Installing DD-WRT Firmware on Linksys WRT54G Router
I installed open source firmware from DD-WRT for Linksys WRT54G v2 router. The Aaron Weiss's article explains why we should replace the original Linksys firmware with the third party one, and Linksys WRT54G is a good candidate. I downloaded firmware v24-SP1, files: dd-wrt.v24_mini_generic.bin and dd-wrt.v24_std_generic.bin from the DD-WRT website. The mini version is used for the first upgrade from the original Linksys firmware. The standard version must be installed only after the mini version is installed and tested according to the instruction. I followed the installation instruction from the DD-WRT Wiki webpage without any problems.
After installing the firmware, I setup this WRT54G router to be my repeater bridge. I have Linksys WAG54G2 (with original Linksys firmware) for my host modem router. I followed the procedure from tutorial page in the DD-WRT Wiki. I setup the WRT54G to have different SSID to prevent the unpredictable switching between access point. After configured the WEP security key to access the host (WAG54G2), it worked like advertised. Love it!
Update on July 14, 2009: Upgrade firmware for Linksys WRT54G v1.1
I have another Linksys WRT54G router but in v1.1. I tried to use the same firmware as v2 and found a problem with the wireless connection (the wired connection works fine). I did some research (see pages Which V24 build do I flash onto my Broadcom router and Supported Devices) and I found out that v1.1 and v2 use different chips and must use different firmwares:
- WRT54G v1.1 uses BCM4710 => requires VINT firmware (dd-wrt.v24-9517_VINT_std.bin )
- WRT54G v2 uses BCM4712 => require normal (NEWD) firmware (dd-wrt.v24_mini_generic.bin and dd-wrt.v24_std_generic.bin)
After I changed to the correct firmware, my WRT54G works like a charm :-)