Installing FriendlyWrt on a NanoPi R2S allows anyone to easily set up a router.

This guide explains how to install FriendlyWrt on the NanoPi R2S.

# Introduction

The NanoPi R2S is a single-board computer manufactured by FriendlyElec. With two Ethernet ports, it is ideal for use as router hardware.

FriendlyWrt is an OpenWrt-based OS provided by FriendlyElec. It is open-source and suitable for developing routers, NAS, and IoT applications.

# Download FriendlyWrt

Go to the official download link and download the FriendlyWrt image file from 01_Official images/01_SD card images.

The available FriendlyWrt image files include:

The files are compressed in gzip format, so use 7-Zip or a similar tool to extract them.

# Write FriendlyWrt to the microSD

Write the downloaded FriendlyWrt image to a microSD card.

Insert the microSD card into your PC, and use a tool like Win32 Disk Imager to write the OS to it. It is recommended to use a microSD card with at least 8GB of storage.

# Boot FriendlyWrt

Insert the microSD card with FriendlyWrt into the NanoPi and power it on to start the system.

After a short time, you will be able to connect via HTTP or SSH. The connection details are as follows:

Hostname: FriendlyWrt
IPv4 Address: 192.168.2.1
IPv6 Address: [fd00:ab:cd::1]

Log in with the username root and the password password.

# Recommended Security Settings

Before using the NanoPi, it is recommended to connect via SSH and perform the following security settings.

## Change the Login Password

Use the passwd command to change the password for the root user.

passwd
Changing password for root
New password: <password>
Retype password: <retype-password>
passwd: password for root changed by root

From this point, you can log in with the new password.

## Configure SSH Access Settings

Use the following commands to restrict SSH access to the LAN only and change the port number to a custom value.

uci set dropbear.@dropbear[0].Interface=lan
uci set dropbear.@dropbear[0].Port=<port-number>

If there are no issues, apply the settings with the following commands:

uci commit dropbear
service dropbear restart

The changes will take effect, and you’ll need to use the new port number for SSH access.

## Restrict Access to LuCI

Use the following commands to limit LuCI access to local devices only.

uci set uhttpd.main.listen_http=192.168.2.1:80
uci add_list uhttpd.main.listen_http=[fd00:ab:cd::1]:80
uci set uhttpd.main.listen_https=192.168.2.1:443
uci add_list uhttpd.main.listen_https=[fd00:ab:cd::1]:443

If there are no issues, apply the settings with the following commands:

uci commit uhttpd
uci uhttpd restart

The changes will take effect.