How to Custom Modify your Wi-Fi Router

You’re constantly frustrated while surfing over a wireless network because your Wi-Fi range is simply too low. Signals are weak, and connections either constantly break off or can’t be established in the first place. You’ve tried tweaking all possible settings and changing the router’s position, but it just won’t satisfy your needs. What do you do? Get a new router with longer antennae, or add multiple access points, which would burn holes into your wallet?

You can choose to replace the router’s firmware (its operating system and configuration options) with a third-party, unsupported version. One open source option is called DD-WRT. It’s free and you can use it to increase transmission power and thus, the range of certain Wi-Fi routers over and above their default available values. DD WRT can help increase your router’s capabilities and revive an old failing router by infusing it with additional uses.

Apart from the option of boosting the transmission power, the extendable DD-WRT Linux firmware system offers a host of cool functions, such as running servers and clients for various functions, control via SSH commands, file transfer protocols (FTP) and SMB hosting, and also the option of switching on your home PC using its Wake-on-LAN feature (WoL) from the Internet and then accessing files on it from wherever you are. Moreover, you have a server and client for OpenVPN on board, which you can use to configure a virtual, encrypted link between multiple computers on the Internet.

In this workshop, the router we'll be using is a Linksys WRT54GL with hardware revision 1.1. The WRT54GL is an 802.11 b/g router and cannot match up to the high range of modern routers, which use the new N standard. The radio network barely manages a 30-meter range when used indoors. Its default signal strength amounts to roughly -74 dBm. At times, the Wi-Fi signal is still detectable at 40 meters with -80 dBm, but surfing becomes impossible. Although the embedded (original) firmware from Linksys offers numerous setting options, the transmission power cannot be increased.

Important note: If you download an inappropriate firmware version or make a mistake during the installation, the router may quickly and irreparably be damaged. It is very important that you look precisely for your router’s model number on the ‘www.dd-wrt.com’ website in the ‘Router Database’ section, inclusive of the correct hardware revision. There are precise installation instructions for every supported model on the ‘www.dd-wrt.com/wiki’ website, which you'll need to follow without errors. Even if the firmware upgrade works, the increase in transmission power will increase operating temperatures, which can affect the life of the router. Added tweaking of the router might be required to help cool it. Also note that the firmware replacement procedure is irreversible and will certainly void any warranty. Do this at your own risk.

Step 1: The firmware
Go to the website ‘www.dd-wrt.com’, click on the ‘Router Database’ and look for ‘WRT54GL’ (in your case, look for the model number of your router). Download the file ‘dd-wrt.v24_mini_generic.bin’ and save it on the desktop.

Step 2: Disconnecting
Before installing the new firmware, detach all LAN cables from the router, except for the LAN cable of the PC that has the firmware file that you have just downloaded. Also disconnect any devices connected via Wi-Fi.

Step 3: Hard reset
You will now need to hard-reset the router using the physical reset button located on its rear panel. You might require a pin as the reset switch is usually hidden inside the chassis and only a tiny hole is provided to reach it. Check your instruction manual if you cannot locate the reset button. You will need to keep the reset button pressed for at least 90 seconds for the complete hard-reset. Now carefully read these instructions before actually starting the procedure: pull out the power connector after the first 30 seconds, wait for another 30 seconds and re-connect the power again. After another 30 seconds, release the reset button. If you have made any mistakes during this procedure, repeat the whole step.