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DD-WRT Router Firmware

DD-WRT Router Firmware

Postby imnuts » Fri Jun 30, 2006 2:28 am

DD-WRT Router Firmware

Neither the author, nor PROnetworks is responsible for broken, damaged or ruined hardware due to flashing firmware to one's router/access point. Proceed at your own risk!

DD-WRT Firmware is non-standard router and access point firmware that was built from the ground up. It has a huge list of supported hardware compared to many third-party firmwares, and is relatively easy to use. The reason that one would want to use this would be the number of features that have been added on top of the default feature set for a given router or access point. For this review, testing was done on a Linksys WRT54G version 4 router.

Initial installation of the firmware went without problems, as long as one follows the flashing instructions provided. A quick overview of the process is as follows:

1. Reset router to factory defaults
2. Flash the "mini-generic" firmware package
3. Reset router to factory defaults
4. If wanted, flash full, specialized firmware package

The reason for the initial installation of the "mini-generic" package is due to a limitation implemented in later revisions of Linksys firmware that prevents an image greater than 3MB from being flashed to the router. This limitation is not present in the "mini-generic" package, and since the full, specialized versions are over 3MB, it is a required step. For this review, the full package was flashed to the router for the WRT54G.

<a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/info.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_info.jpg" alt="Info" align="right"></a>After the firmware is installed, one may go about setting up the router as they normally would. Many of the options will actually look the same as the standard firmware. In fact, all of the default options are there, and many of the improvements are in the general configuration. There are several features that make DD-WRT appealing to users. For simplicity sake, the features of the firmware will be presented in the order they can be viewed by the user, from first screen then moving right across the navigation bar.

The first screen that will great users after logging in is the router status page. This gives users a quick overview of the status of the router, DHCP clients, and other properties of the router. This feature can be turned off if not wanted, but can give users a quick overview of what may be going on at the router.

[align=center]<a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/setup.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_setup.jpg" alt="Setup"></a>[/align]The main screen that users are used to seeing is the setup screen. Most of which is available in the default Linksys firmware. It allows users to specify the router name and other general setup information. As with other firmware, there is an option to update a domain address from free services such as DynDNS, but with DD-WRT, a couple other registrants are available. The one feature that is available here that isn't available in standard packages is the ability to specify VLANs for your network. This allows a user to put all clients on the same VLAN, or specify which clients should be on a specified VLAN. This is all done via the port that the user is connected through (1-4 and Wireless) and it also allows you to control whether the connection is full-duplex or 100mbit.

<a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/wireless.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_wireless.jpg" alt="Wireless" align="left"></a>Wireless is the main area where a lot of advanced configuration options have been added. The initial wireless screen only shows a small portion of the many options that are added. All broadcast frequencies are enabled, everything from channel 1 up to 14. There is also the ability to specify a RADIUS server for WPA wireless encryption and a built in RADIUS if a local one is not available. The firmware supports all types of encryption/security, everything from nothing at all to WPA2. There are also a variety of different modes for both WPA and WPA2 that can be used to increase both security and/or compatibility. There is still the same old MAC address filter, although it did receive a GUI change, along with the rest of the interface, as can be seen. The advanced settings give the end user a lot of control over their wireless network as well. There are several different options available, such as the transmit power to extend or decrease the amount of coverage from the network. The final thing that is available in wireless is the WDS (wireless distribution system) feature. This allows users that may have multiple routers or access points transmitting the wireless signal to share the load of the wireless system.

<a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/security.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_security.jpg" alt="Security" align="right"></a>
<a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/access.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_access.jpg" alt="Access Restrictions" align="right"></a>The security page (left image) has not seen much changes from the default. It offers a few more options that some users may find useful, but for the most part, it the same as the default. The same goes for the access restrictions page (right image). They both have more or less the same functionality, although there a few feature additions in both cases. The access restrictions just gives more options for the various blocked services. The one nice thing that is available in the access restrictions page that may make this very appealing to parents are the small features that have been added. It allows one to block P2P share protocols, various web/internet services, and also allows for the blocking of specific websites and also blocking by keyword. While there are a few small features in these two areas, they are probably the most appealing to home users.

[align=center]<a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/applications.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_applications.jpg" alt="Applications"></a>[/align]As with the security and access restrictions pages, there also isn't that much changed here. Users can still add port forwarding rules, although the method of doing so is slightly changed. There is also still the ability to have UPnP forwarding and also DMZ. The one thing that has changed is there is an option for QoS (quality of service), which allows a user to give priority to specific web services that may be running, or specific ports on the router. So if there was a server running behind the router, it could be given web priority over the other machines on the network, or web traffic could be given priority over all other traffic. One thing that may make this appealing is that there are a number of game services preconfigured so that you can reduce ping times to improve your online gaming experience.

<a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/administration.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_administration.jpg" alt="Administration" align="right"></a>The administration area is the part with the most changes to it. Many of these have are good features to have too. With this panel, you can enable SSH access into the router to alter things. Enable a special partition to allow custom applications and scripts to be run from the router, have a shared folder mounted, and several other features.

