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Don't use Linksys routers

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Re: Don't use Linksys routers

#51

Post by davidjade »

NelsonMinar wrote: post #9

The modern equivalent of a Linksys WRT54GL is the ASUS RT-N16. It runs OpenWrt, DD-WRT, and Tomato variants really well, does 802.11n (only one frequency) and has plenty of memory and flash storage for extra hacking. The ASUS RT-N66U is frequently advised if you want 5GHz 802.11n as well. The other router mentioned in this article, the Linksys EA2700, doesn't seem compatible with third party firmware. And apparently…

I just bought and re-flashed an ASUS RT-N16 with TomatoUSB (Shibby fork) last week and it is a great router. For me it has great stability and range. I had previously used Tomato on an older router and liked it so I stuck with it. You can use the ASUS recovery mode software to directly flash with custom firmware images. My understanding is that because it has this special recovery mode it is virtually un-brickable.

Re: Don't use Linksys routers

#52

Post by SoftwareMaven »

username111 wrote: post #41
montecarl wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you run linux on your modem? Unless its a hybrid modem/router.

I haven't seen a modem (from a telecom) that isn't a router in the past 5 years. Most ship wireless router/modems to their customers these days as standard. Cable companies might still ship modems (they did the last time I had cable internet, but that was probably 8 years ago).

Many of the DSL routers can be put in bridge mode. I run an Asus RT-N16 as my router connected up to the "modem" (now in bridge mode) provided by my DSL provider.

Re: Don't use Linksys routers

#53

Post by UnoriginalGuy »

brooksbp wrote: post #15

I highly recommend Mikrotik to anyone fed up with traditional consumer wifi routers/APs. I dont know how they compare to other vendor hw eg Asus + OpenWRT, but this little guy has been rock solid and a joy to use: http://routerboard.com/RB2011UAS-2HnD-IN

I have a Mikrotik/RouterOS device.

Positives: Cheap. Powerful. Stable.

Negatives: Harder to use than OpenWRT/DD-WRT or similar. It is still a web-interface, but doesn't "baby" the user. If you aren't comfortable manually setting up interfaces and then setting up tunnels through those interfaces for example then skip this.

I love it. But I won't kid myself, it isn't for everyone. The documentation isn't comprehensive and the software is very powerful but not very intuitive (or at least it isn't if you don't have a good background configuring network equipment).

Re: Don't use Linksys routers

#54

Post by cdjk »

I'm a fan of pfsense [1] on an alix board [2]. The alix boards a little pricey for a router, but has a real amount of memory (256MB). The only downside is that pfsense, since it's based on FreeBSD, doesn't support any 802.11n cards, so you're either stuck with 802.11g, or using a separate access point like I do.

Add in a managed switched and you have the start of a real network at home.

[1] http://pfsense.org/ [2] http://pcengines.ch/alix.htm

Re: Don't use Linksys routers

#55

Post by happycube »

jseliger wrote: post #32
montecarl wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am the owner of an ASUS RT-N16. I purchased it when my Linksys WRT-54G died after 4 years. It really is a fantastic wifi router for the reasons you list. However, if you live in an apartment complex you might find the 2.4GHz spectrum very crowded. Especially if there are others with 2.4GHz 802.11n, which uses more channels than 802.11b/g. This might make it worthwhile to purchase a 5 Ghz 802.11n router.

Definitely. There appear to be more than 30 named networks within range of my iMac. That's one reason I've wired my iMac and my fiancee's iMac with cat6; as I wrote in another comment day: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5192837 : It's also amazing how prevalent Ethernet still is, even when wireless is a competitor. The other day I left this comment: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5052448 on HN, because in…

Agreed - always use wired when possible, especially if you have gigabit-capable equipment.

Note that in most cases wireless systems are far slower than theoretical speed, but 100Mbit wired ethernet is good for 90+ in both directions simultaneously, so in most cases it'll be faster than 802.11n, and with better and more consistent latency.

Re: Don't use Linksys routers

#56

Post by joenathan »

adamfeldman wrote: post #42
NelsonMinar wrote: post #9

The modern equivalent of a Linksys WRT54GL is the ASUS RT-N16. It runs OpenWrt, DD-WRT, and Tomato variants really well, does 802.11n (only one frequency) and has plenty of memory and flash storage for extra hacking. The ASUS RT-N66U is frequently advised if you want 5GHz 802.11n as well. The other router mentioned in this article, the Linksys EA2700, doesn't seem compatible with third party firmware. And apparently…

After running DD-WRT on a WRT54GL for years I tried the RT-N16 and got terrible network throughout over WiFi even within 5-15ft. Maybe the issue has been solved in the last few months but I was very disappointed.

You need to adjust the default xmit power, in Tomato I use 63. There is a guy would did a bunch of testing of xmit power for the RT-N16 here http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/asus-rt-n16-tra...

Re: Don't use Linksys routers

#57

Post by ville »

danielweber wrote: post #36

I mostly-bricked a Linksys doing a security analysis on it. It still works, but the UI is completely locked up; I can change nothing on it.

I also bricked my Linksys by opening /upgrade.cgi (mentioned in the article) on a browser.

I was able to finally fix it by downloading a firmware from Linksys, doing a 30/30/30 reset (push reset button for 30 s, turn power off for 30 s and keep on pushing reset for another 30 s after turning it on again) and flashing it with tftp as explained in http://community.linksys.com/t5/Wireless-Routers/E4200-Firmw...

After that I was able to login using the web interface again.

For Mac OS X the command to flash is just tftp, and then in the console that opens type:

    connect 192.168.1.1
    binary
    rexmt 1
    timeout 60
    put firmware_filename.bin

Re: Don't use Linksys routers

#59

Post by happycube »

Sami_Lehtinen wrote: post #33

Shouldn't 'hardware' firewalls be secure? And everyone knows that software firewalls are crap. Isn't this common knowledge with professionals. ;)

;) In the end, all routers are software. A properly set up Linux or BSD router/firewall on a regular PC can be very, very good.

A higher end hardware router actually has tested and (mostly) secured software, these don't...

Re: Don't use Linksys routers

#60

Post by cdjk »

autotravis wrote: post #19

My ISP makes me use a "gateway"[1][2] with a wireless router built into it. In the name of reducing electricity usage, I forego running my own router and surrender to using theirs. I would be willing to bet many others do the same. I wonder how secure it is? [1] http://www.att.com/u-verse/explore/residential-gateway.jsp [2] http://verrytechnical.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ATTUver...

My router uses about 3 watts. That adds about $5 per year to my electric bill, which I'm happy to pay to avoid the painful ISP-provided router.
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