The OpenWRT devices in my home are critical to the networking I have here. As OpenWRT is used primarily for embedded devices, rather than generic x86 devices, recoverability can pose some challenges. This is very true for myself, using Cisco Meraki hardware, as the console access is within the enclosure of the devices and requires a TTL Serial cable. See my journey into OpenWRT on Cisco Meraki in this post.

As a strong believer in FOSS I take what would seem ridiculous measures by others to utilise FOSS in my life where possible (this very site uses Bulma & Hugo). In many cases the FOSS version of something greatly improves the experience, there are some where it does not, this is an example with both perspectives. OpenWRT ‘is a Linux operating system targeting embedded devices’ specifically firmware for network devices, such as the home hub, or in my case a Cisco Meraki MX60 security appliance and Cisco Meraki MR16 access point.