Beef Up Your Wireless Router

Doctor High writes "Josh Kuo's article Beef Up Your Wireless Router talks about the OpenWRT embedded Linux distro for the the Linksys WRT series wireless routers (and more). The article lays out some of the amazing things you can do with your Linux-enabled wireless router such as using it as a VoIP gateway, a wireless hotspot, or even an encrypted layer 2 tunnel endpoint for remote troubleshooting."

My Routers already does a lot of that stuff

[LBArrettAnderson]

Yeah he mentioned a lot of cool stuff that can be done with Linux installed on the router, but my wireless router already does a good portion of that stuff - DHCP, it can be a wireless hotspot if it wants to be (not with any special features; for those I'd just need to use a computer)... and a number of other things that he mentioned are already part of 99% of the wireless routers that I've seen.

Aside from the things he mentioned that are already part of wireless routers, the rest of it seems cool.

dd-wrt work just fine

[uomolinux]

I did it with a Linksys router I jus bought for that purpose, it work flawlessly, the interesting part of it is the huge config possibilities offered over the trad. factory default microprogram installed on it. That is not so new hack but it will make your admin life easier

Re:Maybe it is just me...

[celardore]

DD-WRT offers overclocking facilities, as well as boosting number of IP connections and wireless transmit power. I really recommend it to anyone with a compatiable Linksys.

DD-WRT

[adamstew]

You might also check out dd-wrt [dd-wrt.com]. Offers a lot of the same features. I'm not saying it's better, but it's an alternative...and works with many linksys, buffalo, asus, belkin, etc. And their wiki is a wealth of information on configuration and use of the dd-wrt firmware.

Re:dd-wrt work just fine

[Southpaw018]

The main advantage of DD-WRT [dd-wrt.com] over OpenWRT is that it's more of an out-of-the-box solution. In fact, the default firmware would be recognizable to people familiar with moderate to advanced networking, web GUI and all. DD-WRT also retains some, but nowhere near all, of the amazingly powerful options offered by OpenWRT. Neither firmware is really appropriate for Joe User, but DD-WRT is appropriate for a far broader user base.

Re:My Routers already does a lot of that stuff

[MyDixieWrecked]

I just installed dd-wrt [dd-wrt.com] on my Linksys wrt54gl router.

What's really nice is that it gives you a lot more control over routing, albeit with much more added complexity to the interface.

The new software enables snmp monitoring, ssh access, and VLAN control.

my question is, what's the difference between openwrt and dd-wrt?

Stay the hell away from Linksys!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Linksys routers (v4.0 and earlier) were great before they started reducing RAM and ROM size (w/o reducing the price of course).

Today you get only Linksys routers with about 8MB RAM and 2MB ROM.

You can't do anything with them. They're completely worthless.

With a 2MB ROM you're forced to use the micro size image of OpenWRT which doesn't even include pppoe(!).
(But DD-WRT which is by far better than OpenWRT (IMO) does have pppoe in their micro size image.)

I returned all Linksys routers I had and switched to the Asus WL-500g which has plenty of RAM and ROM and USB.

Linksys completely failed it. The Linux version of their router is no replacement and I really hope they will be sold or crapped by Cisco soon because they deserve it (for being stupid).

Re:Stay the hell away from Linksys!!!

[khraz]

Today you get only Linksys routers with about 8MB RAM and 2MB ROM. You can't do anything with them. They're completely worthless. With a 2MB ROM you're forced to use the micro size image of OpenWRT which doesn't even include pppoe(!). Except that Linksys is selling the WRT54GL series routers, with 16 MB RAM and 4 MB ROM - which fits all firmwares. After all, the GL is basically a WRT54G 3.0 and it's been released SPECIFICALLY for modders and hackers. AFAIR, it is also cheaper than the regular G-series. Here's a convenient list right here [wikipedia.org].

