Tomato is a family of community-developed, custom firmware for consumer-grade computer networking routers and gateways powered by Broadcom chipsets. The firmware has been continually forked and modded by multiple individuals and organizations, with the most up-to-date fork provided by the FreshTomato project.
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Original author(s) | Jonathan Zarate |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Tomato Project |
Initial release | December 2006 |
Final release | 1.28
/ June 28, 2010 |
Written in | C++ |
Operating system | Linux |
Platform | MIPS, ARM |
Type | Routing software |
License | Freeware Backend: GNU General Public License Frontend: proprietary[1] |
Website | www |
Stable release | 2024.3
/ August 4, 2024 |
---|---|
Repository | bitbucket |
Platform | ARM, MIPS |
Website | freshtomato |
History
editTomato was originally released by Jonathan Zarate in 2006, using the Linux kernel and drawing extensively on the code of HyperWRT. It was targeted at many popular routers of the time, most notably the older Linksys WRT54G series, Buffalo AirStation, Asus routers and Netgear WNR3500L.[2] His final release of the original Tomato firmware came in June 2010, by which point its popularity had grown large enough that development and support continued through the user community, resulting in a series of releases (dubbed "mods") by individual users or teams of them that continues to the present day.
Fedor Kozhevnikov created a notable early mod he called TomatoUSB, which ceased development in November 2010.[3] It was then forked by other developers[4] and remains the nearest common ancestor to all of the forks with any recent activity. The project saw a boost in recognition when Tomato was chosen by Asus as the base used to build the firmware currently preinstalled on their entire line of home routers, ASUSWRT.[5][6]
Currently, FreshTomato appears to be the only project that has seen active development and new releases.[7]
Features
editSeveral notable features have been part of Tomato long enough to be common to all forks, among them are:
- The graphical user interface (accessed via web browser), including:
- Access to almost the entirety of the features provided by the hardware (manufacturers typically omit many of these from their firmware to prevent misuse and reduce support costs)
- Extensive use of Ajax to display only the settings that are germane to the device's current setup, reducing confusion and keeping related options near each other using fewer pages/tabs
- A CSS-based custom interface theming
- SVG-based graphical bandwidth monitoring, showing total network inbound/outbound activity and that of each connected device through pie charts and line graphs that update in real-time
Tomato live bandwidth monitor
- A personal web server (Nginx) that uses the device's "always on, always connected" design to allow users to host their own websites from home for free
- Access and bandwidth restriction configurable for each device or the network as a whole, providing control over the speed and amount of traffic available at any time to any device
- Unrestricted access to the internal system logs and the ability to store them for easier troubleshooting and security audits
- CLI access (BusyBox) via the web-based interface, as well as via Telnet or SSH (using Dropbear)
- Wake-on-LAN
- Advanced QoS: 10 unique QoS classes defined, real-time graphs display prioritized traffic with traffic class details
- Client bandwidth control via QoS classes
- The Dnsmasq software built-in, which provides:
- Wireless modes:
- Dynamic DNS service with ezUpdate and services extended for more providers
- SES button control
