Install custom firmware on your router

[Responsible Allen Iverson]

There are many advantages to installing custom firmware on your router. It puts industrial level features on your consumer router. I have only used one called Tomato: Tomato Firmware | polarcloud.com

Tomato is extremely easy to install and use. It has many features but the ones that are relevant to me are:

• You can turn up the power on the wireless transmitter and boost the signal. This uses more power and shortens the life of the transmitter, but mine lasted for years before it died (and it had already been used for years before I boosted the signal)
• You can view how strong the wireless networks around you are and what channel they are broadcasting on so you can choose a channel that is least likely to interfere with the other networks
• You can easily block IP addresses. This comes in handy for people who are trying to increase their Youtube speeds because of this thread: http://www.the-coli.com/arcadium/93...tube-speeds-fix-inside-make-youtube-fast.html

At the bottom of the Tomato page are links to other custom firmwares, but I have no experience with any of them.

 

[Ayo]

I've used Tomato and DD-WRT

I like Tomato better.

 

[RJY33]

im interested in this. so can it be used with the routers you get from the cable companies?

 

[xXMASHERXx]

If the router from your isp is anything like the one I got its trash. Just go to ddwrt/tomato website and buy one of the compatible routers they have listed.

 

[Responsible Allen Iverson]

im interested in this. so can it be used with the routers you get from the cable companies?

The Tomato page lists the routers that it is compatible with. Other firmwares may be compatible with other routers.

 

[Kartel13]

I had dd-wrt on an old lynksis until I bricked it trying to revert back to the og. I heard you can fix it but haven't got to it.

 

[Dre Space Age]

any of yall still do this?

 

[Young]

dd-wrt is pretty good. Used it on a couple of routers, no issues with stability or the software. if you have a router more than 2 years old and its not getting updates you should probably think about putting custom firmware on it for security reasons.