Replacement Router Firmware

[David Bendit]

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I've been using DD-WRT on my routers for over a year now, and I just  
love it. It's full-featured, easy to set up and use, and very stable.  
 From what I can tell (I haven't worked much with HyperWRT, OpenWRT,  
etc.), it seems the easiest to use of them all. It's meant to be able  
to be used without touching a command line, and the browser  
interface, which was overhauled a few months back, is really  
intuitive and well-documented. If you want to get into the command  
line, though, the option's there, and every setting available from  
the web interface can be set through the CLI, plus many other  
settings, installable programs, etc.

 From a features standpoint, DD-WRT comes with the most by default.  
It's not as modular as the others, but has a wide feature set (so  
wide, in fact, that the more space-intensive things, like VPN and  
VOIP, have their own builds to make room for them). The standard  
install comes with everything needed to set up RADIUS authentication,  
start a wireless hotspot, and run it all off your neighbor's  
connection (with their permission, of course;).

I don't use most of the functionality. I like that it has SNMP built  
in, so I can monitor bandwidth usage. I played around with WDS with  
three routers, which was interesting (I don't recommend it. It cuts  
the speed to 1/n, n being the number of routers). Right now, I've got  
the main router and two set up as clients, to act as wireless bridges  
for my media centers (half the price of the linksys wireless bridges,  
and they support WPA2!).

So, if you're looking for an easy-to-use and easy-to-setup router  
system, I heartily recommend DD-WRT. The support community is great  
and active, and development is rapid (the newest version, v24 alpha,  
is working on multiple AP's from the same physical router, which has  
all sorts of uses), so, in the event that something doesn't work  
right, a quick answer is usually just a forum post away.

- -David

On Dec 27, 2006, at 5:18 PM, Dazed_75 wrote:

> I wonder if people could comment on their experience with  
> raplacement firmware for a router.  Specifically for a Linksys  
> WRT54GL since that is what some friends have and I have ordered.   
> The little experience any of us have is with Thibor's HyperWRT but  
> I know there are others such as DD-WRT and openWRT.  I would love  
> to hear from those of you with experience in theis area; especially  
> with regard to the differences between the available choices in  
> terms of features, ease of use, documentation, and reliability.
>
> -- 
> Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't  
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