customise splash page
The splash pages (landing page) is stored on /etc/nodogsplash/htdocs/ directory. Edit the splash.hml file to customize your "splash page". I'm using WinSCP to edit files on the router. You can use standard html and javascript for coding.
http://192.168.0.1:2050 |
GatewayInterface br-lan |
FirewallRule allow tcp port 995 FirewallRule allow tcp port 465 |
FirewallRule allow tcp port 80 to 192.168.0.1 |
FirewallRule allow tcp port 443 FirewallRule allow tcp port 80 to 73.252.64.0/18 |
RedirectURL http://www.ediy.com.my |
ClientIdleTimeout 120 ClientForceTimeout 120 |
ndsctl status |
================== Client 0
Client 1
==== |