---
title: SSH and OpenWRT
description: 
---

AUTOMATIC_TABLE_OF_CONTENTS

## What is SSH

In some of our OpenWRT instructions we may ask you to *SSH into your router*. In short: SSH is a different way of interacting with your router.

* A web browser allows you to use the router's web interface.
* An SSH client allows you to use the router's command-line interface.

## Why use SSH

1. SSH provides access to all of OpenWRT's features. Many of them which are not (yet) available through the web interface.

2. SSH allows you to copy&paste commands from our instructions, whereas making the same changes through the web interface can be more cumbersome.

## Where to get SSH

If you're using a **Mac** or **Linux** computer, SSH is already built-in. Just open a **Terminal** and type *ssh*.

If you use Windows on your computer, you'll have to download a 3rd-party SSH client. We recommend you download [PuTTY](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html).

## Where to connect to

By default your OpenWRT router uses IP address **192.168.1.1**.

Mac/Linux users can SSH to their router by typing the following in their Terminal window:

```
ssh root@192.168.1.1
```

Windows users can enter **192.168.1.1** in PuTTY's *Host Name (or IP address)* field and click **Open**. Then login as **root**.

## Examples

Below are some examples of commands you can use when logged in to your router.

This is what you see after logging in:

```
BusyBox v1.30.1 () built-in shell (ash)

  _______                     ________        __
 |       |.-----.-----.-----.|  |  |  |.----.|  |_
 |   -   ||  _  |  -__|     ||  |  |  ||   _||   _|
 |_______||   __|_____|__|__||________||__|  |____|
          |__| W I R E L E S S   F R E E D O M
 -----------------------------------------------------
 OpenWrt 19.07.2, r10947-65030d81f3
 -----------------------------------------------------
root@OpenWrt:~# 
```

The router is ready to accept your command when it shows the **root@OpenWrt:~#** command prompt.

Let's get some info about the OpenWRT version running on our router:

```
**root@OpenWrt:~#** cat /etc/os-release 
NAME="OpenWrt"
VERSION="19.07.2"
ID="openwrt"
ID_LIKE="lede openwrt"
PRETTY_NAME="OpenWrt 19.07.2"
VERSION_ID="19.07.2"
HOME_URL="https://openwrt.org/"
BUG_URL="https://bugs.openwrt.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://forum.openwrt.org/"
BUILD_ID="r10947-65030d81f3"
OPENWRT_BOARD="mvebu/cortexa9"
OPENWRT_ARCH="arm_cortex-a9_vfpv3"
OPENWRT_TAINTS=""
OPENWRT_DEVICE_MANUFACTURER="OpenWrt"
OPENWRT_DEVICE_MANUFACTURER_URL="https://openwrt.org/"
OPENWRT_DEVICE_PRODUCT="Generic"
OPENWRT_DEVICE_REVISION="v0"
OPENWRT_RELEASE="OpenWrt 19.07.2 r10947-65030d81f3"
**root@OpenWrt:~#** 
```

## Warning

If you're copy&pasting commands into to router, make sure they come from a trusted source. 

Just like misconfigurations made in the web interface, issuing the wrong commands on the command-line may render your router unreachable.