I want to play with my WRT54G

RWBRWB Icrontian
edited June 2006 in Science & Tech
I have ver. 2.0 of the WRT54G Linksys router, I am wanting to dabble with the firmware.

I am curious which products you guys use and why... one of the things I am kinda hoping for is a bit more snap when viewing websites... appearently my cousins are getting slower web responces since I tossed the Belkin and put on this router. At least I ain't having to powercycle it constantly... It's fast for me on both my computers.
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Comments

  • citrixmetacitrixmeta Montreal, Quebec Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    give M0n0wall a go, its a great firewall OS

    shoudl load up into ur router
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    I use Sveasoft's Alchemy series.
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    Doesn't svesoft require a subscription for whatever dumbss reason?
  • Park_7677Park_7677 Missouri Member
    edited May 2006
    RWB wrote:
    Doesn't svesoft require a subscription for whatever dumbss reason?
    Sveasoft requires a "subscription" to pre-final releases. The final one is free, however. This is an Individual that releases the in-between versions if you'd like.

    There are other firmwares such as DD-WRT, HyperWRT, OpenWRT, HotSpotZone, EWRT, etc. I had to play with them all to find one I liked. Be sure that your hardware version is supported before you flash.. or you won't have a working router.

    I use OpenWRT myself. It's the most versatile I've used so far. I turned a cheap router into an internet gatekeeper/authentication server for free :crazy:

    The slow wireless speeds could be a lot of things. I've never had problems with wireless with my WRT after the initial buggy firmware versions.
  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited May 2006
    Thrax wrote:
    I use Sveasoft's Alchemy series.
    EBILL ANTI GPL !

    DD-WRT pwns it, so does hyperwrt.

    DD-WRT can be a bit bloated but if you don't turn all the services on it runs extreemly well and it has more features then any other firmware.

    HyperWRT is basicly an enhanced version of linksys's default firmware and even with all its services on you will never run out of ram :).
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    I don't give a **** if it's Anti-GPL. The final version, the one everyone needs to care about because it's bug-free and won't brick your router, is perfectly free.

    Additionally, unless you can state how one firmware "Pwns" another in clearer terms, it's pointless to say it.
  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited May 2006
    Heres a comparison

    As you can see DD-WRT does way more then any of sveasoft's firmware does.

    Heres a screen shot

    edit: The only time ive bricked one is when I overclocked mine too high. (A simple reflash with the jtag fixed the problem).
  • NosferatuNosferatu Arizona
    edited May 2006
    Thanks for the suggestion GrayFox. I've been running Sveasoft since I got my WRT54G, but I flashed the latest DD-WRT this morning and I have to say, it is MUCH better than Sveasoft. Very nice!
  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited May 2006
    No problem

    If you have any issues with p2p apps crank the maximum ports to 4096. (This fixed my problem with my Rev 2.2)
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited May 2006
    Cool tips guys.. I'm thinking of picking one up just for the heck of it. Really amazing what they've been able to do.
  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited May 2006
    lemonlime wrote:
    Cool tips guys.. I'm thinking of picking one up just for the heck of it. Really amazing what they've been able to do.
    The newer revisions can't run aftermarket firmware however linksys released another model that is a clone of the older revision 4. It is called the WRT54GL make sure to buy that model if you plan to flash it.
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited May 2006
    GrayFox wrote:
    The newer revisions can't run aftermarket firmware however linksys released another model that is a clone of the older revision 4. It is called the WRT54GL make sure to buy that model if you plan to flash it.

    Thanks for the Tip. I'll keep an eye out for a deal and pick one up :)
  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited May 2006
    Sledgehammer has a revision 2.0 for sale here.
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    I gotta say, with this easy firmwre update from HyperWRT the connection is noticably snappier... I managed to get my cousins wireless connection up from 2 bars of signal strength to 4-5 bars... now he shouldn't complain even though his connection was fine.

    Dunno if framebursting is doing much, but it's enabled, I think that option has been there though. Got QoS enabled but only for port 80 on high priority cause web browsing is what we do most, but occasionally the P2P stuff bogs the system down... maybe not anymore.
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    I think tonight I am gonna try out the DDWRT one becuase it looks neater :P
  • airbornflghtairbornflght Houston, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    Can you do anything with a linksys BEFSX41? thats what I have. I really dont like it. I'm almost ready to toss it and buy a 24 port high speed switch.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    DD-WRT PRECAUTION ** MUST FOLLOW **
    You MUST flash to the DD-WRT WRT54G MINI firmware before reflashing to the standard WRT54G DD-WRT firmware. You will BRICK YOUR ROUTER IF YOU DON'T.

