Transforming Your GL-MT300N-V2 Pocket Router into a DLNA Multimedia Server

In this guide, we'll walk you through a straightforward process to convert your GL-MT300N-V2 pocket router into a DLNA server, allowing it to function as a versatile media server.

1. Download openwrt based Custom Firmware:
• Obtain the gl-mt300nv2-dlnasrv.bin file (approximately 13MB) from the following link: gl-mt300nv2-dlnasrv.bin
2. Flash the Custom Firmware:
• Replace the OEM firmware on your GL-MT300N-V2 pocket router with the custom gl-mt300nv2-dlnasrv.bin file
3. Prepare Your Media Disk:
• Format a USB Pendrive or USB disk as NTFS formatted disk(and copy all your media files to this disk under Audio/Video/Photo folders)
4. Power-On:
• Attach the media disk to the USB port of the pocket router
• Power ON the pocket router with a +5V DC power source
5. Wifi Connection:
• After boot-up, the pocket router will appear as a Wi-Fi hotspot with the SSID/Key: dlnaserver/goodlife
6. Install VLC Player:
• Install VLC Player on your smartphone or tablet
7. Connect to the DLNA Server:
• Connect your smartphone or tablet to the pocket router's Wi-Fi hotspot (dlnaserver/goodlife).
8. Access and Play Media Files:
• Open VLC Player on your smartphone or tablet and navigate to the Local Network section.
• Look for the dlna-server(with an image of penguin), where you can browse and play all your media files seamlessly(on multiple devices).

For those with an extensive multimedia collection, consider integrating this compact DLNA Server into your car's infotainment system. Passengers can seamlessly access a wealth of local media files on their smartphones or tablets via a shared Wi-Fi access point, ensuring uninterrupted entertainment even during long drives through areas with inconsistent network coverage. The image above illustrates our setup: a pocket router, powered by a +12v to +5v DC power adapter, paired with a USB media drive. When activated, this configuration transforms into a Wi-Fi hotspot, facilitating file sharing through DLNA service for all your smart devices.

Following sequence of images show you the exact steps to get your $30 GL-MT300N-V2 device up and running in few minutes.

After following all the 16 slides,  last step is to connect your smartphone(or tablet) to a wifi hotspot named dlnaserver(password is goodlife) and invoke vlc-media-player app to search for multimedia files over local network.

To enhance the security of this setup, it is strongly advised to modify the default webUI login password, Wi-Fi SSID and Wi-Fi password. The procedure for changing these settings is accessible through the standard web interface of the OpenWRT Firmware.

In conclusion, it's worth noting that all the software customization and changes featured in this blog are open source and accessible on my GitHub repository. Feel free to modify or enhance them further by following the provided build instructions. Let me know in the comments section, in case if you have feedback, questions or suggestions. Happy hacking!!