In the expedience of time I will explain the process in the following paragraphs.
(1) connect the router via an Ethernet plugged into the LAN port and the other end placed into a USB to Ethernet adapter on the laptop.
(2) disconnect the laptop from all Ethernet connections except for the router connection.
(3) log into the router with credentials using your browser; select Network -> WiFi.
(4) click on the Scan button next to the "Generic MAC80211 802.11bgn (radio0)" line. Select the WiFi network that you wish to join by clicking on the "Join Network" button.
(5) leave "Replace Wireless Configuration" checked, this will ensure that everything is replaced. Enter the wpa2 passphrase. Make sure that WAN is selected; this will ensure that the wireless setup is associated with the WAN connection on the router. Select save.
(6) When the next screen comes up, make sure that WAN is selected. Click on Save and Apply.
(7) At the next screen you should see the selected WiFi under the "Generic..." line. Next, click on the Add button next to the "Generic..." line. Select LAN to associate with this new WiFi SSID. Change the name from"OpenWRT" if you desire a different SSID for your LAN network connection.
(8) select Wireless Security tab to setup the WPA2 data. Select WPA2-PSK for encryption and "Force TKIP and CCMP (AES)" from the dropdown next to Cipher. Add the passphrase as necessary. Click on Save and Apply. This will bring you back to the screen with the "Generic..." line. You should see both the SSID of the WiFi you are connected to on the WAN side, and the SSID for the LAN side. At this point you are set up.
That is pretty easy setup for OpenWRT. Next, I got to figure out a couple of different setups including one with OpenVPN back to my house.
