Thank You


06
Mar
MP

LinkSys WRT54G Firmware DD-WRT Upgrade

Linksys WRT54GI’ve had a home network for some time with the main firewall/router being a LinkSys WRT54G that offers 802.11b/g and a four port 10/100 Ethernet switch. The WRT54G has provided excellent service, but I was wanted a few new capabilities such as better Quality of Service (QOS) control, DHCP with static IP Address, and simple VPN functions. Luckily before spending the bucks for a new router I did some research on the Internet and came across the DD-WRT Project.

The DD-WRT Project is a free rewrite of the firmware for Versions 1-4 of the LinkSys WRT54G/GS routers. These older versions of the WRT54G/GS run Linux. The newer Version 5 devices use a non-Linux proprietary firmware that cannot be replaced. As a note, these newer versions are receiving much worse reviews from users then the older Linux devices did.

For the firmware upgrade, I downloaded the proper versions of DD-WRT from the DD-WRT site. There’s a generic version of the firmware that must be install first. This is required due to firmware upgrade size restrictions imposed by the original Linksys firmware. Once I had download and unzipped these files, I used the web interface from for the WRT54G from a computer that was attached to one of the Ethernet ports. Never try this using a wireless connection to the device. You will “brick” your device. I first reset the device to Linksys factory defaults. Then I used the web update firmware options to load and apply the generic version of DD-WRT following the instructions provided with the DD-WRT firmware. Once this version was in place, I again used the web interface to upgrade from the generic version to the VPN version.

My experience with the DD-WRT replacement firmware for Linksys WRT54G/GS has been excellent. It has provided me the extra functionality that I was looking for plus many more features that I am still exploring. Version 23 of DD-WRT has been stable with no bugs that I have found as of this time.

This is not for the faint of heart. You can turn you router into a nonfunctioning brick. If you don’t feel comfortable with this, then don’t do it.

As stated elsewhere on the Internet, it has turned the features of a $70 device into those of a $200 device. On functions and features it’s five stars, but there is a chance here of making your device nonfunctioning.

Recommended - [rate 4]


Posted on: Monday, March 6, 2006 at 11:11 am
Posted by: Earl Moore
Filed Under: Reviews, Software, Upgrades
Post Viewed: 7,296 views



You may also like to read:
  • DD-WRT Router Firmware Upgrade Revisited
  • DD-WRT Firmware: V23 SP2 Update
  • DD-WRT Firmware: v23 SP1 update
  • DD-WRT: Setting up a home Wireless Distribution System (WDS)
  • WordPress 2.1 Upgrade

    • Bookmark and share:
    del.icio.us:LinkSys WRT54G Firmware DD-WRT Upgrade  digg:LinkSys WRT54G Firmware DD-WRT Upgrade  newsvine:LinkSys WRT54G Firmware DD-WRT Upgrade  furl:LinkSys WRT54G Firmware DD-WRT Upgrade  reddit:LinkSys WRT54G Firmware DD-WRT Upgrade

    Comments

    2 Responses to “LinkSys WRT54G Firmware DD-WRT Upgrade”

    1. Meandering Passage » Blog Archive » DD-WRT Router Firmware Upgrade Revisted on June 6th, 2006 4:28 pm

      [...] I did a post of the same upgrade in March of this year and have been very pleased with the reliability and function of DD-Wrt. [...]

    2. Meandering Passage » Blog Archive » DD-WRT Firmware: v23 SP1 update on July 24th, 2006 6:47 am

      [...] In a previous post I described upgrading my Linksys WRT54G router to DD-WRT V23 Firmware (VPN Version) which provided the features and capabilities of a $600+ router. This upgrade was performed without incident and has performed very well since. It’s allowed me to control my home traffic and establish a QOS that prevents P2P or on-line gaming traffic from interfering with normal http browsing. [...]

    Leave a Reply




    Bad Behavior has blocked 4218 access attempts in the last 7 days.