Your router, untangled.

A modern, friendly web interface for OpenWRT. All the power of LuCI, without the maze.
Built for the whole household, with every advanced knob still one click away.

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OpenWRT is the best router firmware there is, but its stock interface was built for engineers. UnTangled keeps all of that power and makes it feel like a product: a visual Network Map, plain-language controls, and a ? beside every setting for the family, plus a ⌘K command palette and "Advanced details" for you. It runs alongside LuCI and never replaces it.

Install (step by step)

You'll run a few commands on the router, either over SSH or in LuCI → System → Custom Commands (no SSH needed). It takes about a minute, and LuCI keeps working untouched the whole time.

Step 1. Which OpenWRT do you have? In LuCI it's on the Status → Overview page (or run cat /etc/openwrt_release). If it shows a numbered release like 23.05, 24.10 or 25.12, you're on stable, so use the opkg commands. If it says SNAPSHOT, use the apk commands. (When in doubt, you're almost certainly on stable.)

Step 2. Add the UnTangled feed and install. Copy–paste the matching block:

Stable OpenWRT (23.05 / 24.10) — opkg

# 1. Trust UnTangled's signing key (so the router knows the packages are genuine)
wget -O /tmp/untangled.pub https://bidhata.github.io/untangled/keys/untangled.pub
opkg-key add /tmp/untangled.pub

# 2. Add the feed
echo 'src/gz untangled https://bidhata.github.io/untangled/stable' >> /etc/opkg/customfeeds.conf

# 3. Refresh the package list and install (untangled-full = everything)
opkg update
opkg install untangled-full

OpenWRT snapshot — apk

# 1. Trust UnTangled's signing key
wget -O /etc/apk/keys/untangled.pem https://bidhata.github.io/untangled/keys/untangled.pem

# 2. Add the feed
echo 'https://bidhata.github.io/untangled/snapshot/packages.adb' > /etc/apk/repositories.d/untangled.list

# 3. Refresh and install (untangled-full = everything)
apk update
apk add untangled-full

Step 3 — Open it. Go to http://<router-ip>/untangled/ in your browser (e.g. http://192.168.1.1/untangled/) and sign in with your router's admin account — the same username/password you use for LuCI. That's it. LuCI still works untouched at /.

No router yet? Click through the live demo first — the full UI with sample data, right in your browser.

Package	What you get
untangled	Core UI + /ubus + session auth. HTTP-only, minimal.
untangled-full	Core + HTTPS, Wi-Fi scan, firmware upgrade, Wake-on-LAN.
untangled-mesh	Mesh Wi-Fi backend (dawn roaming + umdns discovery).

Which one? Just install untangled-full. It gives you everything.

Why is the untangled-full download tiny (~1 KB) and untangled ~90 KB? That's expected. untangled (core) holds the actual interface, so it's the big one. untangled-full is just a short "shopping list" that tells the router to install the core plus the extras (HTTPS, Wi-Fi scan, firmware, WoL), so its own file is tiny, but installing it pulls in everything. Think of it like a "meal deal" ticket: small ticket, full meal.

Prefer a file? Every release attaches raw .ipk (stable) and .apk (snapshot) on Releases. The package is architecture-independent (PKGARCH:=all), so one .ipk covers every current stable release; apk is used only by OpenWRT snapshot. Post-install ACL notes, size table and HTTPS setup: openwrt/README.md.

Reading the file names on the Releases page:

File	Format	For	Which
untangled_<ver>_all.ipk	opkg	OpenWRT 23.05 / 24.10 (stable)	core
untangled-full_<ver>_all.ipk	opkg	stable	full (recommended)
untangled-<ver>.apk	apk	OpenWRT snapshot only	core
untangled-full-<ver>.apk	apk	snapshot only	full

On stable OpenWRT use the .ipk files. The .apk files are only for the experimental snapshot builds. The long names (version plus all for "any router model") are required by the router's package manager, so don't rename them.

No router handy? Click through the live demo for the full UI with sample data, in your browser.

Coming from a Jio AirFiber router?

If you installed OpenWrt on a Jio IDU (JIDU) router — any of the AX6000 models (6101, 6201, 6401, 6601, 6701 on MediaTek, or 6111, 6411, 6611, 6811, 6911 on Qualcomm) — UnTangled installs the same way as above. A few things to know:

• Your router is on OpenWrt 25.12 (stable), so use the opkg commands above.
• The default IP after flashing OpenWrt is 192.168.1.1 (the stock Jio address was 192.168.31.1). Open http://192.168.1.1/untangled/ after installing.
• Sign in with the OpenWrt root account (the password you set in LuCI after flashing — this is not the old Jio admin password).
• Both hardware families work: MediaTek MT7986A (mt76 Wi-Fi, official OpenWrt) and Qualcomm IPQ9574 (ath11k, community OpenWrt build). The UI package is architecture-independent.
• UnTangled's Network Map will correctly show your model name (e.g. "JioRouter AX6000 JIDU6101") and firmware version, and all features (Wireless, Devices, QoS, VPN, etc.) work the same as on any other OpenWrt router.
• If you're running AdGuard Home alongside OpenWrt (common on the "small buffers" Qualcomm build), UnTangled's Network Protection screen detects it and links to the AGH dashboard automatically.

