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You can also skip the 'running PC' bit, and have putty connect to the SSHD running on a dd-wrt style router.

DD-WRT has been working on the implementation of IPv6 within their firmware. http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/IPv6

You don't need to circumvent anything to get a Buffalo router if all you want to do is run dd-wrt. There are tons of routers supported, including the 2 I just had laying around from way before I'd ever heard of it. http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

Personally, I am running bind. My ISP's DNS servers were rather slow to respond.

With most linux distros, all you have to do is install it with your package manager, and then set your machine to use itself, rather than the ISP, as the DNS server. The default configuration that gets installed will generally query the root servers. You will need to check your distros documentation just in case.

Bind packages can also be found for DD-WRT. I don't run them, so I cant say how well they work.
DD-WRT Bind DNS-slave server
http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/others/packages

For M$ users, DNS server packages, (including bind), are available. I don't have experience with them, as I dumped M$ shortly after XP was released.
Google Search
ISC Bind

There is more than enough documentation on how to set-up and run DNS servers available on the net, it is pointless to do that here.

The biggest thing that I don't understand is why people who write such articles don't mention that there are solutions available. It would have simply been a 2 or 3 sentence paragraph in TFA to give links to a way around the censoring. TFAs that were linked to didn't even point out that it was DNS filtering, the link in my original post came from one of TFAs.

Personally, I am running bind. My ISP's DNS servers were rather slow to respond.

With most linux distros, all you have to do is install it with your package manager, and then set your machine to use itself, rather than the ISP, as the DNS server. The default configuration that gets installed will generally query the root servers. You will need to check your distros documentation just in case.

Bind packages can also be found for DD-WRT. I don't run them, so I cant say how well they work.
DD-WRT Bind DNS-slave server
http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/others/packages

For M$ users, DNS server packages, (including bind), are available. I don't have experience with them, as I dumped M$ shortly after XP was released.
Google Search
ISC Bind

There is more than enough documentation on how to set-up and run DNS servers available on the net, it is pointless to do that here.

The biggest thing that I don't understand is why people who write such articles don't mention that there are solutions available. It would have simply been a 2 or 3 sentence paragraph in TFA to give links to a way around the censoring. TFAs that were linked to didn't even point out that it was DNS filtering, the link in my original post came from one of TFAs.

They're not going to give people a means to see what they've used without a fight. The last thing they want is a bunch more people using 249.9 GB per month, which is why in the past the cap was secret (and dynamic, I suspect). My highest usage in recent months was a little over 30 GB (thanks, DD-WRT) and I know I intend to kick it up a notch.

DD-WRT runs on a huge number of devices. See http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices . Ever since LinkSys started plucking the WRT54G, other hardware has become much more interesting.

Have a look into DD-WRT: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Mesh_Networking_with_OLSR

For those with experience running earlier revisions of Linksys routers, it's known that they are much more stable than the newer and cheaper (component-wise) brethren. While Tomato may be very stable and have a good QoS implementation, it unfortunately shuts out those with Linksys units v5 or newer as described below. Even with it's QoS functionality being questionable at best, at least DD-WRT offers that segment of users a viable choice to using the stock firmware.

Following excerpt on Tomato firmware can be found here:

"This will not work on Linksys WRT54G/GS v5 or newer WRT54G/GS routers."

Hmm, I doubt the problem is the 2MB of flash (you said ram, but linksys has never made a wrt54g with less than 8M of ram), since I'm also using the micro version of the firmware, however the 8MB of ram vs the 16 or 32 Megs in most of their model lineup could be a problem, I see than my router is using about 13MB of ram right now with 150 active TCP & UDP connections. At any rate, most SOHO network gear is garbage, the best think you can do before buying is to read the supported devices list on the dd-wrt web page and make sure that you'll have an alternative to the factory firmware AND confirm that you aren't being sold on a device with a substandard processor or insufficient flash and/or ram.

why a device for just this?

when you buy a wireless router, just make sure its a router that will run a decent linux distribution. the linksys wrt54g started the ball rolling, and there is now a rather impressive list of routers supported by just one embedded linux distro; OpenWRT. dd-wrt has a similarly lengthy list. some allow you to attach hard drives via IDE or USB and do file serving as well. most run around 200mhz, have 4mb flash and 16/32mb ram, although better and worse configurations are available. these also have wireless built in, and usually two separate hardware vlans. you can pick up routers for under $50.

