Linksys WRT54G

SteM

I've just recieved one of these routers to go with my NTL Broadband - I'll finally be able to get the PC out of the sitting room and into the bedroom

Does anyone have any advice on things that might trip me up when I go to set it up at home tonight? From looking at the documentation that goes with it it mentions the Internet Configuration Type and PPPoE or PPTP, does anyone know which NTL uses?

I've gotta admit, I've not set one of these up before and I'm getting worried about the amount of stuff the 'Quick Installation' mentions that I just don't know!

Superman

Hi,

Well its is a very good box you got, I use it my self and find it great! The first thing i suggest you do is go to here and update the firmware , This makes thing significantly easier and gives a better view of settings.
then go to your NTL modem find its settings (PPPoE etc.) and take note /print out.
Then set the NTL modem to gateway mode , this should be in its instructions somewhere.
Now connect the modem into the uplink on the Linksys box and enter the settings from the NTL box.
It can be tricky to gety used to first and if you like (and your in south dub) I could give you a hand with it as i'm off college these day.
Anyway if you got any queries give us a shout!

SteM

Hey thanks for the reply, you're gonna wish you hadn't When NTL came to install the moment they didn't install any software with it. Just plugged it into the ethernet port, he phoned the office and it worked! So I don't know how to get any of the settings except for the MAC address which is on the bottom of the modem. Any ideas?

SteM

Wow, it's worked. I mean it's working! I can't believe how easy that was I'll look into upgrading the firmware now thanks.

TheHig

Yeah, you should also check out some of the alternate firmwares like sveasoft or openWRT. www.teamxlink.co.uk has some useful guids in there as well, but slightly more gaming orientated.

Superman

Personally i would stick with manufacturers firmware, they made the box and have a lot more resorces foest than some 12 year old in a bedroom in sweden!

TheHig

What, you mean like counterstrike?

There are some severly talented programmers out there. Just make sure to have a copy of the latest official firmware, just in case you need to revert for any reason and cant connect to the net.

Superman

don't get me wrong i'm sure they could be brilliant programmers but i'm just saying its better to go with tried and tested way rather than some one that can never be 100% sure to work.
Even worse i'm sure it would not be impossible for a 3rd party firmware to render the device useless.
Also, when you buy the product your paying the company to provide you with supports and updates so you might as well use what you pay for.
And as for CS it was a mod to a game and essentially an add-on that sat on top of HL, i don't believe that it actually changed the HL engine until it got support and backing from Valve.(i'm pretty sure of this but there is the slim possibility I may be wrong)

daymobrew

then go to your NTL modem find its settings (PPPoE etc.)

I have a WRT54G. The NTL bb setup is so easy that you don't need any of this.

In the Setup page of the router configuration (something like http://192.168.1.1/index.asp) the first item, Internet Connection Type, is set to "Automatic Configuration - DHCP".

Be sure to enable MAC address filtering (http://192.168.1.1/Wireless_MAC.asp). Put in the MAC address of your wireless card so only those listed can connect to the router.
And change the SSID (http://192.168.1.1/Wireless_Basic.asp) from the default and disable broadcasting of the SSID.
Then enable encryption.

The latest firmware is 3.03.6

cgf

Yeah. Makes sure you upgrade to the latest firmware, 3.03.6.

If you stick with version 2.09 delivered with box you basically need line of sight for a decent signal. :eek:

XT_Dweezil

cgf wrote:

Yeah. Makes sure you upgrade to the latest firmware, 3.03.6.

If you stick with version 2.09 delivered with box you basically need line of sight for a decent signal. :eek:

?? I got 3.01.3 on my Linksys WRT54G

The firmwares that you relate to is only for the US version??

Superman

no its grand to put v3.03.6 on an irish box , I did but there is little change since 3.01.3

Firmware 3.03.6
- Supports hardware version 3
- Updated help file

Check version history here

SteM

XT_Dweezil wrote:

?? I got 3.01.3 on my Linksys WRT54G

Yeah, 3.01.3 was the version that came on my box.

daymobrew, thanks for the extra info. I'd enabled MAC filtering but not the other stuff.

ArthurG

Just ordered NTL 1.5 mbit to replace UTV, and have ordered a Linksys WRT54G to go with it, based on recommendations from here.

Just one Q though. For a few reasons, I'd prefer to have the unit connected to the outlet in my sitting room, near the TV. Anyone know if this would cause any type of interference or anything to the tele? (once connected to the wireless router I mean)???.

Thanks for help!

parsi

Superman wrote:

Personally i would stick with manufacturers firmware, they made the box and have a lot more resorces foest than some 12 year old in a bedroom in sweden!

Well some of the early firmware for the WAG54g were like as if they had been written by the 12yr olds pet gerbil. If Sveasoft had been available I would have flashed it .

vibe666

just got one of these on ebay after spending a few days reading up on wifi routers, and the general opinion out there is that a lot of the open source firmwares for the wrt54g p1ss all over the linksys one, removing various bugs and adding some very useful feature including excellent qos and packet shaping tools, and much more.

there are even various firmwares doing everything from turning them into hubs for mesh networks to a full blown radius server so you can run your own wisp.

you have to remember that it's not some proprietary software running on the wrt54g, it's linux, and we all know how much fun geeks like to have with that.

linksys purposely use open source software on their products, release the source, and then see what happens. it's not unheard of for 'hack' to make it back into the official build of the next official firmware releases.

i'll be looking into it all further while i'm waiting for mine to arrive, then i'm certain i'll be re-flashing it to something a little more interesting.

TheHig

www.teamxlink.co.uk runs the entire engine within the box. Granted, it can be a bit of a cow to get configured, but damn if it's not cool.