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Initial Mesh Node Setup Guide

This guide walks through the initial setup of the first OpenWrt mesh node before running Ansible automation. Follow these steps to prepare your D-Link DIR-1960 A1 router for mesh network deployment.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

  • Hardware: D-Link DIR-1960 A1 router (or compatible OpenWrt device)
  • Computer: Connected via Ethernet cable
  • Network: Internet access for downloading packages
  • Tools: Web browser or SSH client
  • Time: ~30 minutes for first node

Hardware Requirements

  • CPU: MediaTek MT7621AT (880 MHz, dual-core)
  • RAM: 256 MB
  • Flash: 128 MB NAND
  • Wireless: Dual-band (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
  • Ethernet: 5x Gigabit ports (1 WAN + 4 LAN)

Port Assignment for Mesh Network

  • WAN: Internet connection (gateway nodes only)
  • LAN1: Client devices / AP
  • LAN2: Reserved
  • LAN3: Mesh link to Node 2
  • LAN4: Mesh link to Node 3

Step 1: Flash OpenWrt Firmware

Download OpenWrt Firmware

  1. Visit the OpenWrt firmware selector: https://firmware-selector.openwrt.org/
  2. Search for "D-Link DIR-1960 A1"
  3. Download the factory image (for initial installation)
  4. Verify the SHA256 checksum

Current Recommended Version: OpenWrt 24.10.4

  1. Connect to router:
  2. Power on the DIR-1960
  3. Connect computer to LAN port via Ethernet

  4. Access router admin panel: http://192.168.0.1

  5. Upload firmware:

  6. Log in with default credentials
  7. Navigate to Firmware Upgrade section
  8. Select the downloaded OpenWrt factory image

  9. Click Upload and wait for flash to complete (~5 minutes)

  10. Wait for reboot:

  11. Router will reboot automatically
  12. LED will stabilize when ready (~2 minutes)

Alternative: Flash via TFTP (Advanced)

If web interface fails, use TFTP recovery mode:

# Set static IP: 192.168.0.2/24
# Router TFTP IP: 192.168.0.1

# Power on while holding reset button
# Wait for LED to blink
# Upload firmware via TFTP
tftp 192.168.0.1 -c put openwrt-factory.bin

Step 2: Initial Network Access

After OpenWrt boots, access the router:

  1. Set static IP on your computer:
  2. IP: 192.168.1.2
  3. Netmask: 255.255.255.0

  4. Gateway: 192.168.1.1

  5. Access LuCI web interface:

  6. Open browser: http://192.168.1.1

  7. Default: No password set (root user)

  8. Or connect via SSH:

ssh root@192.168.1.1
# No password required on fresh install

Step 3: Configure Basic Network Settings

Set Root Password (CRITICAL)

Via Web Interface (LuCI):

  1. Navigate to System → Administration
  2. Set a strong root password
  3. Click Save & Apply

Via SSH:

ssh root@192.168.1.1
passwd
# Enter new password twice

⚠️ Security Note: This password will be replaced by Ansible automation. Choose a temporary password for initial setup.

Configure Management IP

Set a static IP that matches your deployment inventory:

For Node 1 (from inventory/hosts.yml):

# SSH into router
ssh root@192.168.1.1

# Edit network configuration
vi /etc/config/network

# Find the 'lan' interface, set:
config interface 'lan'
    option proto 'static'
    option ipaddr '10.11.12.1'
    option netmask '255.255.255.0'

# Restart network
/etc/init.d/network restart

Via LuCI:

  1. Navigate to Network → Interfaces
  2. Edit LAN interface
  3. Set IPv4 address: 10.11.12.1
  4. Set IPv4 netmask: 255.255.255.0
  5. Click Save & Apply

Update System

Connect the WAN port to internet and update packages:

# SSH to new IP
ssh root@10.11.12.1

# Update package lists
opkg update

# Upgrade installed packages
opkg list-upgrades | cut -d ' ' -f 1 | xargs opkg upgrade

Step 4: Enable SSH Access

Install OpenSSH and Remove Dropbear

OpenWrt uses Dropbear by default, but OpenSSH provides better compatibility with Ansible and modern SSH features.

  1. Install OpenSSH:
# Update package list
opkg update

# Install OpenSSH server and SFTP support
opkg install openssh-server openssh-sftp-server

# Optional: Install OpenSSH client (if you need ssh-keygen on the router)
opkg install openssh-client openssh-keygen
  1. Configure OpenSSH:

Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config to ensure these settings:

vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config

# Recommended settings:
Port 22
PermitRootLogin yes
PasswordAuthentication yes
PubkeyAuthentication yes
ChallengeResponseAuthentication no
UsePAM no
  1. Remove Dropbear and Enable OpenSSH:
# Stop and disable dropbear
/etc/init.d/dropbear stop
/etc/init.d/dropbear disable

# Enable and start OpenSSH
/etc/init.d/sshd enable
/etc/init.d/sshd start

# Remove dropbear (optional, but recommended)
opkg remove dropbear
  1. Test SSH access from your workstation:
ssh root@10.11.12.1
# Should connect with password

Note: If you get disconnected during the switch from Dropbear to OpenSSH, wait 30 seconds and reconnect.

