I just got a Gateway 7001, which seemed to me like the best hardware available for $45:
http://wiki.openwrt.org/OpenWrtDocs/Har … teway/7001

Is there any way to flash this router without using a serial port?  I've read that redboot can be accessed over telnet, but in the boot text provided in the wiki, redboot starts out with an IP address of 0.0.0.0, so I assume that telnet has been disabled.

I ordered a TTL-232R-3V3, which connects to USB and provides a 3.3v serial connection.  Was ordering this a correct decision?  This cable is mentioned in the NLSU2 wiki:
http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/AddASerialPort

Another note: The Gateway 7001 has a 266MHz processor, 8MB flash, 32MB ram, dual independent ethernet ports, 2 minipci slots with two Atheros cards (a and bg), and it's only $45 at some online stores.  Is there some reason why these aren't selling like crazy?

Hey pmarks - you get anywhere with this? I was also looking at the 7001. Looks like a bargain imho.

I was able to connect to the serial port by getting a TTL-232R-3V3 and rearranging the pins.  From there, I managed to install OpenWRT.  It boots, but I so far haven't been able to get any of the network interfaces working right.  I get an "NPE-B not running" error on the wired ports, and an EEPROM checksum error on the wireless.

I also managed to upgrade to RedBoot 2.04, but that didn't seem to fix anything.

So, the platform seems to have some promise for the future, but right now it's very underdeveloped.

A follow-up:

Once I figured out how to un-break my bootloader (updating it was a BAD idea), and how to work with the NPE microcode (I put some info in the Wiki), and how to fix my Wifi card's EEPROM (random hardware fluke, I think), everything's working nicely now.

As of this writing, you can still buy the router for $45 from here:
http://ascendtech.us/Itemdesc.asp?ic=NE … q=&Tp=

It's a great platform to play with OpenWRT on; just keep in mind that you need a 3.3V serial interface to get Redboot configured initially.