I don't have any monies but that does not mean one can dream...

A few months ago, Netgear's latest 802.11n sibling hit the shelves. Sporting Atheros 802.11n dual-band wireless, dual radio, Gigabit Ethernet, a USB 2.0 port (for storage, not for printers) and - last but not least - an OpenWrt-based OS, this stylish device has everything a SOHO enthusiast would want. If that doesn't make you run to the store, you can always check this excellent Small Net Builder review that shows the WNDR3700 holds its own quite well.

Of course I'm not singing the praise of this router because it has such nice features. Or maybe I am? Well, the most intriguing thing is it being based on OpenWrt - out of the box. Netgear also made the source code available for those wanting to get down and dirty. Unfortunately, it's not all hunky-dory. As always, there's a catch: while the bulk of the code is GPL, a lot of crucial drivers weren't included (for the Realtek switch for example, and some Atheros drivers). Essentially, you're able to build an image, but you have to do some hacking to get it to boot (that's right), and then there's still some miles to go.

There has been quite some discussion among enthusiasts about Netgear limiting the USB functionality to storage devices only. My guess is Netgear did this deliberately. Competitors like the Linksys WRT600N, after all, have a similar 'storage only' USB port available. While printer support would give their product an edge, I think they're more worried about possible support they might have to give to users unable to set them up properly :-).

However, do not despair! There is a glimmer of hope: OpenWrt trunk. A true knight in shining, but a bit rattling, armour. In this thread on the OpenWrt forums the progress is nicely detailed - from a scarcely functional but booting image to a fully functional one with leds blinking away. Not only does it contain interesting pointers and hackish workarounds for some tiny problems that remain(ed), the more recent pages saw some nice outlines (even a little howto). All this frantic forum activity resulted in numerous SVN commits adding preliminary WNDR3700 support. According to the OpenWrt forum, at this moment some hackery is still needed to work out a few minor kinks.

Precompiled snapshots can be found here. And yes - you can use the USB port for your printer now ;-). You bet I'll get myself one... When I have the money.