Install Transmission on DD-WRT Router - BitTorrent Client Setup

Elevating Your DD-WRT Router: Installing Transmission

Having already enhanced your DD-WRT router's capabilities with the Opkg package manager, it’s now time to add a powerful BitTorrent client. This guide details the process of installing Transmission on your DD-WRT router.

The following instructions, inspired by How-To Geek, will walk you through the necessary steps.

Image credit: Nathan E and Aviad Raviv.

Prerequisites: Previous Articles in the Series

Before proceeding, ensure you’ve reviewed the preceding articles in this series for a comprehensive understanding. These include:

• Transforming your home router into a high-performance device using DD-WRT.
• A guide on installing supplementary software on your DD-WRT router.
• Instructions for blocking advertisements with Pixelserv on DD-WRT.

It is assumed that you possess a working knowledge of the concepts covered in these earlier guides.

Important Considerations

Please note that this particular guide delves into more advanced configurations. Users with limited experience modifying router settings should exercise caution throughout the installation process.

Modifying your router’s firmware carries inherent risks, so proceed carefully and ensure you understand each step before execution.

Transmission Installation and Remote Control on OpenWRT

Transmission stands out as a leading BiTorrent client available through the OpenWRT OPKG repository. Its widespread adoption across prominent Linux distributions – such as Ubuntu and Mint – underscores its reliability, consistent updates, and adaptability.

A key feature of Transmission is its capacity for remote management, supported by various applications, including Windows programs and a web-based interface.

Guide Overview

This tutorial will detail the process of installing Transmission on your OpenWRT router. We will also configure it to start automatically upon boot and enable remote control via a Windows client and a web interface within your local network.

The following steps will ensure a fully functional and remotely accessible Transmission setup on your OpenWRT device.

Installation Steps

Installing Transmission is straightforward using the OpenWRT package manager. The process involves updating the package list and then installing the Transmission package itself.

Automatic Startup Configuration

To ensure Transmission runs continuously, it needs to be configured to start automatically when the router boots up. This is achieved through a simple system initialization script.

Remote Control Setup

Enabling remote control allows you to manage your downloads from other devices on your network. This can be done using a Windows client or a convenient web interface.

• Windows Client: A dedicated Windows application provides a graphical interface for managing Transmission.
• Web Interface: Access Transmission through a web browser for control from any device with network access.

By following these steps, you can effectively utilize Transmission on your OpenWRT router for seamless torrent downloading and management.

Essential Requirements and Initial Considerations

This guide builds upon prior knowledge. It's anticipated that you've already completed the steps detailed in "How To Install Additional Software On Your Home Router (DD-WRT)" and met all the necessary prerequisites outlined there.

Optimal performance is achieved with a HardDrive connected to the router. The following instructions are predicated on this setup.

The HardDrive should already be formatted before proceeding. While partitioning and formatting are not covered in this guide, DD-WRT version 17798 and later natively support widely used file systems.

Supported File Systems

• FAT32
• ext2/3
• NTFS

Consequently, no specialized configuration should be required for common file system types.

Having clarified these foundational elements, we can now move forward.

Initiating Transmission: Network Configuration

Enabling UPnP

UPnP functions as a system enabling applications on your network to automatically request port forwarding from the router. Utilizing this feature eliminates the need for manual port opening or forwarding to the Transmission daemon.

To activate this, access your router’s web interface:

• Navigate to "NAT/QoS" and then select "UPnP".
• Choose the "enable" option for the "UPnP Service" setting.
• Consider enabling the "Clear port forwards at startup" option for added security.
  
• Save and apply the changes.

Hard Drive Mounting

If a hard drive is connected, ensure it is mounted through the router’s web interface. Access the interface as follows:

• Go to the "Services" tab and then select "USB".
• Enable "Core USB Support", "USB Storage Support", and "Automatic Drive Mount" by selecting their respective enable radio buttons.
  
• Save and apply the settings.

Software Installation

The Transmission daemon package can be installed via the terminal using the following command:

opkg update; opkg install transmission-daemon

Configuration of the Package

After installation, launch the Transmission daemon once to generate the default settings file. Running it in the foreground ("-f" flag) allows for easy monitoring of its stabilization and subsequent termination. Execute:

transmission-daemon -f

Allow the program approximately ten seconds to initialize before exiting using "Ctrl+C".

