Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with WRT54G

Out of the frying pan into the fire

mkb — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:19:47 -0800

I am in the process of switching from Comcast cable to Verizon DSL. I am trying to figure out the wireless situation in my house. So Verizon is offering a free netbook to new DSL subscribers, and I don't have any particular affinity for Comcast, so I decided to try it out.

With Comcast (which is actually still running), I have the following setup:
- Motorola cable modem
- Linksys WRT54g v 2.2 running Tomato and boosted output power

I have this unit set to forward BitTorrent, SSH, and icecast ports to one machine at home.

Verizon unexpectedly sent me a modem for my new service that also functions as a wireless access point and a router. It's a Westell 7500. It seems to be almost as configurable as my Linksys, and it looks like there is no need to boost the output power in order to get up to my office. The only missing feature appears to be DynDNS.com updating; the new router uses TSIG authentication which is only available on paid accounts, and I can just punt this to one of my computers.

So, is there anything I am missing that would be worth me keeping the Linksys around? Does this router have any hidden gotchas?

Wall of confusion

southof40 — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 06:53:28 -0800

Safely use someone elses ADSL connection ? I'm a long way from home and I need to hook my PC up to my hosts ADSL connection.

They have an ADSL modem (D-LINK DSL-302G) but no other hardware protection (and with NAT disabled on the modem currently).

I have a Windows XP SP2 machine using Windows firewall (I also have in my bag a WRT54G Linksys router).

I don't want to mess with my hosts setup and I don't have a manual for the WRT54G (I've tried various things with the 54G and failed to connect)

What's the safest way for me to make use of their modem ? My current ideas range from :

* plug in directly to ADSL - hope Windows firewall can handle it
* go and buy replacement ADSL modem but with built in firewall (not easy long way from shops)
* install some extra layer of software firewall

All suggestions welcome

Help with Wifi!

newfers — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:42:59 -0800

How can I increase the range of my brand new Linksys WRT600N wireless router so that my wife's Dell Inspiron 1505 gets a better signal? My former router, a 3 year old Linksys model (WRT54G) seemed to send a much better signal, and I bought this new router thinking I'd see improvements a-plenty, but noooooo, and documentation is sorely lacking. Help! I really don't want to go back to the WRT54G, since surely this new router is more capable when set up properly, right? I am pretty much a novice when it comes to a lot of wireless technology. The WRT600N is a dual-band router, I know, so it can supposedly support 802.11g and 802.1n signals simultaneously without simply running at the lower speed for both.

My wife's laptop has an 802.11g card, whereas my MacBook Pro is a 802.11n capable machine. When my wife is online, she gets a poor signal from only 30 feet away!! Sometimes the connection will even drop.

I could just blindly mess with settings, but I'd rather ask for some help from the kind people of AskMefi... Also, if I change the encryption settings, which settings are likely to improve or degrade the signal? I'm keeping it on WEP right now, until advised otherwise (yes yes, I know it is a weak encryption! Sorry!)

Thanks in advance for any help you wonderful gurus can provide!

Setting up subdomains for a LAN?

unSane — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 07:37:22 -0800

How do I give my computers subdomain names on my local network? For example, mylaptop.mynetwork.com, mydesktop.mynetwork.com, momslaptop.mynetwork.com, kids.mynetwork.com and so on? Do I have to set up some kind of local DNS or is there an easier way to do it in the router? I am not concerned at this point about being able to access the subdomains from the WAN although that would be handy later. It's the LAN I'm interested in. (Obviously I am using Bonjour right now but for I want to use the subdomains too). I own mynetwork.com and it points to a static IP. My LAN router is firewalled behind that. It's a WRT54G running DD-WRT. I have a spare computer I could run DNS on but I'd rather not have to do that. Everything is Macs running OS X, mostly Leopard.

Can you plug two WRT54Gs into a router?

rolypolyman — Sun, 13 May 2007 11:22:55 -0800

Is there any reason I wouldn't be able to plug two Linksys WRT54G WiFi devices into a Linksys BEFSR81 LAN router? Will the WRT54G's play nice or will they fight with one another, requiring configuration to be done? SSIDs will be different of course.

To match modem/router vendors or to not match?

kookoobirdz — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 09:46:37 -0800

Is there any advantage to having a router and cable modem made by the same company, or is it better to go best of breed in both cases regardless of maker? Quick version:
Buy a Linksys cable modem to work in concert with a Linksys router due to same-brand advantages you will list for me, or instead get a more highly recommended Motorola modem. Which to do and why?

Detail:
I'm getting cable internet. Going to buy my own modem and wirless router rather than get either through Comcast. From all I've read, the Linksys WRT54G has long been the favorite basic home router, especially amongst those who like to use alternate/better firmware, and still exists now in the form of the WRT54GL. So I'm set on getting that - not looking for other recommendations.

I figured since I was getting a Linksys router that I ought to get a Linksys modem because... I don't know, maybe they play nicer together than different brands would. Maybe they're made that way and tested that way and maybe configuration and intercommunication work more easily. So I figured I'd get their BEFCMU10 EtherFast Cable Modem. I've never heard anyone recommend it unsolicited but reviews seem OK. What I have heard raves about over and over is the Motorola SB5100, now doing business as the SB5120. Though small differences have been noted, it still seems to be le bomb and is known to play nicely with Comcast and be support-friendly from their perspective.

