onesojourner
I use a thumb throttle.
- Location
- springfield, mo
this is from my blog at http://idembroidery.com/peter/blog/
let me start this out by saying the linksys wrt54g router is awesome. now that thats out in the open how about a little history lesson. Linksys decided to run a Linux based firmware on these routers (until version 5.0 but I will touch on that in a bit). Then to make things even better for us as customers they released the source code to the public. This spawned a huge number of third party firmware projects. One of witch is called dd-wrt (http://www.dd-wrt.org/). This firmware offers some great features you would never find on a 50 dollar router. Some cool things you can do are give priority so a particular program you are running such as voip and low priority so things like bittorent and p2p. This will keep you're phone calls nice and clear. But the feature I am going to show you how to set up is called WDS.
WDS will allow you to wirelessly connect to routers and share one Internet connection
Ex. DSL router > wired to linksys router > wireless connection > linksys router
this basically allows you to have much larger wireless network. I am using this to share a Internet connection from two routers that are about 50 yards apart.
Step one installing the dd-wrt firmware on both routers.
For the wrt54g and wrt54gs version 1-4
Download the firmware from here
http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down...wrt.v23 SP1/&download=dd-wrt.v23_sp1_voip.zip
this has the firmware for several different routers. Make sure you pick the one for the model router you have.
Then wired to the router (do not upgrade a router wirelessly or you risk bricking it) first hit the reset button in the back and hold it for about 15-30 seconds. This will reset it to factory default settings. Then log into the router by typing 192.168.1.1 in firefox or Internet explorer. Then go to administration and then firmware upgrade. Browse to the unzipped firmware you downloaded and upgrade. This will take up to 5 minutes make sure you don't touch anything or unplug the router or you will have major problems. Once thats done you're all set.
If you have version 5-6 of the wrt it is a little more work. Linksys decided to run a non Linux firmware on these and they also halved the ram so you will have to install the firmware called dd-wrt micro. (http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down...rt.v23 SP1/&download=dd-wrt.v23_sp1_micro.zip) It has a few less features but most users (including me) will never notice a difference.
For the WRT54G v5 and v6 ONLY: (quoted from http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Vxworkskiller)
Download [http://www.bitsum.com/files/vxworks_prep_v03.zip] and extract.
Download [http://www.bitsum.com/files/vxworks_killer_g_v06.zip] and extract, OR create a custom firmware image with your MAC address embedded in it. See the 'Changing your MAC address' section below for more information.
Download [http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down...t.v23 SP1/&download=dd-wrt.v23_sp1_micro.zip]. You may want to check [DD-WRT] to make sure there isn't a newer version than v23 SP1. Do not use the one labelled 'WRT54G' or 'WRT54GS', use the 'generic' version.
If you don't know how to use (or don't have) a console mode TFTP tool (i.e. tftp.exe), download the [Linksys TFTP transfer tool].
If your network connection is configured to automatically get an IP address, you need to manually set your IP address. This isn't always necessary, but many people lose contact with the router and can't TFTP the firmware. Don't know how to do this? See below in the troubleshooting section.
Go to your router's web based interface and enter the 'Administration' tab. Then select 'Firmware Upgrade' and choose the vxworks_prep_v03.bin file. Hit apply. After a minute, your browser window will go blank. At this point, power cycle your router.
Again point your web browser (preferably Internet Explorer, other may not work in this step) to http://192.168.1.1. You'll see a different sort of firmware upgrade screen. This is the Management Mode. Select and apply the vxworks_killer_g_v06.bin firmware upgrade. WAIT for your browser window to turn to report 'Success'.
Now power cycle your router. The power LED should now be blinking.
TFTP transfer DD-WRT micro generic (re: not mini) to your router, whose IP will be 192.168.1.1, or 192.168.1.245 if you used an older vxworks_killer. There are two ways to do the TFTP transfer. One is using Linksys's TFTP Windows program, which you may have downloaded in step 3, the other is at the console/terminal:
* Console tool: Example: TFTP -i 192.168.1.1 PUT dd-wrt.v23_micro_generic.bin Mac OS X is a bit different; for one thing, use -e instead of -i.
* GUI tool: Simply enter the router's IP address, select the DD-WRT micro generic image, then initiate the transfer. The password field can be left blank. Don't unplug your router when it finishes (see below).
Do NOT reboot your router after TFTP'ing, this will happen automatically. It takes a couple minutes after the TFTP transfer finishes for the firmware to actually be flashed.
Ok now you have both routers running a version a dd-wrt now to get WDS set up so you can share the internet.
I took me forever to get this set up until I finally found a great wiki write up at http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/WDS_Linked_router_network
Two or more WRT54G / WRT54GS boxes
[edit]
Setup
Save the configuration on both routers: Administration -> Backup. Click "Backup" button and follow prompts so save nvram backup files, i.e. nvram_host.bin, and nvram_client.bin. The configurations can be restored if the setup doesn't work out and you need to quickly get back to a different (working) configuration.