802.11n hardware seems to have very poor linux support, and not many routers have gigabit unfortunately. i havent really followed closely as neither of these features is on my "must have" list. the one i've seen moving recently is the wrt350n, which is making pretty good headway and has both features but its still not ready for primetime and is a pretty old router.

in general, i dont see why you'd get specific hardware for this when you could just have a small 5 watt linux router that handles your wan/lan/wifi/simple daemons.

If you're adventurous, DD-WRT is one of many linux firmwares that can run on several consumer routers http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

Here's a forum thread with several scripts to allow you to do round robin load balancing with DD-WRT http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=13869&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=dual+wan+port&start=0

If you're adventurous, DD-WRT is one of many linux firmwares that can run on several consumer routers http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

Here's a forum thread with several scripts to allow you to do round robin load balancing with DD-WRT http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=13869&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=dual+wan+port&start=0

Yes, that should not be a problem.

First however, you need a decent router:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Network+-+Wireless+Routers-_-LINKSYS-_-33124190

In that respect make sure you get the WRT54GL version.

Cisco, has gutted the normal WRT54G and so far has destroyed its quality and usefulness. (Much like the crap it sells anyway.) They have pulled out the memory, destroyed the ability to put better antennas on the unit, etc.

In short, they want to make sure they get as much money as possible, and your wireless sucks ass.

CISCO has SO FAR left the WRT54GL alone, and it is an exceptional beast, once you flash it with dd-wrt.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/index.php

You want the package in this directory:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down.php?path=downloads%2Fv24%2FBroadcom%2FLinksys%2FWRT54GL_1.1/

Pick the voip generic package. (dd-wrt.v24_voip_generic.bin )

Then select the .bin file above as the target flash upgrade in the normal admin page for the WRT54GL.

Wait 5 minutes for the process to complete, and try to pull a web page from it. If you get a web page, wipe the config with the resessed button on the back of the unit, wait 2 minutes, then power cycle the unit.

It should come up as 192.168.1.1 and login with "root" and "admin" as the password.

-Hack

Yes, that should not be a problem.

First however, you need a decent router:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Network+-+Wireless+Routers-_-LINKSYS-_-33124190

In that respect make sure you get the WRT54GL version.

Cisco, has gutted the normal WRT54G and so far has destroyed its quality and usefulness. (Much like the crap it sells anyway.) They have pulled out the memory, destroyed the ability to put better antennas on the unit, etc.

In short, they want to make sure they get as much money as possible, and your wireless sucks ass.

CISCO has SO FAR left the WRT54GL alone, and it is an exceptional beast, once you flash it with dd-wrt.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/index.php

You want the package in this directory:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down.php?path=downloads%2Fv24%2FBroadcom%2FLinksys%2FWRT54GL_1.1/

Pick the voip generic package. (dd-wrt.v24_voip_generic.bin )

Then select the .bin file above as the target flash upgrade in the normal admin page for the WRT54GL.

Wait 5 minutes for the process to complete, and try to pull a web page from it. If you get a web page, wipe the config with the resessed button on the back of the unit, wait 2 minutes, then power cycle the unit.

It should come up as 192.168.1.1 and login with "root" and "admin" as the password.

-Hack

Honestly, just flash the firmware on your existing router with DD-WRT. It will give you the functionality you want because it has quality of service that works.

Sounds like what you need is TCP Vegas. It emphasizes packet delay, not loss, so it should work well for you. DD-WRT supports it: see this thread.

I have installed DD-WRT on many Linksys WRT54G's like the poster said he has. I find it to be very useful and I find the vpn endpoint capabilities totally amazing. One thing to look out for is the version of the default firmware. Versions 1-5, installing is like a walk in the park. Version 6 needs a bit of voodoo trickery and more 3rd party software. All of that is documented on DD-WRTs Hardware Compatibility List under Linsys. Version 7 is unsupported altogether so I would recommend fleabay for an older model.

So don't keep us in suspense submitter, which model do you have?

You can load software on more than just the WRT54G.

DD-wrt works on quite a few devices:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

Used Linksys APs are fairly cheap and available. I bought a used WRT54GS V2.1 last weekend for $30. Loaded DD-wrt on it this afternoon.

http://openwrt.org/ (extend yourself, open, maybe takes longer to set up)

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/index.php (web interface like normal, just tons more options)

both should do the trick and maybe even run on your router

check:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

http://openwrt.org/ (extend yourself, open, maybe takes longer to set up)

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/index.php (web interface like normal, just tons more options)

both should do the trick and maybe even run on your router

check:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

DD-WRT released v24 a week ago.

