Debating DD-WRT & a New Router (help?)

[linkster313]

I'm in the market for a new wireless/wired router and I'm wondering if installing DD-WRT on a new router is worth it.

My old router is a Linksys WRT54G v3. Said router is running a version DD-WRT. At the time of purchase I did some research (I was looking for QoS) and stumbled upon DD-WRT. I pleased with all the features of offered (even though I'll admit, I didn't understand them all).

Now I'm look for a new fast router but am disappointed that all the latest and greatest don't have DD-WRT builds yet. A friend mentioned that now-a -days routers come with so many features I probably wouldn't need to install DD-WRT at all. But I'm the type of buyer who wants the most functionality possible (even if they're not going to use it). I wanted to get the Asus RT-N56U but again no DD-WRT build.

Could anyone advise me as to whether I shouldn't bother with DD-WRT and a the latest and greatest router, or if they think DD-WRT is still worth installing, and if s, what is best router I can buy that they have a build out for? Thanks!

Here's what I want in a router:
Gigabyte wired ports (3-4)
802.11N/G/B wireless with dual simultaneous bandwidth
Great performance/speed
compatible with mac OS 10.5 or higher
(a USB port would be nice but not strictly necessary)

Here are the features I'm interested in:

QoS
Port Forwarding
VPN
VoIP
Monitoring Bandwidth

(PS. I might post this inquiry on other router forums to get as much advice as possible. Please don't take offence.)

 

[Chain_Reaction]

DDRWT is very good and I hear OpenWRT is just as great. I cannot wait for it to be out for the Belkin N750DB. Mostly just because haveing DDWRT as an option is nice and I feel it is better than 2/3 of the OEM firmwares out there.

DDWRT alone can extend the usefulness of a product for a while beyond its intended useful lifespan. I currently have a WRT54G v8.2 doing the job of a NAT & SPI firewall thanks to DDWRT. It took a while to get the configuration right but it works really well makeing it possible to afford other upgrades before I have to consider a serious firewall. The main reason I even bought a new router was to cut through the "Great Wall of Baby Monitors" that cuts through my apartment.

My advice is to wait with DDWRT or not take it as a big consideration for 3reasons.
1.It takes a while to port DDWRT to diffrent routers because in some cases it can require DDWRT being ported to that router because of chipsets, flash usage, ect. And somtimes its due to the guys at DDWRT not haveing availability to that router model in their area. You can also check basic requirements on the DDWRT website and compare the potential routers specs to those as well as how that router compares to other already supported routers. One piece of advice is to find out if the router runs an open source operating system. That can be a good indicator of it even being possible or if you can roll your own firmware update.

2.DDWRT voids warranties. It's nice to have that warranty around for when good things go bad. I didn't install it on my Linksys until it was well past it's warranty. And likely I would not install it on my N750DB unless IPV6 became a necessity and if a supporting Firmware upgrade has not been released.

3.Potential loss of functionality. Many routers have Printer and Storage shareing built in. And I do not know if DDWRT has this as a feature set. And many stock OEM firmwares are catching up to DDWRT's functionality.

 

[GregN]

Here are the features I'm interested in:

QoS
Port Forwarding
VPN
VoIP
Monitoring Bandwidth

(PS. I might post this inquiry on other router forums to get as much advice as possible. Please don't take offence.)

All of the features you mentioned, plus a whole lot more is available in pfSense, a BSD free distro for building your own router, if you are considering DDWRT then you should also look at pfSense ( version 1.2.3, next version is in beta )

Do you have an old laptop laying around?

 

[teknojnky]

The real question should be, what routers can even come close to dd-wrt functionality.

I suspect anyone that is familiar with and uses dd-wrt, will be disappointed in the majority of routers (that aren't already supported by dd-wrt).

 

[Chain_Reaction]

All of the features you mentioned, plus a whole lot more is available in pfSense, a BSD free distro for building your own router, if you are considering DDWRT then you should also look at pfSense ( version 1.2.3, next version is in beta )

Do you have an old laptop laying around?

I never even thought about PF Sense. It would be worth checking into even just to try something new.

Some places even stock the mainboards and wifi parts where you can make your own router. DDWRT has a store with that. That sounds like it might be fun to do someday. http://www.dd-wrt.com/shop/catalog/

But here is a snippet from DDWRT on their requirements: http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-detection

Buffalo routers also has native DDWRT routers. http://www.buffalo-technology.com/technology/software/dd-wrt/