Reset both routers to factory default settings so other settings will not have a possible conflict: Administration -> Factory Default - select yes - click "Save Settings" button.
Give both the routers a different IP address, i.e. 192.168.1.1 (host/internet gateway) and 192.168.1.2 ("client router") (On the same subnet?)
Turn off security on both routers. Security can be re-enabled after all other steps are complete, but in order to minimize troubleshooting, it's best to get things setup with no security active. Wireless -> Wireless Security -> Security Mode -> Disabled
Put both routers into AP mode and on the same channel. Wireless -> Basic Settings
Under Wireless -> Basic Settings, set the SSID to your liking. For WPA WDS, the SSID for the routers needs to be the same. For WEP, different SSIDs can make troubleshooting easier.
For each router, under Setup -> Basic Setup -- Network Address Server Settings (DHCP) -- Start IP Address, you may want to set different starting address for the different routers. For example host 192.168.1.1 starts DHCP at 100 and client 192.168.1.2 starts at 200. This will allow you to enable DHCP on both routers and know which router you are connecting to. This is helpful when connecting to your network with a wireless laptop so you know which router it is connecting to and for changing wireless power settings (both laptop and routers).
On the client router, under Setup -> Basic Setup -- Network Address Server Settings (DHCP)-- Static DNS 1,2,3 enter the DNS settings provided by your ISP. These can also be found from the host router under Status -> Router -- Internet.
Select G-only for WPA links. You cannot use B-only with WDS.
Open WDS configuration on both routers. Wireless -> WDS
On each router, you will see at the top of the page its wireless MAC address. Put each router's MAC into the table of the other router, and select LAN for the type. Wireless -> WDS
There is no need to enable Lazy WDS or WDS subnet on either router.
Turn off the firewall on the client router. Security -> Firewall -> Firewall Protection -> Disable
Change the Internet Connection Type to Disable on the client router. Setup -> Basic Setup -> Internet Setup -> Internet Connection Type -> Disable
Set the Gateway IP address of the client router to the LAN IP address of the host router. Setup -> Basic Setup -> Network Setup -> Router IP -> Gateway
Disable DHCP on the client router if you wish to have the host router serve all IP addresses.
Enable encryption now, if you like (highly recommended).
(DNS settings on the client router need to be entered or you wont be able to get on line with the host router)
let me start this out by saying the linksys wrt54g router is awesome. now that thats out in the open how about a little history lesson. Linksys decided to run a Linux based firmware on these routers (until version 5.0 but I will touch on that in a bit). Then to make things even better for us as customers they released the source code to the public. This spawned a huge number of third party firmware projects. One of witch is called dd-wrt (http://www.dd-wrt.org/). This firmware offers some great features you would never find on a 50 dollar router. Some cool things you can do are give priority so a particular program you are running such as voip and low priority so things like bittorent and p2p. This will keep you're phone calls nice and clear. But the feature I am going to show you how to set up is called WDS.
WDS will allow you to wirelessly connect to routers and share one Internet connection
Ex. DSL router > wired to linksys router > wireless connection > linksys router
this basically allows you to have much larger wireless network. I am using this to share a Internet connection from two routers that are about 50 yards apart.
Step one installing the dd-wrt firmware on both routers.
For the wrt54g and wrt54gs version 1-4
Download the firmware from here
http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down...wrt.v23 SP1/&download=dd-wrt.v23_sp1_voip.zip
this has the firmware for several different routers. Make sure you pick the one for the model router you have.
Then wired to the router (do not upgrade a router wirelessly or you risk bricking it) first hit the reset button in the back and hold it for about 15-30 seconds. This will reset it to factory default settings. Then log into the router by typing 192.168.1.1 in firefox or Internet explorer. Then go to administration and then firmware upgrade. Browse to the unzipped firmware you downloaded and upgrade. This will take up to 5 minutes make sure you don't touch anything or unplug the router or you will have major problems. Once thats done you're all set.
If you have version 5-6 of the wrt it is a little more work. Linksys decided to run a non Linux firmware on these and they also halved the ram so you will have to install the firmware called dd-wrt micro. (http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down...rt.v23 SP1/&download=dd-wrt.v23_sp1_micro.zip) It has a few less features but most users (including me) will never notice a difference.
For the WRT54G v5 and v6 ONLY: (quoted from http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Vxworkskiller)
Download [http://www.bitsum.com/files/vxworks_prep_v03.zip] and extract.
Download [http://www.bitsum.com/files/vxworks_killer_g_v06.zip] and extract, OR create a custom firmware image with your MAC address embedded in it. See the 'Changing your MAC address' section below for more information.