WRT54G hardware versions 1 to 4 are more "hackable" than the rest because of the larger NVRAM. But note that version 7 is not supported. Refer here for the details.

By the way, DD-WRT v.24 was just released on 24 May 2008. Check it out!

I had a REV 8 linksys and it would be perfect as it LOCKS up on max bandwidth. The internal webserver also crashed and it won't take open source firmware. I got a good one when I bought a Buffalo that rocks, just before a texas judge stopped their product from being sold here.

DD-WRT would do that easily. It can do it to wireless as well. Look for a compatible router, preferably one that can take a full install and strangle their link. ;)

http://www.dd-wrt.com/

Fail.

First step would be to find out what type of P2P he's using and (if it's not recognized by DD-WRT) what ports. Drop those down to bulk priority. Raise special activities like https web browsing to express (on the assumption that connecting to an https server means you're doing something important like accessing your bank). Stuff that's time-critical like VoIP and gaming should get premium priority. This took care of 90% of the problems I had.

The remaining 10% proved extremely tricky. Newer bittorrent clients default to encryption on, and it was getting by the QoS. I tried tweaking all sorts of settings to mitigate this without success. What eventually worked was a setting anything on ports higher than 1024 to bulk priority, then specifying certain ports as having higher priority. This is the QoS equivalent of switching from allow all and blocking things you don't want, to deny all and allowing things you do want. That seems to have solved the bittorrent problem.

The only problems that remain have to do with http and ftp transfers of large files. If someone sticks a 40 MB file on a web site, the router can't tell it apart from regular http traffic, so you can't drop its priority without also affecting regular web browsing. In one case a user was running a program to download an entire web site - that was killing the network since to the router it looked just like a lot of web browsing. Same with ftp - if you drop ftp's priority so the 100 MB transfers are bulk, the small ftp files like certain software updates are also bulk.

a. 1st off and most importantly make sure the internet connection isn't in your name so you are not the one who gets sued by the RIAA b. go get DD-WRT (check your WRT54G version..later one's suck) then set up the traffic shaping QoS feature. http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Quality_of_Service

You could also use the same router and DD-WRT Which I've had a lot of luck using. I've actually never tried Tomato. What advantages does it have over something like DD-WRT?

why just not burn ddwrt on your WRT54G?

crippled no more

You don't need an old WRT54G. You can buy a new WRT54GL.

The DDWRT firmware is awesome. Make sure you install the micro first, then you can upgrade to one of the other more feature-full versions from there. Although "micro" is a huge misnomer considering the amount of functionality it has compared to the default firmware. Also you will want to adjust the maxium ports and TCP/UDP timeout settings if you use P2P. Out of the box, torrents will kill your internet connection.

I'd be willing to bet dd-wrt comes close. On $50 hardware.

My ISP (Embarq DSL) does this too. But since I'm using DD-WRT on my router, I can bypass it. DD-WRT includes dnsmasq for DNS forwarding, and ever since Network Solutions tried the same scam on the entire .com TLD a while back, dnsmasq has included the option (bogus-nxdomain) to specify IP addresses that, when returned from upstream DNS, result in a "no such domain" error being returned to your computer.

The WRT54g can have a serial port hacked into it for configuration. It's a fairly simple job if you have a soldering pencil around. They can also mount a SMB file system on boot so you can run whatever you want on the device. This filesystem can contain a shell script to be executed, allowing you to set up whatever you'd like to run at boot on the router.

That depends. Did you install UPnP, presumably because you want random ports to open up on your DD-WRT router without your consent?

If not then you're probably quite safe from UPnP based attacks.

You are already running dd-wrt on your router... Get a NAS that will be low power storage. Then smb mount your nas from your dd-wrt router to run any linux stuff you need on it. Then you can ssh into your router from the internet and still have access to linux and all your storage. Granted, your "linux" box will be a 200Mhz (or so) machine, but for a low power solution it may be enough. And there are plenty of extras that you can install on dd-wrt...