Directory Setup

Establish directories to store torrent pointers, partial downloads, configuration files, and completed downloads. For this example, the following structure is used:

mkdir -p /mnt/sda_part1/torrents/parts/mkdir -p /mnt/sda_part1/torrents/config/

It’s important to note that this assumes a single hard drive connected to the router with a filesystem on the first partition. Adjust this path based on your specific hard drive partitioning and formatting.

Copy the configuration file created during the initial daemon run:

cp /tmp/root/.config/transmission-daemon/settings.json /mnt/sda_part1/torrents/config

This command represents a single, continuous line.

The following command modifies the "rpc-whitelist" parameter to include the "192.168.11.*" network. This permits connections from any computer on the local network, using a remote GUI, to the daemon running on the router.

sed -i "s/127.0.0.1/127.0.0.1,192.168.11.\*/g" /mnt/sda_part1/torrents/config/settings.json

Note that this is also a single, continuous line.

Adjust the network subnet if it differs from your configuration.

Restart the daemon, specifying the alternative configuration directory using the "-g" flag:

transmission-daemon -f -g /mnt/sda_part1/torrents/config

Verify that the daemon has started and that the program paths have updated to reflect the new configuration. Keep the daemon running, as it will be required for the GUI configuration phase.

Remote GUI Control of Transmission

Two Windows applications are available for remotely managing the Transmission daemon: Transmission-remote-gui and Transmission-remote-dotnet. Both offer comprehensive functionality and receive consistent updates. Although either can be utilized, this guide will focus on "transmission-remote-dotnet" due to its near-identical features compared to the alternative.

The client will be installed and subsequently employed to modify server settings, a process that proves simpler than direct editing of the configuration file.

Setting Up Local Client Parameters

• Obtain the newest version of Transmission-remote-dotnet from the project’s official website and proceed with a standard installation.
• Initiate the program and navigate to "Local settings" via the Options menu or by clicking the wrench icon.
• Proceed to the "Servers Settings" tab.
• Select "Add Server" to begin configuring a connection.
• Click on the newly added "Server 0" name to access and modify its settings.
• Enter your router’s IP address into the host field.
• Confirm your entry by clicking "Save".
• Establish a connection to the daemon operating on your router by selecting "File" -> "Connect" or utilizing the connect icon.

Configuring the Remote Daemon’s Operation

• Select "Options" and then "Remote Settings".
• In the "Download to" field, specify the directory: "/mnt/sda_part1/torrents".
• Ensure the "Incomplete download to" checkbox is selected.
• Within the incomplete downloads field, input: "/mnt/sda_part1/torrents/parts".
• Adjust the Encryption dropdown menu to "preferred".
• Finalize the configuration by clicking "Save".

The setup is now complete. You can now interact with the program as you would with any conventional BitTorrent client installed on your computer.

Enable the Web Interface (Optional)

Although utilizing one of the remote-gui programs previously mentioned would have been adequate, you might desire a method to access the daemon without being tied to a program on a particular device. Given the proliferation of personal devices today, managing what’s available where can be challenging. Accessing the router via a web browser should, for experienced DD-WRT users, be a familiar process. Furthermore, a web interface simplifies adding downloads while mobile.

While making the web GUI publicly accessible falls outside the scope of this guide, we will demonstrate how to install and configure the web interface, allowing you to address public accessibility later.

Install the necessary package using the following command in a terminal:

opkg update; opkg install transmission-web

Transmission will automatically search for the web interface in several default locations. Running transmission in "foreground" mode (using the -f flag) in the previous step allows you to identify these locations if you attempt to access the web interface. Currently, access will fail, but you’ll observe that one location is "/tmp/root/.local/share/transmission/". This location resides on the router’s RAM, which is both readable and writable.

Therefore, we simply need to create a symbolic link between this RAM location and the installation location of the web interface on JFFS. To accomplish this, first create the directory manually:

mkdir -p /tmp/root/.local/share/transmission/

Then, create the symbolic link, also manually:

ln -s /jffs/opt/usr/share/transmission/web/ /tmp/root/.local/share/transmission/web

Note that this is a single, continuous line.

Attempt to access the web interface again at: http://your-router's-ip-or-dns:9091. For example, with an IP address, this would be "http://192.168.11.1:9091" or, using a local DNS name, "http://buffalo.aviad.lan:9091".

If successful, adding a download should produce a result similar to this: