Router firmware

Routers, like many peripherals such as DVD drives, uses firmware – software installed permanently in flash memory that can be updated – to run. A computer’s BIOS/UEFI is firmware. Firmware updates are obtained from the device manufacturer’s website for a particular model of device. Installing the firmware for the wrong model will usually render the device unusable, so care must be taken to make sure that the correct update is installed. It is also possible to install opensource firmware on a router that is superior to the firmware provided by the manufacturer of the router.

Installing the free DD-WRT router firmware can add plenty of additional options to a router

DD-WRT firmware provides some impressive options that may not have been made available by the router-manufacturer’s firmware, such as the ability to tweak the Wi-Fi transmission power and antenna gain in order to increase the network’s range, set up Internet access restrictions, create multiple virtual Wi-Fi networks with different SSIDs and security settings, use a router as a commercial Wi-Fi hotspot and tweak the Quality of Service (QoS) option.

DD-WRT – https://dd-wrt.com/

Routers that come with DD-WRT firmware installed are available. To find vendors, use dd-wrt as the search query in a web-search engine when online.

“DD-WRT is a Linux-based alternative OpenSource firmware suitable for a great variety of WLAN routers and embedded systems. The main emphasis lies on providing the easiest possible handling while at the same time supporting a great number of functionalities within the framework of the respective hardware platform used.” – dd-wrt.com

This page tells you which routers are supported by DD-WRT firmware:

https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

If a particular router is listed, the firmware installation overview is provided on this page:

https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Installation

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are dealt with on the following page of this website:

https://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/hardware/wired-and-wireless-networking/16/

The best VPNs for DD-WRT routers and how to set up OpenVPN on DD-WRT –

https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/best-vpn-dd-wrt-router/

DD-WRT install on a Linksys WRT54G router –