Prepare for SSH Key Authentication

Ansible will configure key-based authentication automatically. For now, ensure password authentication works:

# Test from your machine
ssh root@10.11.12.1 'echo "SSH working"'
# Should print: SSH working

Step 5: Install Required Packages

Install packages required for mesh networking (Ansible will also install these, but pre-installing speeds up deployment):

ssh root@10.11.12.1

# Install Batman-adv and dependencies
opkg install kmod-batman-adv batctl

# Install wireless mesh dependencies
opkg install wpad-mesh-openssl

# Install network utilities
opkg install ip-full tcpdump-mini

# Verify installation
batctl -v
# Should show: batctl 2023.x

# Check kernel module
lsmod | grep batman
# Should show: batman_adv

Step 6: Verify Prerequisites

Before proceeding to Ansible deployment, verify:

Checklist

  • OpenWrt installed: cat /etc/openwrt_release
  • Correct IP: Node 1 = 10.11.12.1
  • Root password set: Can SSH with password
  • Internet access: ping -c 3 8.8.8.8 works
  • Batman-adv installed: batctl -v shows version
  • Package manager working: opkg list | head shows packages

Verification Commands

Run these commands to verify setup:

# SSH into node
ssh root@10.11.12.1

# System info
uname -a
cat /etc/openwrt_release

# Network config
ip addr show br-lan
ip route

# Package versions
opkg list-installed | grep -E 'batman|batctl|wpad'

# Wireless capabilities
iw list | grep -A 5 "Supported interface modes"

Expected Output

# OpenWrt version
root@OpenWrt:~# cat /etc/openwrt_release
DISTRIB_ID='OpenWrt'
DISTRIB_RELEASE='24.10.4'

# IP address
root@OpenWrt:~# ip addr show br-lan
br-lan: inet 10.11.12.1/24

# Batman-adv
root@OpenWrt:~# batctl -v
batctl 2023.x

# Kernel module
root@OpenWrt:~# lsmod | grep batman
batman_adv

Next Steps

For First Node Only

After completing this setup, proceed to Ansible deployment:

# From your development machine with Docker running

# 1. Generate SSH keys for Ansible
cd docker
./manage-ssh-keys.sh generate

# 2. Copy SSH key to node (will prompt for password)
docker exec mesh_ansible ssh-copy-id root@10.11.12.1

# 3. Test Ansible connectivity
docker exec mesh_ansible ansible mesh_nodes -m ping -l node1

# 4. Deploy configuration to first node
docker exec mesh_ansible ansible-playbook \
    -i /ansible/inventory/hosts.yml \
    /ansible/playbooks/deploy.yml \
    --limit node1

For Subsequent Nodes (Node 2 and Node 3)

Repeat Steps 1-6 with these IP addresses:

  • Node 2: 10.11.12.2
  • Node 3: 10.11.12.3

After all nodes are set up, deploy to all:

# Deploy to all nodes
docker exec mesh_ansible ansible-playbook \
    -i /ansible/inventory/hosts.yml \
    /ansible/playbooks/deploy.yml

# Verify deployment
docker exec mesh_ansible ansible-playbook \
    /ansible/playbooks/verify.yml

Troubleshooting

Cannot Access Router After Flashing

Issue: Router not accessible at 192.168.1.1 after OpenWrt flash

Solutions:

  1. Verify static IP on your computer: 192.168.1.2/24
  2. Check Ethernet cable connection (use LAN port, not WAN)
  3. Wait 3-5 minutes for full boot
  4. Try factory reset: Hold reset button for 10 seconds while powered on
  5. Try TFTP recovery mode

SSH Connection Refused

Issue: Connection refused when trying to SSH

Solutions:

  1. Verify router IP: ping 10.11.12.1
  2. Check SSH service: telnet 10.11.12.1 22
  3. Restart dropbear: /etc/init.d/dropbear restart
  4. Check firewall: iptables -L INPUT -n

Package Installation Fails

Issue: opkg install fails or hangs

Solutions:

  1. Update package lists: opkg update
  2. Check internet connectivity: ping 8.8.8.8
  3. Verify DNS resolution: nslookup openwrt.org
  4. Check available space: df -h
  5. Clear package cache: rm -rf /tmp/opkg-lists/*

Wrong OpenWrt Version

Issue: Incompatible OpenWrt version installed

Solution:

scp openwrt-sysupgrade.bin root@10.11.12.1:/tmp/
ssh root@10.11.12.1
sysupgrade -v /tmp/openwrt-sysupgrade.bin

Batman-adv Module Not Loading

Issue: lsmod | grep batman shows nothing

Solutions:

  1. Manually load module: modprobe batman-adv
  2. Verify kernel version compatibility
  3. Reinstall package: opkg remove kmod-batman-adv && opkg install kmod-batman-adv
  4. Check kernel logs: dmesg | grep batman

Network Interface Issues

Issue: LAN interface not coming up

Solutions:

  1. Check physical link: ip link show
  2. Verify network config: cat /etc/config/network
  3. Restart network: /etc/init.d/network restart
  4. Check switch config: swconfig dev switch0 show

Additional Resources

Official Documentation

Project Documentation

  • Ansible Quick Start: docs/ANSIBLE-QUICKSTART.md
  • Full Deployment Guide: docs/openwrt-batman-mesh-setup.md
  • Docker Setup: docker/README.md
  • Testing Guide: docs/TESTING.md

Support

Document Version: 1.0 Last Updated: November 6, 2025 Tested With: OpenWrt 24.10.4, D-Link DIR-1960 A1