    And yes, having flashed to it the other day, I'm very pleased with its performance and GUI. Better than Sveasoft.
  • rykoryko new york
    edited May 2006
    another happy user of dd-wrt here. i recently got a buffalo whr-g54s to replace a struggling smc barricade-g and i tried out the regular firmware for a few days. it sucked...much worse than the old smc. i had to keep rebooting to get it to connect. sometimes i could ping it and other times not. finally flashed it earlier this week and it has been great since.

    one feature that i lost is the "AOSS" which is a one button secure connect with buffalo wireless adapters. it was pretty cool to have one button secure config. w/ my laptop's usb wifi adapter. but i had to keep rebooting the damn router all the time so it really didn't matter. i have much more stable wireless now.
  • JimboraeJimborae Newbury, Berks, UK New
    edited May 2006
    Another DD-WRT user here.
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited May 2006
    GrayFox wrote:
    Sledgehammer has a revision 2.0 for sale here.

    Just bought it from him.. Looking forward to tinker with it :)
  • marinesvcsmarinesvcs
    edited June 2006
    Thrax wrote:
    DD-WRT PRECAUTION ** MUST FOLLOW **
    You MUST flash to the DD-WRT WRT54G MINI firmware before reflashing to the standard WRT54G DD-WRT firmware. You will BRICK YOUR ROUTER IF YOU DON'T.

    And yes, having flashed to it the other day, I'm very pleased with its performance and GUI. Better than Sveasoft.


    So, what if a guy didn't read your caveat BEFORE he flashed his WRT54G V1 with the wrong .bin? I didn't install the mini first :doh:

    I took the thing apart and shorted out the pins so I can ping it, but can't get it to take the mini firmware....tftp keeps timing out...so does linksys' utility.

    Any ideas??? Thanks
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    Can you get into the firmware via the router? You can upgrade to the mini from there. That's what I did.
  • marinesvcsmarinesvcs
    edited June 2006
    Nothing...I don't get any admin screen from the router. It's pinging fine, and I've tried the tricks of starting the tftp immediately after rebooting the router.

    In fact, with two command windows set up, I even tried pinging at the same time I tried the tftp...pings worked, tftp didn't. Got timeout.

    Did you flash to DD-WRT with another version prior to installing the mini? (i.e., what your post describing something that YOU did or was it just good advice?)

    Thanks
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    That procedure is recommended by the DD-WRT installation Wiki, and it was the procedure I followed when I upgraded from the Sveasoft firmware.
  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited June 2006
    http://spacetoad.com/tmp/hairydairymaid_debrickv22.zip
    The ultimate debricking guide.
  • marinesvcsmarinesvcs
    edited June 2006
    marinesvcs wrote:
    So, what if a guy didn't read your caveat BEFORE he flashed his WRT54G V1 with the wrong .bin? I didn't install the mini first :doh:

    I took the thing apart and shorted out the pins so I can ping it, but can't get it to take the mini firmware....tftp keeps timing out...so does linksys' utility.

    Any ideas??? Thanks


    As perverse as it sounds, I simply changed the name of the firmware binary to 'code.bin' and the tftp worked on the next try...

    I spent another two hours of flashing back and forth between the linksys and dd-wrt (mini) binaries, involuntarily having my WAN and LAN ports swapped on me, but I'm now loading the full version of V23...

    Hope springs eternal and that's 6 hours of my life I'll never get back for failing to read one little sentence!
  • CycloniteCyclonite Tampa, Florida Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    Just picked up a WRT54GL for my mom. She's currently having issues with a horrible D-Link DI-614+ router and a D-Link repeater. I'm trying to get the repeater and all D-Link hardware out of the equation. She was in range to see the D-Link Router by itself, but had difficulty connecting.

    Basically, what's my best bet for getting some nice range out of this router? Should I leave at latest Linksys firmware, or should I flash to one of these mentioned firmwares? I just basically need to get her on the intarweb, set 3 dhcp reservations, and forward 3 ports. If I can get WPA going too, that would be great. I'm really looking for the range, though.

    Please help me, oh all-knowing WRT54G gods. ;)
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    DD-WRT is the best in my opinion. I'm a convert. The default linksys firmware has a very low power output due to FCC regulations. However, you can sort of ignore that regulation and boost the power output safely by up to five fold. Not too shabby, eh? Port-forwarding is also much more thorough and reliable on DD-WRT.
  • Park_7677Park_7677 Missouri Member
    edited June 2006
    Thrax wrote:
    The default linksys firmware has a very low power output due to FCC regulations. However, you can sort of ignore that regulation and boost the power output safely by up to five fold.
    It is nice to have control of the power output on the router, but let's not forget that the wireless adapter in the computer must match the capability to cover the range in question. Cyclonite, make sure she as a good, quality wireless adapter/card. Many times new antennas can be bought to help the lower-quality ones out.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    Absolutely correct, but it's not a bad thing to boost the power output in any way you slice it. If the client card is weak, it'll have an easier time picking up a stronger signal than a weak one. If the client card is very good, it'll take greater RFI/distance to disrupt the signal.

    Either way, you win the internet. :)
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