One advantage I can think of for having the same brand of router and modem is the support angle. There's nothing worse than one company saying, "That's a modem issue, we can't help you with that" and the other company saying "That's a router issue, we can't help you with that". So that might be nice, so I don't lose all my hair.

But are there any other technical or ease-of-use advantages? Or, given the resounding praise for these two units from different makers, would you advise going with that mixed setup regardless of any disadvantages stemming from different makers?

note: don't care about aesthetics of having color coordinated boxes, or about tidy stackability.

note: don't want an all-in-one box

Help the electronics newb

crypticgeek — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 13:01:32 -0800

Help an electronics newb with his quest to make a cable and learn a little bit about electronics on the way. So long story short, I bricked my Linksys WRT54G and I'd like to revive it. Doing so requires hooking up a JTAG cable to a 12 pin header on the circuit board. There are plans here on how to make a cheap and short unbuffered JTAG cable. I'd like to make one but have no electronics experience. So my question is, what parts do I need? Where do I get them?

For instance, the cable will need 4 100ohm resistors. Through some googling I found some people seemed to like digi-key for electronic stuff so I went over there and started looking at resistors. Do I want a carbon resistor...ceramic...etc? I figured carbon since it seemed to be the most common, and filtered to 100ohms. Now I'm faced with the question of what all the other categories mean. The different packages, series, and tolerances I have no idea what to make of. For instance, is 20%..25% tolerance "good enough" for this project? How do I tell? Side adjustment / top adjustment? Someone please make some sense of this stuff for me.

Preferably, someone explain to me what I need and the easiest/cheapest place to get them online way of getting them. I already have access to a soldering iron and basic tools (screw drivers, wire cutters, etc).

Combining WPA and WDS on a wireless network?

holgate — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 07:11:34 -0800

I have: a Linksys WRT54G and an AirPort Express. I would like: WDS with WPA encryption. WRT54G is running HyperWRT-thibor, but that's negotiable. It's currently in a WDS with the AirPort Express. I can set up WPA on each one separately, breaking the WDS, but not combine the two. Has anyone managed it?

Help me fix my "limited connectivity" in Windows Vista RC2

superboy422 — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:39:47 -0800

EarlyAdopterFilter: After several happy months of running Windows Vista RC1, I've upgraded to RC2. Ever since that day, I've been intermittently getting a "Limited connectivity" error that requires my network adapter to be reset. I don't want to go back to XP or RC1, so I need to make this work. My specs: a Pentium D on an Intel board with integrated PRO/1000 PM network adapter. Linksys WRT54G v4 router, connected over wire.

The problem seems to be worst when the connection is consuming a lot of bandwidth (particularly when using uTorrent).

So far, I've tried a few things (based on extensive research):

1. Reinstalled the network card drivers
2. Changed the advanced settings to turn IPv4 and IPv6 checksums off
3. Disabled SPI firewall on the router.
4. Installed the DD-WRT firmware (v23SP2) on my router.
5. Decreased the number of allowable half-open connections in uTorrent to 2.
6. Unchecked the IPv6 protocol in my network settings.
7. Switched from using the router's DHCP to a static IP on my machine.

After all of these things, I still have intermittent connection drops where the lovely yellow triangle with an exclamation mark in it proclaims that I have limited connectivity. It seems to me to be more like *zero* connectivity, as I can't usually even reach my router once this happens.

Based on all the research I've done, I really feel like Vista's relationship with my router (specifically after the installation of RC2) is the area of trouble. I've considered going back to RC1, or XP, but I would like to resolve this issue if at all possible.

Thanks in advance for preventing me from having to reinstall my OS! ;)

Linksys WRT54G questions

mkultra — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 08:23:37 -0800

A couple questions about my new Linksys WRT54G... I just replaced my Netgear WGR614, which was driving me nuts with dropped connections. My setup is:

Internet -> WRT54G -> Vonage router (also Linksys, the one they send you)

3 wireless connections to the WRT54G. One laptop serves files and web pages locally,

1) I'm running DHCP. How can I get the WRT54G to still map a specific IP to a specific MAC address (my old router did this)?

2) I game online and occasionally download large files. Is there a "how-to" guide for setting up QoS to make sure that my apps and VOIP play nice together?

AirTunes, anyone?

dance — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 07:36:13 -0800

Suggestions for AirTunes Fun / Hacks, please! I've just ordered an Apple Airport Express w/ AirTunes from an eBay seller. I'm very much looking forward to receiving it and playing with it. I'm looking for some tips, fun tricks/hacks and advice from owners. Ideally I'd like to use it to:

1. Extend the range of an existing unencrypted WLAN
2. Stream audio to my hi-fi.
3. Share a HP1200 with a Mac and a PC

Possible complications:
1. The WLAN AP is a WRT54G (so supposedly compatible) but it isn't mine. My neighbour very kindly shares his internet with all in range, but I very much doubt he'd be willing to allow me access to its settings to configure it if that's necessary?
2. I had wanted to use this setup for DVDs too, in conjunction with AirFoil, but I've read that delays are prohibitive.
3. The printer should ideally stay in the office, not move to the living room to be next to the AirPort Express and Hi-Fi - I guess for this I'd need two AirPorts!