- JFFS2
- SMB client
- Wireless LAN Adjustment of radio transmit power, antenna selection, and 14 wireless channels
- 'Boot wait' protection (increase the time slot for uploading firmware via the boot loader)
- Advanced port forwarding, redirection, and triggering with UPnP and NAT-PMP
- Init, shutdown, firewall, and WAN Up scripts
- Uptime, load average, and free memory status
- Minimal reboots – Very few configuration changes require a reboot
- Wireless survey page to view other networks in your neighborhood
- More comprehensive dashboard than stock firmware: displays signal strengths of wireless client devices, reveals UPnP mappings
- Configuration persistence during a firmware upgrade
Feature comparison
editMod name | Base version |
Mod version |
Latest release |
5 GHz (802.11 a/n/ac/ax) |
IPv6 | USB support |
Memory card support |
VPN protocols[a] |
SFTP | Virtual LANs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TomatoVPN (SgtPepperKSU)[8] |
1.27[b] | 1.27vpn3.6 | Jan 2010 | No | No | No | No | OpenVPN | No | No |
Tomato | 1.28[c] | 1.28 | Jun 2010 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Tomato ND | 1.28[d] | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||
SpeedMod (hardc0re) |
1.28[b] | 120 | Jul 2010 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
TomatoUSB (Teddy Bear)[9] |
1.28[d] | Build 54 | Nov 2010 | Yes | Yes | Printer sharing, NAS (CIFS/FTP), DLNA server |
No | OpenVPN | Via Optware |
Yes |
slodki | 1.28[d] | 1.28.02 | Feb 2011 | No | No | Printer sharing, NAS (CIFS/FTP) |
SD, SDHC, MMC |
OpenVPN | Via Optware |
No |
DualWAN[10] | 1.28[b] | 1.28.0542 | Jan 2012 | No | Yes | Printer sharing, NAS (CIFS/FTP), DLNA server, 3G Modem |
No | OpenVPN, PPTP |
Via Optware |
Yes |
Teaman[11] | 1.28[d] | v0025 | Jun 2012 | Yes | Yes | Printer sharing, NAS (CIFS/FTP), 3G Modem |
SD, SDHC, MMC |
OpenVPN, PPTP (server) |
Via Optware |
With GUI |
EasyTomato[12] | 1.28[b] | 0.8 | Jun 2013 | Yes | Yes | Printer sharing, NAS (CIFS/NFSv3/FTP), DLNA server, 3G Modem |
SD, SDHC, MMC |
OpenVPN, PPTP |
Via Optware |
With GUI |
Victek RAF[13] | 1.28[b] | 1.28.9013 R1.3 | Jul 2014 | Yes | Yes | Printer sharing, NAS (CIFS/NFSv3/FTP), DLNA server, 3G Modem |
SD, SDHC, MMC |
OpenVPN, PPTP |
Via Optware |
With GUI |
Toastman[14] | 1.28[b] | RT: 1.28.7511.5 RT‑N: 1.28.0511.5 ARM: 1.28.9008.8 |
Jan 2017 | Yes | Yes | Printer sharing, NAS (CIFS/NFSv3/FTP), DLNA server, 3G Modem |
SD, SDHC, MMC |
OpenVPN, PPTP |
Via Entware-ng or Optware-ng |
With GUI |
Shibby | 1.28[b] | v140‑MultiWAN | May 2017 | Yes | Yes | Printer sharing, NAS (CIFS/NFSv3/FTP), DLNA server, 3G/LTE Modem, UPS monitoring |
SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC |
OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP (client), tinc (server) |
Via Entware or Optware-ng |
With GUI |
AdvancedTomato V2 | 1.28[b] | 3.5-140 | Nov 2017 | Yes | Yes | Printer sharing, NAS (CIFS/NFSv3/FTP), DLNA server, 3G/LTE Modem and UPS monitoring |
SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC |
OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP (client), tinc (server) |
Via Entware or Optware-ng |
With GUI |
FreshTomato‑ARM and FreshTomato‑MIPS |
1.28[b] | 2024.3[15] | Aug 2024 | Yes | Yes | Printer sharing, NAS (SMB2/NFSv4/FTP), DLNA server, 3G/LTE Modem and UPS monitoring |
SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC |
OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP (client), tinc (server) |
Via Entware or Optware-ng |
With GUI |
Mod name | Base version |
Mod version |
Latest release |
5 GHz (802.11 a/n/ac/ax) |
IPv6 | USB support |
Memory card support |
VPN protocols |
SFTP | Virtual LANs |
Feature comparison (cont.)
