OpenWrt on Lenovo Laptop Router Guide

OpenWrt on Lenovo Laptop Router Guide | Generated by AI

Home 2026.02

Question: How to install OpenWrt on an old Lenovo laptop (with i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 500GB disk) that can recently run Linux Mint Cinnamon, to turn it into a soft router? (Possibly including ImmortalWrt option)

Answer:

Yes — your Lenovo laptop (i5 + 8GB RAM + 500GB disk) is perfectly suitable for running OpenWrt as a high-performance soft router. It will outperform almost any consumer router, especially for VPN/proxy (Clash/OpenClash), SQM QoS, multi-gigabit routing, many packages, etc.

Two main choices in 2026:

Official OpenWrt → More stable, upstream, very reliable (recommended for most people)
ImmortalWrt → Fork popular in China, includes more proxy-related packages by default, some extra optimizations, but slightly less “vanilla”

For a beginner, start with official OpenWrt 24.10.x (stable) or latest snapshot if you want newest features.

Step-by-step installation guide (most common & recommended method)

1. Download the correct image

Go to: https://downloads.openwrt.org/
For stable → releases → 24.10.5 (or newest 24.10.x) → targets → x86 → 64
Recommended file: openwrt-x86-64-generic-ext4-combined-efi.img.gz
(This is the EFI version — almost all laptops from ~2010+ use UEFI. Your recent Linux Mint install proves UEFI works.)

If your BIOS is legacy/CSM only (very rare on i5 laptops), use the non-efi version instead.

For ImmortalWrt (if you prefer Chinese-optimized builds with more proxy plugins pre-included):

Go to: https://immortalwrt.org/ or their downloads page
Choose x86_64 target → similar ext4-combined-efi image

2. Prepare a USB flash drive (≥4GB, 8GB+ better)

You will write the image directly to USB — this becomes a “live/install” medium.

Tools (choose one):

Windows: Use Rufus (https://rufus.ie/) — select DD Image mode
Linux (you already have Linux Mint): Use balenaEtcher, GNOME Disks, or command line dd
Any OS: Ventoy (multi-boot USB) also works if you just copy the .img file

Command line example in Linux Mint:

# First unzip if needed
gunzip openwrt-....img.gz

# Find your USB device (careful!!)
lsblk   # e.g. /dev/sdb  (NEVER /dev/sda which is your laptop disk!)

# Write image (replace sdb with your USB)
sudo dd if=openwrt-x86-64-generic-ext4-combined-efi.img of=/dev/sdb bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

3. Boot from the USB on your Lenovo laptop

Insert USB
Restart laptop
Enter BIOS/BOOT menu (usually F2, F12, Fn+F2, Del, or Novo button on some Lenovos)
Set USB as first boot device (or choose one-time boot menu)
Disable Secure Boot if it blocks (most OpenWrt images are not signed — common on x86)
Save & exit → should boot into OpenWrt console (black screen with white text)

4. Install to internal 500GB disk

Once booted from USB (you see OpenWrt login prompt — login as root, no password):

Identify your internal disk:

lsblk   # usually /dev/sda  (500GB size)
# or use fdisk -l

Write (install) OpenWrt to internal disk — this wipes everything on the 500GB drive!

# Option A: Simple one-liner (most common)
zcat /dev/sr0/openwrt-*.img.gz | dd of=/dev/sda bs=4M status=progress   # if image still gzipped on USB

# Option B: If already unzipped on USB
dd if=/path/to/openwrt-....img of=/dev/sda bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

After dd finishes:

sync
reboot

Remove USB before reboot.

5. First boot & basic setup

Laptop boots from internal disk into OpenWrt
Connect Ethernet cable from laptop’s LAN port to your main router/modem (this becomes WAN)
Connect your PC/phone to another Ethernet port if available, or use Wi-Fi (if your laptop Wi-Fi card is supported)
From another device, go to: http://192.168.1.1
Set root password immediately (required for LuCI/web GUI)
Install LuCI if missing (OpenWrt x86 images usually include it, but confirm):
```
opkg update
opkg install luci
```
Now access full web interface at http://192.168.1.1

6. Configure as router

Network → Interfaces
- WAN: set to DHCP client (or PPPoE if your ISP needs it)
- LAN: keep 192.168.1.1/24
Firewall: default is fine for start
For Wi-Fi: install wireless driver if needed (most Intel Wi-Fi cards work with iwlwifi)
```
opkg update
opkg install kmod-iwlwifi luci-app-statistics  # example
```
Then install your favorite packages (OpenClash, PassWall, AdGuard Home, SQM, etc.)

Tips & Warnings

Backup important data — installation wipes the 500GB disk!
Use Ethernet for initial setup (more reliable than Wi-Fi)
Laptop Wi-Fi usually becomes your 2.4/5GHz AP — very powerful coverage
Power consumption higher than real router (~15-40W vs 5-12W), but ok for 24/7 if not concerned
For better I/O, add multi-port Ethernet card via mini-PCIe or USB if needed
ImmortalWrt install process is almost identical — just different download link

Your i5 + 8GB setup can easily handle gigabit+ speeds, heavy VPN/proxy for whole house, and many services.

References:

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