Why OpenZen?

OpenWRT is a versatile linux platform for router hardware. It was initiated 20 years ago and by today, more then 2.000 different routers are supported based on 50 different hardware-platforms.

There are pre-built images aimed at providing end-consumers with a browser interface for configuring devices individually. For more involved use cases, it is possible to not only configure routers with a more machine-suited interface but also to make use of the elaborate build system, allowing the creation of tightly integrated solutions. It is so good that even lots of other hardware manufacturers started using it.

Based on that, OpenWRT is a defacto standard for internet connected routers.

This all works very well for users who are (or employ) highly skilled developers or home users with one or two devices. But for managing a plethora of devices (>1k routers) over a prolonged period of time (>years), there are some important features that Openwrt does not include:

• mechanism to automate updates

  • automation of updates is crucial for secure operation

  • requires a standard image for non-developer users

    
    

• hardware abstraction for identifying Ethernet ports and radio devices

  • Openwrt strives to be compatible with vendor firmwares

  • for instance, the first Ethernet port could be called eth0, wan, or end1

  • having to account for this makes the configuration unnecessarily complicated

• standardized interface for managing installations

  • SSH provides a means of access but the configuration using UCI is rather involved

  • the UCI interfaces change sometimes (for example, the bridge network type obsoleted previous interface specifications)

OpenZen aims to make managing Openwrt devices easier by providing standard packages and images, implementing these missing features.