Often, open embedded projects are facing unexpected roadblock - cost of the hardware platform. Embedded platform (SBC, PC-104 and similar) are priced as a specialized hardware and usually cost hundreds or thousands dollars. On the other hand, today's computer equipment shops are flooded with extremely cheap "DSL/Cable" routers, NAT firewalls, wireless access pointers and similar. Usually, "residential" router is priced under $50 ($100 if has wireless capabilities) and often has significant computing power inside (50-100Mhz ARM based CPU, 8-16Mbytes of memory, 10/100Mbit Ethernet, often WiFi).
Hardware Recycling Initiative (HRI) is an open source project with goal to port Linux (or its microcontroller clone - uClinux) into publicly available residential router hardware.
As a first stage of the HRI project, we'll investigate internals of a few most popular gateways. Reverse engineering of the original hardware will give us enough information about bootstrapping and device-specific features.
Second step is an actual porting of Linux kernel to one or many of these residential routers. We first focused on routers with architeture based on CX84200 (ADM5106) processor (ARM7TDMI nommu core) but, with help from the community, other architetures are problably on the way.
Finally, we hope releasing alternative firmwares so general people can download and use.
Some info bellow is from external sites not directly related with this project!
Click on a device to know more about what we are doing with it.
(Linksys BEFSX41 and SMC7004WFW also uses this processor)
Extensive list of Cable, DSL and WiFi routers reviewed by HRI and similar groups. Internals, photos, specifications, hacks and tons of other useful information.
Please send updates/new info/internal pictures of soho hardware to HRI list. We'll greatelly appreciate!
Hardware:
Software:
For summary, sources, history, mailing lists and other stuff, goto http://sourceforge.net/projects/hri
Announcements mailing list (for general info):
Developer mailing list:
People from this project wish to thank to (among others):
All coders on HRI list, LKML, arm-linux and uClinux lists and a very long etc.!