WRT54G v5, v6

[ulzeraj]

Yeah, I got one of that WRT54G from linksys, but it happens to be a v5 router preloaded with vxWorks proprietary operational system. Linksys' WRT54G and WRT54GS v5, v5.1 and v6 versions got less flash (2 mb flash memory and 8 mb of ram instead of 4 mb flash and 16 mb ram from other versions), It's possible to load a very minimal OpenWRT firmware into it, but it wont give you all advantages that you got with more storage.

The best model for using OpwnWRT are the "L" series (WRT54GL) that according to Linksys, are built specially for the Linux modding comunity.

Don't buy v5 or v6 if you want to use OpenWRT.Consult this page before acquiring a router: http://wiki.openwrt.org/TableOfHardware?action=sho w&redirect=toh [openwrt.org]

Thibor's HyperWRT and DD-WRT are better options

[Anonymous Coward]

DD-WRT is the most feature rich of the WRT firmwares, and the v24 promises of multiple, virtual APs with different encryptions will make me upgrade, but I like Thibor's Hyperwrt better if you don't need all the bells and whistles.

Thibor's HyperWRT is closer to the stock firmware than DD-WRT. It offers telnet and configured startup scripts. It offers static IP assignment, QoS, WDS, and client bridge mode. It switches between client and AP mode with much shorter reboots then DD-WRT and has a smaller footprint.

So I recommend Thibor's for most users, and DD-WRT for those running hotspots or VOIP.

Tomato Firmware has AJAX Web Interface and more

[Anonymous Coward]

A few weeks ago, installed Tomato firmware [polarcloud.com] 1.04 for my Buffalo WHR-G54S wireless router. (But I see now they have 1.05 available.)

So far, I've been blown away by the fantastic web interface and the rock-solid performance. It just freakin works without having to reboot the router every few weeks.

The web interface is simply amazing compared to what I've seen in other firmware. The QOS settings are a breeze to setup, too.

If you don't like Tomato, checkout other firmware projects like:

DD-WRT
FreeWRT
HyperWRT (official)
HyperWRT Thibor
OpenWRT
Tarifa
X-Wrt

Working article link

[Matt Perry]

Here's a working link to the article: http://weblog.infoworld.com/geeks/archives/2007/02 /beef_up_your_wi.html [infoworld.com]

Re:What a coincidence

[Paco103]

I just got one a few weeks ago and replaced my WRT54G v6 with it. The same day I flashed to DD-WRT micro (they say you're supposed to start with that before upgrading the version you really want), and panicked because the web interface never game back. I did a reset on the router, and it's been running ever since. I was really impressed the other day when I upgraded to the VPN version of DD-WRT, and during the reboot I never even noticed an internet connection loss. Even MSN and AOL messengers stayed connected.

I haven't used a lot of the features, but I do like the control I have. I boosted my power to 35mW from 28, and that seems to have made my room mates upstairs connections a bit more stable. I can't see how a significant boost would help without external high gain antennas, because the wi-fi client cards are still limited to a very low power output. I can also view neighboring access points with it to find free channels, which is much easier than having to boot up my laptop to check. It's easy to view how the hardware is utilized, and it seems the wireless connection to my media box has less dropped frames and freezes when streaming a full DVD quality 8Mbps MPEG2 file than it did with the stock firmware.

I haven't regretted it at all.

Re:My Routers already does a lot of that stuff

[Penguin Programmer]

my question is, what's the difference between openwrt and dd-wrt?

It's like the difference between Linux and Ubuntu (well, sort of). OpenWRT is mostly a nice kernel - very basic package that doesn't have a pretty interface and all that stuff that people want. They do provide a minimal distribution, but (at least last I checked) it's not very polished. DD-WRT is the OpenWRT kernel with a nice web interface, some good defaults, etc. added on.

OpenWRT is Slackware, DD-WRT is Ubuntu

[Anonymous Coward]

Having used both, OpenWRT is great for acting as a server for various things, while DD-WRT is great for using it primarily as an advanced router.