See docs/HARDWARE_MATRIX.md §5 for the full JIDU model reference.

Requirements & hardware support

UnTangled is an OpenWRT interface. It does not run on stock vendor firmware, DD-WRT, pfSense or similar.

Runs on any device with OpenWRT 23.05 or newer (24.10 and the 25.x stable line are both fine, as is snapshot), on any CPU architecture (the UI package is PKGARCH:=all), with room for its dependencies: uhttpd, uhttpd-mod-ubus, rpcd, rpcd-mod-file, rpcd-mod-luci. The UI itself is ~75 KB gzipped and runs in your browser, so it adds little to router RAM.

You'll want ≈ 8 MB+ of free flash. On very small devices (the old 4/32 MB class) the base dependencies may not fit. That's a device limitation, not an UnTangled one.

Features light up when their OpenWRT package is present, and stay out of the way when it isn't. Each advanced screen degrades to a one-click "install …" card instead of breaking:

Feature	Needs
Wi-Fi scan / signal, HTTPS, firmware upgrade, Wake-on-LAN	untangled-full (pulls rpcd-mod-iwinfo, cgi-io, mbedtls + px5g, etherwake)
QoS · Dynamic DNS · UPnP · Dual-WAN · USB sharing · Usage history	sqm-scripts · ddns-scripts · miniupnpd-nftables · mwan3 · ksmbd/minidlna · vnstat + nlbwmon
Mesh Wi-Fi · Tailscale	untangled-mesh · tailscale

Beta. Verified on OpenWRT 23.05 and snapshot container images (install, serving, signed feed), with a field report on the 25.x stable line (JioRouter AX6000 / JIDU6101 on OpenWrt 25.12 — UI + device detection; see docs/HARDWARE_MATRIX.md). Not yet validated across physical routers for roaming/mesh — behaviour that depends on live radios, clients and vendor Wi-Fi drivers may vary by device. Mesh is OpenWRT-to-OpenWRT only and is not certified Multi-AP/prplMesh. Please open an issue with your model if something looks off.

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Why UnTangled?

• Made for everyone. Task-based flows and a visual Network Map for non-technical users; full depth, a command palette and "Advanced details" disclosures for the technical ones. One UI, no compromise.
• Hard to lock yourself out. Connectivity-risky changes (Wireless, WAN, LAN, Firewall, DMZ) apply with an auto-rollback timer. If a change would cut you off, the router quietly reverts it.
• Tiny, fast, private. The whole UI is around 75 KB gzipped, versus LuCI's megabytes. System fonts, no CDNs, no telemetry, no cloud account. The router never needs the internet to serve it.
• Help where you need it. A ? beside each setting explains it in a sentence, so there's no wall of jargon.
• Mesh Wi-Fi the easy way. One Wi-Fi name across routers with 802.11r/k/v roaming, set up like a consumer mesh system.
• Light and dark themes. A clean light theme by default, a Merlin-style dark theme one click away.
• Extensible. A LuCI-style runtime plugin system lets packages add whole screens without rebuilding the core.

A look around

Devices. Reserve a fixed IP, block a device's internet, or wake it on LAN.	Mesh Wi-Fi. One Wi-Fi name across routers with smooth roaming (a plugin).
Wireless. SSID, security and channels up front; power, fast-roaming and WMM under Advanced.	Usage History. Daily and monthly internet use, plus per-device totals.
Parental Controls. Per-device internet schedules by the week.	QoS (Smart Queue). Kill bufferbloat and keep calls and gaming smooth.
VPN. WireGuard and OpenVPN, server and client (dark theme).	Firewall. Zone policies in plain terms, fw4/nftables under the hood (dark theme).
⌘K command palette. Jump to any page, device or action in a keystroke.	Firmware. Upload, verify, and flash a sysupgrade image, keeping your settings.

Everything in the box: Network Map · Devices (fixed IP / block / Wake-on-LAN) · Mesh Wi-Fi · Guest Network · Traffic Monitor · Usage History · Parental Controls · Extend Wi-Fi (repeater) · Network Protection (ad/threat blocking) · Wireless (+ advanced radio tab) · Internet/WAN wizard · Dynamic DNS · QoS / Smart Queue · Dual WAN · UPnP · Port Forwarding · VPN (WireGuard + OpenVPN, server + client) · LAN · IPv6 (server / relay + announced DNS) · Firewall (zones) · DMZ · Administration (hostname, time, password, scheduled reboot, backup/restore) · System Log · USB Storage (SMB + DLNA) · Firmware upgrade · Software (apk/opkg).

