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besson3c · Jun 9, 2010, 01:58 PM

Has anybody here tried replacing the firmware of one of their routers with DD-WRT (http://dd-wrt.com)? DD-WRT is a Linux/open source based firmware replacement for many consumer routers that provides them with capabilities normally reserved for expensive enterprise equipment. The site claims, for instance, that you can setup 50 km of range with DD-WRT based routers using several of them as repeaters. You can also setup a VPN.

Just wondering if anybody has tinkered with this?

Big Mac · Jun 9, 2010, 02:06 PM

Glenn has experience with third party router firmware.

abbaZaba · Jun 9, 2010, 02:41 PM

I want to but one of the routers in my network isn't supported so I've held off on it

ghporter · Jun 9, 2010, 08:48 PM

I have very limited experience with DD-WRT, and that was a while ago. Ever since Cisco decided to take their Linksys routers off of Linux, I haven't bothered much with it.

Check out LinksysInfo.org for good stuff about which Linksys routers are usable with third party firmware. DD-WRT.com is THE place to find out about what brands DD works with and what you can do with the combination of hardware and firmware.

hookem2oo7 · Jun 10, 2010, 11:50 AM

Ive been running it on my linksys wrt600n for a couple of years now and I like it. It has tons and tons of options/features/tweaks/etc that most people would never use but they're available if you need them. I recently used mine as a vpn server to access my home network from my classroom at school so my students could access chemistry related articles that were blocked by our filter. I lost a bit of bandwidth on the 5ghz band when I went to it, but the tradeoffs are worth it.

ghporter · Jun 14, 2010, 06:28 AM

Since the subject came up, I bought a router that was "supposed to" work with DD-WRT. Unfortunately, it's one of those models that has multiple versions, and the version I got doesn't quite convert smoothly. Or at all, perhaps. I'm only out $30, but I spent a while being frustrated that I couldn't get anything to work on this box.

It's a Fry's Electronics FR-300RTR, which is apparently identical to a D-Link DIR-615E. Unfortunately, only the 615C is considered "fully supported," though the E is listed in the DD-WRT database as supported. Open-WRT is not helpful, either.

Tuoder · Jun 16, 2010, 12:33 PM

You have to be careful how high you bump up the power on it. You can cook it.

ghporter · Jun 16, 2010, 06:48 PM

I have to get DD-WRT loaded before I go crazy with it. Really all I want to do is turn this inexpensive router into a bridge. At least for now.

mkerr64 · Jun 28, 2010, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

I have to get DD-WRT loaded before I go crazy with it. Really all I want to do is turn this inexpensive router into a bridge. At least for now.

im in the exact same situation as you

ghporter · Jun 28, 2010, 07:12 AM

Well I wound up buying an Airport Express for the bridge function I wanted to do, and gave the working but not hacked router to my son. When I get a few pennies saved I'll buy a router that has a track record of taking the firmware elegantly.

Big Mac · Jun 28, 2010, 07:52 AM

Is there any router still manufactured that takes third party firmware elegantly?

ghporter · Jun 28, 2010, 08:49 PM

Quite a few, it would seem. The Linksys WRT-600 is apparently a breeze to flash with DD-WRT. There's lots of discussion on DD-WRT.com about the variety of routers that are flashable, and which ones are easier, which are harder, and which are a PITA.

Aric · Jul 7, 2010, 06:51 PM

i just bought a Netgear WNDR3300-100NAR and was looking into installing dd-wrt onto this, only thing is it seems really intimidating after looking at the site and all the options and instructions. i was all for it but now that i got the router i'm scared i might kill it. anybody flash this router yet?

Brien · Jul 7, 2010, 07:32 PM

I've had experience with it, and the extensive feature list is great, but as Glenn and others have mentioned, tracking down a router that you can reliably install it on is getting increasingly hard, as Cisco has really stripped down the Linkysys routers and Buffalo seems to have fallen off the face of the earth.

Big Mac · Jul 8, 2010, 04:44 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Quite a few, it would seem. The Linksys WRT-600 is apparently a breeze to flash with DD-WRT. There's lots of discussion on DD-WRT.com about the variety of routers that are flashable, and which ones are easier, which are harder, and which are a PITA.

The WRT-600 is no longer in production, it seems. I'm talking about a consumer router that's still being produced by manufacturers.

ghporter · Jul 8, 2010, 01:03 PM

Linksys' distribution chain is an odd thing-you may find brand new WRT-600s on some retailers' shelves. You could find WRT54G v3s on the shelf long after Linksys had gone to the v5.

Big Mac · Jul 8, 2010, 04:22 PM

Oh really. That is very odd.

Brien · Jul 8, 2010, 08:44 PM

Indeed. Makes sense, though. I've always wondered why I see 'outdated' hardware at Fry's. I lucked out with my WRT, I managed to get one of the last versions you could flash DD-WRT onto. Forget the exact model number, but it's basically what Glenn said: I bought the v2 when they were making the v4.

bencurtis · Jul 27, 2010, 06:16 PM

You should also look at Tomato firmware as an alternative to DD-WRT:

Tomato Firmware - LinksysInfo - Community Forums for Linksys Devices

I've been running it for a number of years and love it.