Re:My Routers already does a lot of that stuff

[Anonymous Coward]

no...dd-wrt is not openwrt + webinterface.
dd-wrt is the old firmware - modified
openwrt - firmware written from scratch

x-wrt.org is a really nice webinterface to openwrt, btw

Re:Maybe it is just me...

[blhack]

The reason your linksys router has so much trouble keeping up with what is going on is mostly due to its software. openwrt and dd-wrt etc etc fix this problem. Granted, the rules of logic still apply. You aren't going to get some magic software and turn your linksys into a full fledged cisco router or something like that, but you are going to make the thing a lot better. One of the great things about running openwrt on the thing is that it becomes a big huge swiss army knife. The thing has been a godsend for me at work, any time i need a spare wireless AP, or other networking swiss army knife...the WRT is there and waiting. The thing has actually impressed my boss so much that he let me buy a few soekris boards to run embedded linux.

Re:Maybe it is just me...

[Mr. Flibble]

And you *CAN* upgrade the memory. If you have a compatable linksys (check wikipedia, or google dd-wrt, which IMO is the best distro for a WRT54G). You can connect a flash card to some models to give up to 2 GB of added memory, or just use the SMB mount feature from DD-WRT and offload things to a remote machine for terabytes of storage.

Again, this will not work with all models, but DD-WRT is very impressive, in fact some of the new versions are purported to run on higher end Linksys hardware such as the Linksys RV082.

Re:Finding working hardware for embedded Linux

[Mr. Flibble]

Another poster has mentioned this, but you want the WRT54GL. I just helped a Co-worker buy one from NCIX.com and I flashed it with DD-WRT v.23 SP2.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17408&v pn=WRT54GL&manufacture=Linksys [ncix.com]

Yes, it costs more than the Vx-Works models, but then it does *SO* much more. Plus, the V1.1 model can be flashed directly with the latest version of DD-WRT, without having to take the intermediate step of flashing with DD-WRT Mini first.

I am so impressed with mine, that I am considering buying two more. In all seriousness. (I can run Apache, Bittorrent etc on these things - and they consume far less power than a PC in doing so.)

Re:Bittorent (IP Connections)

[Andy Dodd]

I would personally reccommend the Buffalo WHR-G54S instead. (Not the HP version, that still has some issues with DD-WRT and OpenWRT, or at least DD...)

It's cheaper, easier to obtain (the "L" variants of the Linksys routers are mailorder-only, while Circuit City sells the Buffalos), and as well supported as the Linksys routers by DD-WRT. I'm running DD on mine and love it.

It's also a bit easier to recover a Buffalo WHR-G54S from an accidental "bricking". The emergency TFTP bootloader is nearly impossible to damage.

Re:Stay the hell away from Linksys!!!

[Andy Dodd]

It's not cheaper than the G-series (unless you compare a GL from Newegg with a G from a more "mainstream" source, you would be better off comparing GL vs. G in price from the same vendor, and in that case, a GL is $62 from Newegg while a G is $49), but it's far harder to obtain.

You're better off getting a Buffalo WHR-G54S. Easier to obtain and cheaper ($49 at Circuit City), 8M RAM/4M ROM like the pre-cost-reduction WRT54G units, and very well supported by DD-WRT.

It's also really easy to recover from a bricking.

dd-wrt developer's integrity/httpd lockups?

[dwater]

I read a blog recently that questions the integrity of one of dd-wrt's developers. Apparently, the guy who calls himself brainslayer and who seems to have done most of the integration work (IINM), is now selling the work of others as his own. ... and other accusations. Read for yourself :

http://xwrt.blogspot.com/2007/02/dd-wrt-continues- to-exploit-free-open.html [blogspot.com]

I'm not sure if there's anything wrong with it myself, but you might want to consider your options, if such things are important to you.