editName | Static ARP
|
Bandwidth limiter
|
NFS server
|
BitTorrent client
|
Guest WiFi
|
PPPoE server
|
CPU overclocking
|
Tor client
|
Multi-WAN
|
Siproxd VoIP
|
LED control
|
Theming [16]
|
Per-IP traffic stats
| ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TomatoVPN (SgtPepperKSU) |
No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Tomato | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Tomato ND | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
SpeedMod (hardc0re) |
No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
TomatoUSB (Teddy Bear) |
No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
slodki | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
DualWAN | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Teaman | Yes | Yes | No | No | With GUI |
No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
EasyTomato | Yes | Yes | Version 3 | No | With GUI |
No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Victek RAF | Yes | VLAN | Version 3 | No | With GUI |
No | With GUI |
With GUI |
No | No | No | With GUI |
With GUI |
by script | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Toastman | Yes | Yes | Version 3 | No | With GUI |
No | No | With GUI |
No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Shibby | Yes | VLAN | Version 3 (with GUI) |
With GUI |
With GUI |
No | With GUI |
Yes | With GUI |
Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | by script | Yes | Yes | Yes |
AdvancedTomato V2 | Yes | VLAN | Version 3 (with GUI) |
With GUI |
With GUI |
No | With GUI |
Yes | With GUI |
Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | by script | Yes | Yes | Yes |
FreshTomato‑ARM and FreshTomato‑MIPS |
Yes | VLAN | Version 4 (with GUI) |
With GUI |
With GUI |
No | With GUI |
Yes | With GUI |
Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | by script | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Name | Static ARP
|
Bandwidth limiter
|
NFS server
|
BitTorrent client
|
Guest WiFi
|
PPPoE server
|
CPU overclocking
|
Tor client
|
Multi-WAN
|
Siproxd VoIP
|
LED control
|
Theming [16]
|
Per-IP traffic stats
|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Zarate, Jonathan. "Tomato Firmware, tomato/release/src/router/www/tomato.js source file". Sourceforge.net. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
Copyright 2006-2010 Jonathan Zarate For use with Tomato Firmware only. No part of this file may be used without permission.
- ^ "Tomato Firmware | polarcloud.com". www.polarcloud.com. Retrieved 2016-10-05.
- ^ "Tomato by Shibby » About Tomato (ang.)". tomato.groov.pl. Retrieved 2016-10-05.
- ^ List of Tomato Mods on the TomatoUSB website
- ^ "Asus ASUSWRT". Retrieved 2018-01-03.
- ^ "Asuswrt-Merlin » About". Retrieved 2018-01-03.
- ^ "FreshTomato source code". Retrieved 2020-10-01.
- ^ TomatoVPN official website
- ^ TomatoUSB Mod (Teddy Bear) Home page.
- ^ DualWAN Mod Home page.
- ^ Teaman Mod Home page. Augusto Bott is the author of the VLANs GUI, Per-IP Traffic Stats (author of cstats, which keeps per-IP data/track/history), Client Monitor Graphs (author of IPTraffic) and author of the Guest SSID GUI.
- ^ "EasyTomato Home Page". Retrieved 2019-03-11.
- ^ Victek RAF Mod Home page
- ^ Toastman Mod Home page. Tomato builds with many useful added features. Lean, stable, and fast with minimal bells and whistles, with a focus on QoS and Administration. Based on TomatoUSB and RT (selected features included from other firmware, plus new mods).
- ^ "FreshTomato - Alternative open source firmware for Broadcom-based routers".
- ^ a b "About Tomato Theme Base". Retrieved 2019-05-09.
External links
edit- Official website
- FreshTomato MIPS/ARM
- FreshTomato Hardware (Router) Compatibility
- Virtual Tomato RAF (Victek mod)
- Tomato Phoenix (Mod supports MTK chips, such as mt7620 mt7621 mt7628 mt7688)
- Tomato by Shibby
- AdvancedTomato V2
- TomatoAnon (Up-to-date statistics of active Tomato devices by fork/version)