Download [http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down...t.v23 SP1/&download=dd-wrt.v23_sp1_micro.zip]. You may want to check [DD-WRT] to make sure there isn't a newer version than v23 SP1. Do not use the one labelled 'WRT54G' or 'WRT54GS', use the 'generic' version.
If you don't know how to use (or don't have) a console mode TFTP tool (i.e. tftp.exe), download the [Linksys TFTP transfer tool].
If your network connection is configured to automatically get an IP address, you need to manually set your IP address. This isn't always necessary, but many people lose contact with the router and can't TFTP the firmware. Don't know how to do this? See below in the troubleshooting section.
Go to your router's web based interface and enter the 'Administration' tab. Then select 'Firmware Upgrade' and choose the vxworks_prep_v03.bin file. Hit apply. After a minute, your browser window will go blank. At this point, power cycle your router.
Again point your web browser (preferably Internet Explorer, other may not work in this step) to http://192.168.1.1. You'll see a different sort of firmware upgrade screen. This is the Management Mode. Select and apply the vxworks_killer_g_v06.bin firmware upgrade. WAIT for your browser window to turn to report 'Success'.
Now power cycle your router. The power LED should now be blinking.
TFTP transfer DD-WRT micro generic (re: not mini) to your router, whose IP will be 192.168.1.1, or 192.168.1.245 if you used an older vxworks_killer. There are two ways to do the TFTP transfer. One is using Linksys's TFTP Windows program, which you may have downloaded in step 3, the other is at the console/terminal:
* Console tool: Example: TFTP -i 192.168.1.1 PUT dd-wrt.v23_micro_generic.bin Mac OS X is a bit different; for one thing, use -e instead of -i.
* GUI tool: Simply enter the router's IP address, select the DD-WRT micro generic image, then initiate the transfer. The password field can be left blank. Don't unplug your router when it finishes (see below).
Do NOT reboot your router after TFTP'ing, this will happen automatically. It takes a couple minutes after the TFTP transfer finishes for the firmware to actually be flashed.
Ok now you have both routers running a version a dd-wrt now to get WDS set up so you can share the internet.
I took me forever to get this set up until I finally found a great wiki write up at http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/WDS_Linked_router_network
Two or more WRT54G / WRT54GS boxes
[edit]
Setup
Save the configuration on both routers: Administration -> Backup. Click "Backup" button and follow prompts so save nvram backup files, i.e. nvram_host.bin, and nvram_client.bin. The configurations can be restored if the setup doesn't work out and you need to quickly get back to a different (working) configuration.
Reset both routers to factory default settings so other settings will not have a possible conflict: Administration -> Factory Default - select yes - click "Save Settings" button.
Give both the routers a different IP address, i.e. 192.168.1.1 (host/internet gateway) and 192.168.1.2 ("client router") (On the same subnet?)
Turn off security on both routers. Security can be re-enabled after all other steps are complete, but in order to minimize troubleshooting, it's best to get things setup with no security active. Wireless -> Wireless Security -> Security Mode -> Disabled
Put both routers into AP mode and on the same channel. Wireless -> Basic Settings
Under Wireless -> Basic Settings, set the SSID to your liking. For WPA WDS, the SSID for the routers needs to be the same. For WEP, different SSIDs can make troubleshooting easier.
For each router, under Setup -> Basic Setup -- Network Address Server Settings (DHCP) -- Start IP Address, you may want to set different starting address for the different routers. For example host 192.168.1.1 starts DHCP at 100 and client 192.168.1.2 starts at 200. This will allow you to enable DHCP on both routers and know which router you are connecting to. This is helpful when connecting to your network with a wireless laptop so you know which router it is connecting to and for changing wireless power settings (both laptop and routers).
On the client router, under Setup -> Basic Setup -- Network Address Server Settings (DHCP)-- Static DNS 1,2,3 enter the DNS settings provided by your ISP. These can also be found from the host router under Status -> Router -- Internet.
Select G-only for WPA links. You cannot use B-only with WDS.
Open WDS configuration on both routers. Wireless -> WDS
On each router, you will see at the top of the page its wireless MAC address. Put each router's MAC into the table of the other router, and select LAN for the type. Wireless -> WDS
There is no need to enable Lazy WDS or WDS subnet on either router.
Turn off the firewall on the client router. Security -> Firewall -> Firewall Protection -> Disable
Change the Internet Connection Type to Disable on the client router. Setup -> Basic Setup -> Internet Setup -> Internet Connection Type -> Disable
Set the Gateway IP address of the client router to the LAN IP address of the host router. Setup -> Basic Setup -> Network Setup -> Router IP -> Gateway
Disable DHCP on the client router if you wish to have the host router serve all IP addresses.
Enable encryption now, if you like (highly recommended).
(DNS settings on the client router need to be entered or you wont be able to get on line with the host router)
