Replace Asus HOSTS file

[sinshiva]

Quick guide to make use of a better HOSTS file on some Asus routers. A better explanation of the HOSTS file can be found here, but essentially using a customized HOSTS file helps filter advertisements and prevent users on your network from connecting to some known sources of malware. This can help speed up browsing significantly on smartphones, etc.

At the router's configuration page, at Administration > System, enable the Telnet server.

Using your preferred telnet client (PuTTY), login to the router using your set credentials. After logging in, you'll need to enter the following commands.

cd ~
wget http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt
mv /etc/hosts /etc/hosts.old
mv hosts.txt /etc/hosts

logout and reboot the router from the webadmin. isn't this router awesome? perhaps remember to disable the telnet service when you are done.

 

[RMerlin]

Quick guide to make use of a better HOSTS file on some Asus routers. A better explanation of the HOSTS file can be found here, but essentially using a customized HOSTS file helps filter advertisements and prevent users on your network from connecting to some known sources of malware. This can help speed up browsing significantly on smartphones, etc.

At the router's configuration page, at Administration > System, enable the Telnet server.

Using your preferred telnet client (PuTTY), login to the router using your set credentials. After logging in, you'll need to enter the following commands.

cd ~
wget http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt
mv /etc/hosts /etc/hosts.old
mv hosts.txt /etc/hosts

logout and reboot the router from the webadmin. isn't this router awesome? perhaps remember to disable the telnet service when you are done.

That won't work. /etc/hosts is dynamically generated at boot time in the ram disk, so rebooting the router will lose all your changes.

You need a custom firmware to be able to replace the hosts file.

 

[dweiss]

That won't work. /etc/hosts is dynamically generated at boot time in the ram disk, so rebooting the router will lose all your changes.

You need a custom firmware to be able to replace the hosts file.

The same thing can be accomplished, of course, simply by updating the hosts file on any individual computers on the network. Although this does not provide the convenience of a centrally managed hosts file through the router, it will provide all the other benefits you are seeking on a computer-by-computer basis. Since the hosts file generally does not need to be updated very often, you do not lose much by simply creating a file and then distributing it to the individual machines.

 

[sinshiva]

That won't work. /etc/hosts is dynamically generated at boot time in the ram disk, so rebooting the router will lose all your changes.

You need a custom firmware to be able to replace the hosts file.

installed; thank you, sir