POWER UP YOUR ROUTER
If you’re happy with your wireless router’s hardware specification, but disappointed with its configuration utility or the tools it offers, you may be able to get a free ‘upgrade’ without having to shell out for a whole new router. Alternatively, you could breathe life into an old router by converting it into a wireless repeater or VPN server, thanks to the broad range of additional features provided by community-built open-source firmware called dd-wrt.
Start by visiting www.dd-wrt.com and clicking the Router Database link. Type the first few letters of your manufacturer or model to see if it’s in the database and whether or not it’s supported (make a note of any revision numbers, and verify your router is the same revision, usually by checking the label underneath it). While most router manufacturers are represented on the site, not all of their models are supported. If your router model is supported, head to
www.dd-wrt.com/wiki to obtain its firmware, then follow the instructions to download and install it — these vary from model to model, so make sure you’re following the correct advice. Typically, you’re using your existing firmware’s upgrade page to ‘upgrade’ to the dd-wrt firmware, but sometimes you may need to log on to your router via the command line.
Please note that there is a very real possibility that you’ll ‘brick’ your router, which means it will be rendered unusable. The installation section of the wiki goes into this in great detail, and if you’re put off by the process, that’s not necessarily a bad thing — this is something that requires a great level of technical skill, and we’re not in a position to offer any support should you decide to go down this route, unfortunately. With this in mind, we suggest trying this with an older router that you’re no worried about ‘losing’ — perhaps even one that you’ve picked up cheap on eBay.