Earlier today I stopped by a local Goodwill to see what they had in the way of electronics. Among the digital photo frames and old keyboards, I spotted two routers. I’m always on the lookout for hardware that can run Linux. One of the routers was a Netgear WNDR3700 v4. It was in its original box with the power adapter and a couple of patch cords.
Normally I’d pull out my phone and check OpenWrt support before buying, but this one looked old enough that I figured there was at least a 50/50 chance it would be an easy convert. I’m glad I grabbed it; Not only is this model supported, but flashing OpenWrt is about as painless as it gets.
Flashing with OpenWrt — No UART, no TFTP, no drama.
- Factory reset the router.
- Connect to it at
http://192.168.1.1/in your web browser. Log in with:
Username: admin
Password: password - Go to Advanced.
- Download the latest OpenWrt “factory” image for WNDR3700 v4 from the OpenWrt site. *Note, maybe do this first!*
- Upload it via the Netgear’s firmware page, under “Advanced” in the web ui.
- Wait a few minutes for the flash to complete.
- Reconnect your computer (get a fresh DHCP lease), then visit
192.168.1.1again. - Log in with:
Username: root
Password: (blank)*Note, maybe do this first!* - Set your own password… and you’re done!
This 2012-era router is now running a fully up-to-date Linux distribution.
In My Case…
I reconfigured mine to serve as a simple gigabit switch:
- Disabled both Wi-Fi radios.
- Configured the “WAN” port into another LAN / switch port.
- Disabled the DHCP server.
- Set the LAN bridge (
br-lan) to DHCP client so it picks up an IP from my main network. - Gave the new router’s MAC a dhcp reservation on my main router, and added the new hostname to my hosts file.
That way I can still log in for maintenance while it’s acting as an extra switch.
WNDR3700 v4 Hardware
CPU / SoC: Atheros AR9344 @ 560 MHz
RAM / Flash: 128 MB RAM / ~128 MB flash
Wireless: Dual-band 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz, 802.11n (N600)
Ethernet: 1× Gigabit WAN, 4× Gigabit LAN
USB: 1× USB 2.0 “ReadySHARE” port
What Can You Do With It?
Plenty. This hardware can easily run the latest OpenWrt without feeling sluggish. The USB port opens up even more possibilities:
- Failover WWAN modem or phone tethering
- Network printer sharing
- USB hard drive for network storage
- DIY internet radio streamer with a USB sound card
With OpenWrt, you’re only limited by your time and imagination.
Why Bother?
Netgear’s last firmware for this model came out in 2018. That’s seven years without security updates. OpenWrt gives you:
- Modern kernel & drivers
- Current security patches
- A huge ecosystem of packages
All on hardware that cost me four bucks at a thrift store.
OpenWrt Support History for the WNDR3700
- Original WNDR3700 (v1) launched in mid–late 2009 with Atheros hardware.
- OpenWrt support for the series appeared within months of launch, making it a long-time favorite in the community.
- The v4 hardware revision hit the market around June 2012.
- Because v4 kept an Atheros chipset (AR9344) with generous RAM and flash, it was officially supported soon after release.
- The best part: Netgear’s stock firmware for v4 accepts an OpenWrt “factory” image through the web interface. No serial cable required, no bootloader tricks, just upload and reboot.
This combination of long-term support, open-friendly hardware, and GUI-based flashing makes the WNDR3700 v4 one of the easiest budget OpenWrt targets you can find.
NETGEAR WNDR3700 on OpenWRT Wiki / TOH
OpenWRT Version 24.10 Factory Image for WNDR3700 V4 – Direct Link