I'm using dd-wrt myself, and I'm looking at replacing it with Tomato, since dd-wrt's web server (the GUI) keeps locking up (logging into it wish ssh reveals httpd is using 100% CPU and killing it causes it to be relaunched). Also, I really don't need all the crap that's in the regular version of dd-wrt, so I'd move to the micro version of dd-wrt anyway, but since that will likely have the same httpd problem, I figure I might as well give Tomato a try.

Yeah, you might care more about the httpd lockup than the developer's integrity. Just a couple of things to consider. YMMV

Re:Bittorent (IP Connections)

[dwater]

Re: multiple vlans

yes, the dd-wrt's internet switch is programmable so you can have each port as a different subnet, and have the dd-wrt *not* route between them.

can't be done using the GUI though, so you'll have to get your hands dirty. in fact, the GUI gets in the way (changing something will mess everything up), and IMO you'd do better looking at firmware that either does not have a GUI or has a GUI that allows this. I was using DD-WRT but have been finding it unreliable (httpd locks up) and so I would recommend looking at different simpler firmware.

There was a thread on dd-wrt's forums on how to set up the dd-wrt to have a different vlan on each port, but it's not there any more (I think the forum s/w was switched and they didn't keep the old stuff).

Re:Bittorent (IP Connections)

[dwater]

The internet archive has the discussion for how to make each port a different network :

http://web.archive.org/web/20070318234029/http://f orum.bsr-clan.de/ftopic5179.html [archive.org]

HTH

Re:My Routers already does a lot of that stuff

[fireboy1919]

It's more like the difference between NetBSD and Linux. While most programs that run on one can be made to run on the other, and the idea behind how they work is a lot the same because both came from the same base, the internals are fundamentally different.

DD-Wrt is *not* OpenWRT with a nice UI. That doesn't do either of them credit. *Both* come with a nice web interface.

The difference today is that OpenWRT is managed by a large group with different goals and ideas. DD-Wrt is done by one guy, and his goal is to make it as useful as possible for what he thinks users want to use it for.
They also started different ways - which also leads to the differences in goals. OpenWRT was really the first project of its kind and has always had generally the goal that it does now - whatever people who want to work on it want it to do. DD-Wrt is based on the now-GPL violating commercial WRT distro called Alchemy - mostly because they wanted the project to continue despite the fact that it's owner wanted to start closing the source.

Re:Bittorent (IP Connections)

[zitch]

Actually, they do have a tutorial to setup separate VLAN on each port in their wiki: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/VLAN_Detached _Networks_(Separate_Networks_With_Internet) [dd-wrt.com]

And closer to the GP's request, there's a tuturial to separate the WLAN from LAN: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Separate_LAN_ and_WLAN [dd-wrt.com]

Re:Maybe it is just me...

[CRC'99]

DD-WRT offers overclocking facilities, as well as boosting number of IP connections and wireless transmit power. I really recommend it to anyone with a compatiable Linksys.

no, no, no, no, no. Once again, if you didn't get it.... NO!

There are a number of funky things that DD-WRT will do - however overclocking it risks the unit being dead forever - unless you want to get into the lovely JTAG recovery for having an overclock fail.

There's also the small fact that when you increase the power output using DD-WRT you start spewing out spurious emissions all over the place. This basically means that you spew crap all over the 2.4Ghz band. Oh, and it'll also make the FCC license on these things void and open you up for charges. As well as screwing over the wifi band for everyone else.

You'd have to be a douche to recommend the average person do this unless they can measure how much damage they are doing to everyone else.

Re:Maybe it is just me...

[Kevin DeGraaf]

The other problem with running DD-WRT on an off-the-shelf router, aside from the comparative lack of flexibility, is the distinct possibility of bricking the thing with a bad firmware update, even if you're careful. My Linksys WRT-54G died when the power browned out during a DD-WRT upgrade.

My definition of "careful" flashing would include crossover-cabling the router directly to a PC, and putting them both on a UPS... :-)