Pimp Your Router
I recently upgraded the firmware on my Linksys WRT54G router with the latest DD-WRT v23 SP2 firmware, and it works great. Among many other new features, I can now assign static DHCP leases, which I couldn’t do before with the stock Linksys firmware. The upshot is that now I don’t have to worry about updating my port forwarding setup whenever one of my machines’ wireless IP address changed.
If this sounds like something you’d like to try, check out the links below.
Warning: when flashing firmware, there is always a possibility of something going wrong during the process, which could potentially brick your router and render it inoperable. Make sure you understand what you are doing and the risks involved. It’s not my fault if you screw up your hardware!
It would also be a good idea to save all of the following pages locally to your computer so that you can still reference them if you lose your internet connection–particularly important if your wireless router is also your internet gateway.
- Lifehacker’s article “Hack Attack: Turn your $60 router into a $600 router” came in handy. They also include a step-by-step guide.
- Check if your router is supported here.
- Also be sure to read the DD-WRT installation guide.
- If you do manage to brick your router, read the page on how to recover from a bad flash. Save this page to your computer before you begin, just in case.
