Fresh Tomato
FreshTomato is a firmware project based on Linux, targeting home and SOHO routers. FreshTomato is distributed on the GPL license.
FreshTomato supports Broadcom based systems.
I currently run Fresh Tomato firmware on several Netgear Nighthawks. The R7000 and R8000 are my current preferred routers for Fresh Tomato firmware.
It is far superior in both security and features than the original Netgear firmware that came with these routers. Unlike Netgear, updates for the router firmware to address security vulnerabilities or correct bugs are available on a regular basis. Netgear would usually take well over a year to address security issues, if at all.
Installing on a R8000 Router
Since I use Netgear Nighthawk R8000 routers in my environment, I thought I would outline the process I use to flash fresh Tomato firmware to them. Fresh Tomato supports other broadcom based routers as well. If you have another make and model of router, you can check if yours is supported by going here.
Be sure to read the installation information for your model of router. This installation guide is simply the way I install the firmware on my R8000 routers. I do not imply any guarantee this will work for yours. You are responsible for taking the risk.
I will get the instructions in here as soon as time permits. A bit busy with life at the moment.
Fixing a 'Bricked' R8000 Router
Recently, I decided I wanted a router as a "shelf spare" in the event one of my production routers failed. Since I have previously flashed many R8000s for myself without issue, I proceeded to purchase a used R8000 from eBay. This particular router, however, 'bricked' on me when I attempted to flash Tomato firmware to it.
“Bricking” essentially means a device has turned into a brick. It may be an electronic device worth hundreds of dollars, but it’s now as useful as a brick (or perhaps a paperweight). A bricked device won’t power on and function normally. A bricked device cannot be fixed through normal means.
Anyway, I thought I would detail the steps and requirements I used to 'unbrick' my router and get it working with Tomato firmware.
I will get the instructions in here as soon as time permits. A bit busy with life at the moment.