With the release of version 23 SP1 of DD-WRT, you can also specify a username that you can use when logging into the router when logging in to make changes. This adds another level of security and makes it harder for someone to gain access to the router to alter settings. You can specify various redirects and specialized services to run as well. Some of the services that are available are things such as creating static DHCP leases, so that you can specify the IP address for a specific MAC Address, which can be very useful for servers that are running behind the router so that they always have the same internal IP address and the port forwarding rules don't need updated.

There is also Xbox Kaid, which is a service that allows multiplayer Xbox games to be played over the internet without an Xbox Live subscription. A special application written to moniter traffic and connections can also be enabled here, the RFlowCollector, which needs two of the services here, can keep track of inbound and outbound traffic, active connections, and wireless clients. This could be helpful for users that have monthly bandwidth limits as it allows you to keep track of upload and download totals. You can also schedule router reboots, run diagnostics with a built-in command shell, specify logging options, and then the standard administration features of resetting the defaults, backing up settings, and flashing new firmware.

One thing that is somewhat odd about the backup and flashing procedures is that they can only be performed over a non-secure connection. Probably the nicest feature that is available that has been seen in all of the screenshots thus far, is the GUI change. It does not stop with the one shown either. There are in fact a few different styles that can be chosen. There is one main style with a few different color schemes (on the left), and then four other styles that all have different layouts (right image).

[align=center]<a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/themes.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_themes.jpg" alt="Themes"></a> <a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/themes-2.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_themes-2.jpg" alt="Themes 2"></a>[/align]

<a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/status.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_status.jpg" alt="Status" align="right"></a>The final page that the user comes to is the status page. This, surprisingly, has a few changes as well, many of them are very functional. The first page you view gives information about the router. Since images are almost always easier to process than comparing numbers, dynamic images are generated to display information about memory, current load, and percentage of maximum connections. Under the LAN page, you see DHCP lease information and configuration information for the LAN side of the router. The wireless page shows similar information, only for wireless clients. There is also a nice feature that allows for the scanning of other wireless networks that are close by. The site survey will scan for wireless networks, and then display information about them, including SSID, MAC address, channel and other information about the networks in the area. This can be useful for extending a personal wireless network, or expanding a neighborhood wireless network.[align=center]<a href="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/survey.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/thumb_survey.jpg" alt="Themes"></a>[/align]

Another really nice thing about DD-WRT is the list of supported hardware, which is quite extensive compared to other third-party firmware solutions. While it was tested on a Linksys WRT54G version 4, there are several other products that it can be used on:
Linksys WRT54G 1.0
Linksys WRT54G 1.1
Linksys WRT54G 2.0
Linksys WRT54G 2.2
Linksys WRT54G 3.0
Linksys WRT54G 3.1
Linksys WRT54G 4.0
Linksys WRT54G 5.0
Linksys WRT54GL 1.0
Linksys WRT54GL 1.1

Linksys WRT54GS 1.0
Linksys WRT54GS 1.1
Linksys WRT54GS 2.0
Linksys WRT54GS 2.1
Linksys WRT54GS 3.0
Linksys WRT54GS 4.0

Allnet ALL0277
Buffalo WHR-G54S
Buffalo WHR-HP-G54S
Buffalo WBR-G54
Buffalo WLA-G54
Buffalo WBR2-G54
Buffalo WBR2-G54S
Buffalo WZR-RS-G54
Belkin F5D7130/7330 (2mb flash)
Belkin F5D7230-4 v1444 (2mb flash)
Belkin F5D7230-4 v1000
ASUS WL500G-Deluxe
Motorola WR850G/GP
Siemens Gigaset SE505
Ravo W54-RT
Askey RT210W
Note: See flashing notes for information on flashing various products

The variety of additional features makes DD-WRT a very nice firmware to use instead of the default manufacturer firmware. In the process of testing, the features that are available were found to be very useful. While some of the features may not be used, or used very often, the things that are in use, such as wireless configuration and administration preferences, make the once basic home router into a much more functional piece of hardware. There are also several fun things that one can do outside of useful with the non-standard firmware, such as make the activity lights blink for certain types of activity, or just for fun. There are also great explainations on many of the features that are available, such as customizing the firewall ruleset, at the DD-WRT Wiki

Pros:
<ul><li>Several advanced options for security and functionality</li>
<li>Good built in help documentation</li>
<li>Hardware compatibility</li>
<li>Ease of use</li>
<li>Changed GUI</li></ul>

Cons:
<ul><li>Inability to upgrade or backup over https</li>
<li>Advanced options can be intimidating</li></ul>

<img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/PROrating8.jpg" alt="PRORating 8">

Neither the author, nor PROnetworks is responsible for broken, damaged or ruined hardware due to flashing firmware to one's router/access point. Proceed at your own risk!

<img src="/forum/images/moreat.jpg" alt="More At"> <a href="http://www.dd-wrt.com/" target="_blank">DD-WRT Homepage</a>
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Postby ar1stotle » Fri Jun 30, 2006 2:41 am

Great review! I personally use this firmware, and I love it!
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Postby Mac33 » Fri Jun 30, 2006 11:05 am

Very comprehensive and first class review Mark. Thanks for that. ^*^
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