You are already running dd-wrt on your router... Get a NAS that will be low power storage. Then smb mount your nas from your dd-wrt router to run any linux stuff you need on it. Then you can ssh into your router from the internet and still have access to linux and all your storage. Granted, your "linux" box will be a 200Mhz (or so) machine, but for a low power solution it may be enough. And there are plenty of extras that you can install on dd-wrt...

http://dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/OpenVPN

Actually, yes it is. DD-WRT (http://dd-wrt.com/) has a feature that lets you put out a second (up to 4 IIRC) SSID with separate security and etc. It's only available in the RCs at the moment (and broken in RC6, but working in RC5).

You could always throw a cheap router in front of your NAS and install DD-WRT, which has offered OpenVPN support for quite some time.

You could always throw a cheap router in front of your NAS and install DD-WRT, which has offered OpenVPN support for quite some time.

Step 1: Find a neighbor who is cool and possibly technologically challenged and see if he would be cool if you used some of his bandwidth for a while. Promise free computer services if he is a tough nut to crack.
Step 2: Get a wireless router supported by DD-WRT.
Step 3: Download the haxor'd firmware from DD-WRT and configure your supported device as a wireless bridge.
Step 4: Enjoy the internets! Step 5: To show your appreciation to your neighbor, get him a supported router and do the same thing with it so you both have a fail-over connection to the series of tubes!

Unfortunately the new dd-wrt model routers, to be produced, won't be officially on-sale in the US anytime soon. Ironically, amongst the "friends of the defendent" briefs of this Linux-friendly router are Microsoft, but then again, the entire industry has rallied behind them; precisely because what Wi-LAN is doing after they won with Cisco is a possibility should this suit succeed against Buffalo, for the same reasons. When will there be patent reform?!

I had been using a WRT54G, but I retired it for Buffalo WHR-HP-54G. I've been using DD-WRT on both of them, and it's been pretty solid. V24 is looking to be a pretty good release too.

Where its forced to compete, it loses market share - just look at the embedded, server, and cluster markets.

Another example is the embeded appliance market. There is an excellent chance your NAS, router, printserver, Media streaming server, etc are all running Linux.

My Linksys router, my Simple Tech Simpleshare NAS, Hawking Printserver and Netgear Printservers all run Linux. Some of these pieces of hardware have Linux aftermarket firmware, for example my Linksys router is running DD-WRT firmware.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php?title=DD-WRT_Docu_(EN)
http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/index.php

Where its forced to compete, it loses market share - just look at the embedded, server, and cluster markets.

Another example is the embeded appliance market. There is an excellent chance your NAS, router, printserver, Media streaming server, etc are all running Linux.

My Linksys router, my Simple Tech Simpleshare NAS, Hawking Printserver and Netgear Printservers all run Linux. Some of these pieces of hardware have Linux aftermarket firmware, for example my Linksys router is running DD-WRT firmware.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php?title=DD-WRT_Docu_(EN)
http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/index.php

I wonder if they both get worse?

I bought a Linksys wireless router. My wired Dlink had died (surprise there right?) so I wanted to use it as a wired for now but have wireless capability for later. It was the wrt54g. It was not the L suffix one but I wasn't concerned with that as I really did not intend to flash it with Linux or use it as anything other than a router.

During configuration the internal webserver would crash before I could complete the configuation. This was intolerable. I read up on it and found it has substantially dumbed down hardware when compared with the original wrt54g which is now the wrt54gl with the L suffix standing for Linux.

If the blasted thing would have worked I'd have used it but not only was the ram and flash reduced it did not have the features I expected it to have. I did manage to configure it but it took 10 times longer due to not wanting to crash the webserver by stressing it too much.

So I took it back and took the refund and bought a Buffalo router http://www.buffalotech.com/products/wireless/wirel ess-g-125-high-speed/wireless-g-125-high-speed-bro adband-router-and-access-point-with-high-gain-ante nna/, ignored the included firmware lest I wretch and flashed it with DD-WRT http://www.dd-wrt.com/ and I am very happy. It has more capabilities than I need. Using the web interface is effortless and I had my system up and running in a few minutes after some confusion on my part on how flash it.

I could have ordered the L suffixed version of the Linksys router but it's only available online, it's much more expensive than the Buffalo OR the current stupefied Linksys version and I no longer trusted Linksys.

I was under impression linksys products required a hack via insecure web form to get into the os to replace it, but apparently thats no longer the case.

As far as I can tell from looking at the installation page for one of the replacement firmwares, there's no hack involved.

So, what did Tivo do that was ALWAYS wrong?

Disabling the hardware from running user-modified (and therefore, unsigned) software.