A guide to OpenWRT and TanazaOS. A comparison of the features of these two operating systems for embedded devices.

What is OpenWRT?

OpenWRT is a well-known open-source (GPL license) Linux distribution for embedded systems like routers, wireless access points, and CPEs.

It has been widely used for multiple applications in wireless networking, thanks to the wide range of extensions available.

What is TanazaOS?

TanazaOS is a proprietary operating system by Tanaza.

First released in 2019, it is a Linux-based operating system for Wi-Fi access points. At the contrary of firmware versions 1.x and 2.x released by Tanaza until 2019, it is not based on OpenWRT.

The LuCi Web Interface and Tanaza’s cloud-based interface

Both OpenWRT devices and TanazaOS devices are managed through a web interface. However, LuCi (the OpenWRT web interface) is not as intuitive as Tanaza’s.

Open-WRT allows managing single networking devices through commands. Instead, Tanaza includes a cloud-based intuitive interface to manage multiple Wi-Fi networks in a centralized way.

Supported wireless access points

The lists of compatible hardware for OpenWRT and TanazaOS differ significantly: OpenWRT supports a broader variety of devices, including CPEs and routers.

Similarly, they both make releases for old devices, therefore prolonging the life of the hardware with the software.

TanazaOS and OpenWRT features

Both operating systems allow adding new functionalities to the access points.

While in Tanaza these features are available within the platform without any need for coding, Open-WRT requires coding extension packages. Examples of application extensions include a captive portal, bandwidth control, VLANs, reducing latency/lag, securing internet access.

Tanaza also allows integrating the platform with a large variety of external systems. Both TanazaOS and Open-WRT free their users from the application selection provided by the hardware manufacturer.

TanazaOS and OpenWRT security and quality assurance

Both TanazaOS and Open-WRT are resistant to common vulnerabilities, are stable, and operate reliably for long periods. Thanks to the frequent software updates also for older devices, there are no hidden backdoors left by hardware vendors.

Tanaza is a for-profit company partnering with leading vendors. It is pro-actively acting to keep its firmware 100% bug-free and safe. Tanaza’s Quality Assurance team performs hundreds of tests to ensure the full functionality of the firmware and the platform. Tanaza is a production-ready, proven enterprise-grade product with over 12 releases/year.

Instead, the Open WRT project relies on its releases (around one/year) on the work of the OpenWRT community. Consequently, it does not go through a precise quality assurance process. Releases sometimes lead to breakages in some system’s elements or previously available functionalities.

Operational efficiency with Tanaza and OpenWRT

The fundamental difference between Open-WRT and Tanaza is that the last is much easier to use and intuitive.

OpenWRT is a valuable open-source project. However, it does not allow cloud managing and monitoring Wi-Fi networks in a fast and efficient way.

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Last December, we rolled out some exciting new features at Tanaza. In 2020, we hit the ground running by launching Cosmo Networks the first line of white-box WiFi access points with TanazaOS already pre-installed. Please keep reading to learn how we paired hardware for professional usage with our WiFi cloud management software.

For many years, customers asked us why they had to install Tanaza’s software on third-party devices. Instead, they would prefer to have ready-to-go access points, cloud-managed with the Tanaza software out-of-the-box. It seems less hassle than buying a Ubiquiti Unifi access point from Amazon and then “flash” it with our software, right?

However, going down that road and becoming a hardware vendor does not align with our mission.

At our core, software and hardware disaggregation are the main drivers of our company strategy and product innovations. In our minds, users should be able to buy hardware and software separately; therefore, avoiding vendor lock-in due to vertically-integrated hardware and software bundles.

Historically, software and hardware disaggregation can be appreciated in many fields. A great example is the Microsoft Windows system, which can run on almost any computer -not Apple devices, of course. Another example is the Android operating system, currently the most-used smartphone OS worldwide, which runs on mobile devices from multiple hardware vendors.

We believe that disaggregation will also happen in the WiFi area. In this way, service providers can benefit from all the advantages of WiFi software and hardware disaggregation, including cost savings, higher efficiency, and effortless scalability.

How Tanaza works with off-the-shelf and white-box WiFi access points

To be aligned with our mission, we split our hardware compatibility strategy into two streams. On the one hand, the Tanaza cloud software is compatible with off-the-shelf devices from multiple hardware vendors. Thanks to the TanazaOS installer, the process of installing the TanazaOS operating system on supported access points is much faster than in the past and effortless.

On the other hand, we created Cosmo Networks, a selection of white-box access points for medium and large-scale deployments, running TanazaOS as their default operating system.

The Cosmo Networks WiFi access points can be deployed seamlessly with zero-touch provisioning on the Tanaza WiFi cloud management platform, also together with other brands’ access points (i.e., Ubiquiti, TP-Link). Cosmo Networks access points come with the complete feature set of the Tanaza Cloud Management software and a lifetime license included.

Moreover, the Cosmo Networks devices allow saving on the equipment’s costs, as they are shipped from the ODM factory directly to the customers’ premises, with no intermediaries.

“Thanks to Cosmo Networks, we are offering to our users the opportunity to deploy hundreds of access points on the cloud, with no need to install our software on them”, declares Sebastiano Bertani, CEO and Founder of Tanaza. “I am sure this will help us scale-up our business in many countries, where the supply of compatible off-the-shelf WiFi access points is currently scarce or slow”.