Many advanced features light up only when their OpenWRT package is present and degrade gracefully: each shows an "install package" hint instead of an error when it isn't.

UnTangled vs. LuCI

An honest comparison. LuCI is excellent and complete; UnTangled is the friendlier front door. Keep both.

	UnTangled	LuCI
Built for non-technical users	✅ task-based, plain language, per-field help	engineer-oriented
Visual Network Map & device cards	✅	—
Mesh Wi-Fi setup	✅ guided, consumer-mesh style	manual, per package
Lock-out protection on risky changes	✅ auto-rollback timer	apply-with-rollback (manual)
UI size	✅ ~75 KB gzipped	several MB
Feature completeness & maturity	beta, growing fast	✅ mature, exhaustive
Coexist on the same router	✅ runs at /untangled/, never modifies LuCI

How it works

UnTangled is just the UI. It reuses the OpenWRT backend you already have (UCI + ubus + rpcd + uhttpd), talking JSON-RPC to /ubus with the standard session.login and rpcd ACLs. Nothing runs as a separate daemon; nothing phones home.

src/
  lib/        ubus client, per-feature data layers (wireless, firewall, vpn, …)
  components/ Shell, Topbar, Sidebar, CommandPalette, Help, plugin host, …
  screens/    one Svelte component per nav item
public/plugins/  runtime plugins (e.g. Mesh Wi-Fi, Ping) + manifest
openwrt/    packaging: Makefile (3 packages), rpcd ACLs, uci-defaults
site/       the landing site + signed package feed (GitHub Pages)
ui-prototype/    the clickable UX prototype, also the live demo

Develop

npm install
npm run dev                      # http://localhost:5173
ROUTER=192.168.1.1 npm run dev   # proxy /ubus to a real router for live data
npm run check                    # svelte-check / TypeScript
npm run build                    # -> dist/

Stack: Svelte 5 + Vite + TypeScript. Architecture, the per-screen data-source map and the plugin contract live in docs/ARCHITECTURE.md and docs/PLUGINS.md.

Write a plugin: a self-contained ES module dropped into /www/untangled/plugins/ adds a nav entry and screen at runtime (no core rebuild) using a small stable API (ubus, toast, navigate, getTheme). See docs/PLUGINS.md and the examples in public/plugins/.

Releases: every v* tag builds .ipk (23.05 SDK) and .apk (snapshot SDK), signs them, attaches them to a GitHub Release and publishes the feed + this site to GitHub Pages. Maintainer notes on signing keys and one-time repo setup: keys/README.md.

Status & roadmap

UnTangled is in beta. The code is written to documented OpenWRT UCI/ubus/fw4 interfaces, and every release is installed and exercised in real OpenWRT containers (23.05 and snapshot: install, dependencies, HTTP serving, /ubus auth, ACLs, mesh backend) before it ships. On physical hardware it has one field report so far — a JioRouter AX6000 (JIDU6101) on OpenWrt 25.12, UI and device detection confirmed — but it has not yet been validated across many physical routers, and that's where you come in. See docs/HARDWARE_MATRIX.md to add a result.

Next up: hardware validation reports, VPN policy routing (per-device VPN, à la Merlin's VPN Director), and Mesh phase 3 (automatic node discovery, one-click dumb-AP bridging, 802.11s wireless backhaul).

Help it grow

• Star the repo. It's the single best way to help more OpenWRT users find a friendlier UI.
• Run it on your router and open an issue with what you see: model, OpenWRT version, what worked, what didn't.
• Build a plugin for the thing your network needs.
• Tell a friend who's been putting off OpenWRT because of the UI.

Credits

Developed by Krish Paul · me@krishnendu.com · Licensed GPL-2.0-or-later
Website: https://bidhata.github.io/untangled/ · Source: https://github.com/bidhata/untangled

Thanks to @spdixit for field testing and bug reports (device band/connection detection, applied-item ordering, installed-app visibility, and the first physical-hardware report — JioRouter AX6000 / JIDU6101 on OpenWrt 25.12, which surfaced the stale topbar model/version).

Thanks to u/venkatx5 for install feedback and bug reports (device internet blocking and parental controls, Samba4 storage detection, device renaming, AdGuard Home detection, firewall rule creation, config backup, and package-list detection for untangled-full).

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_{Please keep it in mind — I'm just a Spaghetti developer who is having AI agents now to help. I'm just a curious tinker and reverse-engineering addict, who can't resist poking at anything to see what happens. 😄}