So - it's up to you if you'd like to comment on the above, but what I'd also really appreciate are thoughts, experiences, hacks anecdotes from existing owners.

Thanks!

How to get my WRT54G router back in the loop?

ZenMasterThis — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 12:38:03 -0800

Is SBC/ATT screwing with my DSL? WinXP, Linksys WRT54G router, Speedstream 5360 modem. Madison, CT. Worked okay for about 7 months. Didn't mess with anything. Suddenly I can only get it to work with the PC plugged directly into the modem.

Is this another one of those customer-hostile moves on SBC's part 'cause they don't want me using a router?

Solar powering a linksys router?

ph00dz — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 13:28:14 -0800

Solar powering a linksys router? So... the city of Tempe, Arizona is getting city-wide wireless access. Which is exciting -- I should be able to get really great bandwidth -- except that I live a few hundred yards from the nearest wireless access point.

I've got a cantenna that I've been dying to use and a linksys router with DD-WRT installed, so I thought I'd just throw it up on the roof, where I can get line of site... but the wife would rather that I not drill a hole in the roof to set it up.

One thing we've got out here is plenty of sun... is there something simple I can do to solar power this thing?

Router blind to working IP phone?

TeamBilly — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 11:01:13 -0800

Why in the hell does my DHCP router (Linksys WRT54G) not actually see my IP phone? I have a proprietary VoIP phone which my company manufactures, and it's connected through my router to the 'Net. And everything works fine.

The link is like this:

'Net -> Motorola Cablemodem (from Comcast) -> Linksys.

Phone is plugged directly into router.

When I pull up the Local Network tab on the admin utility, it shows all of my other computers on the DHCP Tables tab, but the phone doesn't exist there.

Yet it works. Why is this? Is it the fact that the phone doesn't have a hostname? It should still show the lease on the IP address, right?

I only ask because I might need to make alterations to the network, adjust certain ports, etc, but I can't SEE it to adjust it if I need to.

Stupid router.

Who makes a reliable home firewall/router?

b1tr0t — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 14:57:09 -0800

Who makes a reliable home firewall/router? I have been through half a dozen Linksys BEFW11S4 and WRT54G wifi/router/firewall units in recent years and all have been uniformly unreliable. I have never had a unit that can stay online for more than a month without requiring a reboot.

Where can I find a reliable firewall/router? Wireless is optional - I could just hang the WRT54G off of a switch hanging off of the router.

I'm sort of tempted to build a linux based router with the Hacom 1U VIA server, but with memory and a hard drive I'll end up spending more than if I bought a Cisco PIX 501 from CDW.

Do I need the PIX, or is there something cheaper that is reliable?

How do I set up a Linksys Router Behind a DSL Modem/router?

cosmicbandito — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 11:47:44 -0800

I own a WRT54G wireless ethernet router that I really want to use behind my 2Wire DSL Modem/Router. I can't make it work the way I want to... When I hook up the WRT54G to the 2Wire box, it pulls an IP and says that I should put it in "DMZ Mode". I do this and then the routers both appear to have the same IP address. BUT....I can't seem to get DNS working on the WRT54G, even when I manually put the IPs into the proper boxes. So, at this point, I'm ready to rely on the kindness of strangers. Hope me MeFi!

Replacing wireless router firmware

bering — Sun, 08 May 2005 11:13:09 -0800

I have a Linksys WRT54G router that has some third party firmware installed on it. It no longer works, so I want to replace it with the original Linksys firmware or something better. I know I have to do this via TFTP (the auto-update utility from Linksys doesn't work) but I don't really know how to do it. I've found this TFTP program, but that's where I'm stuck. Can someone give me (or guide me to) a step-by-step instruction of how to do this? I'm pretty good with computers, just haven't played around with router firmware before...

Wireless Networking

shinji_ikari — Tue, 08 Feb 2005 18:27:56 -0800

Wireless Networking: How can I get my Netgear WG311v2 card to connect to my Linksys WRT54G router? It was connected for about a day or so and now, not so much. (more inside) I've been trying to keep a desktop PC with a Netgear WG311v2 (802.11g) PCI card connected to my Linksys WRT54G (also 802.11g) router with no success. It was connected for about a day to the router with a connection using WEP (128 bit), but then for no apparent reason dropped the connection and won't reestablish it. It can see my network SSID in both the Windows wireless utility and the Netgear software with decent signal, but won't connect. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the latest drivers and Netgear connection utility software. I've tried explictly setting the router and the card to use only 802.11g or 802.11b rather than mixed mode. I've tried to get the connection with no security, with 128 bit WEP, with MAC address filtering, and with WEP and MAC address filtering at the same time. The whole time I've been able to connect to my network just fine with a Dell laptop with built in 802.11b. The desktop machine with the Netgear card is running WindowsXP SP1, in case that matter. What gives?