RT-N66R - replacement for old WRT54G

[Occu Pant]

Had the WRT54G since 2002, needed to be "reset" 2 -3 times a day for the past 4 months.
So I finally upgraded.
Got a RT-N66R today. Smoking fast wireless compared the old 54 (why did I wait so long?).
Seems like most folks here are running Merlin, I will most likely switch to that in the next couple of weeks.
Anything tips or anything I should do prior to installing Merlin?

 

[Chris313AllNight]

Had the WRT54G since 2002, needed to be "reset" 2 -3 times a day for the past 4 months.
So I finally upgraded.
Got a RT-N66R today. Smoking fast wireless compared the old 54 (why did I wait so long?).
Seems like most folks here are running Merlin, I will most likely switch to that in the next couple of weeks.
Anything tips or anything I should do prior to installing Merlin?

Congrats on the new router. Back in April 2013, I got this to replace a 54GL. Been purring like a kitten so far. As far as your question, you'll want to document any custom settings, etc that you have put in the N66R, then flash with the most current Merlin. (Which is now 380.57 I believe) After you've flashed, reset the router to default and put back any settings by hand. After that, you should be golden. And keep an eye on Merlin's forum for updated versions of the FW.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/asuswrt-merlin-380-57-is-now-available.29308/ (There is the link to the current Merlin FW)

If you don't mind my asking, what all do you have connected to this router, what's your speed and ISP?

Welcome to Asus, my friend.

 

[wh7qq]

Had the WRT54G since 2002, needed to be "reset" 2 -3 times a day for the past 4 months.
So I finally upgraded.
Got a RT-N66R today. Smoking fast wireless compared the old 54 (why did I wait so long?).
Seems like most folks here are running Merlin, I will most likely switch to that in the next couple of weeks.
Anything tips or anything I should do prior to installing Merlin?

Whoa! Slow down a sec. No question, Merlin's firmware is better, but do you need anything better than the AsusWRT that came with the router? If you were running the Linksys firmware that came with the 54G (with factory upgrades, I hope), then the AsusWRT should be good enough and you might leave "well enough" alone until you need something special. Do upgrade to the latest factory firmware to get the latest security fixes but get familiar with the AsusWRT before you jump. OTOH, if you had gotten used to the features in DDWRT or TomatoUSB, by all means, upgrade if you find the Asus offering inadequate. Merlin is a great place to start. For heaven's sake, do set up wifi encryption (WPA2/AES) and your unique login/password regardless of what you do. I would also disable anything that allows access to the router interface from the internet or wireless.

I got my N66U (same router as your N66R)) 3 years ago also replacing a 54G, and love it...very solid and quick...but I needed many of the features found in TomatoUSB as I had been using it on the 54, so I upgraded. I also have an RT-N56U as a secondary router and it runs the factory offering quite nicely in a task that does not require the extra sophistication of open-source firmware. "If it ain't broke...."

 

[Klueless]

Whoa! Slow down a sec. No question, Merlin's firmware is better, but do you need anything better than the AsusWRT that came with the router? ... "If it ain't broke...."

Liked your post / liked your advice. When the router at work broke I stuck in my old home router (a WRT54GL) for a couple weeks until I could buy a new one. We have a couple dozen plus devices and it actually carried the load as well as the E2500 that got fried (after an area blackout).

On the downside it had the same problem as my older router; I was flying blind. Our ISP was having numerous intermittent outages and their only reply was, "It must be you, buy more bandwidth".

My N66U, out of the box, showed me it was not a traffic problem. Coupled with no traffic on my side and a nice ping plotter chart that suggested it might be their border router, well they still said it was me but, curiously, we haven't had an outage since.

"Out of the box" also allowed me to identify and fix a couple problems I -prior to- wouldn't have a clue. For example the real time chart showed me that something was flooding our outbound, pegged to the max, complete flat line. 24 hour chart showed me it had been going on for hours, since about 8:15AM.

How are we even running? Oh yeah, that QoS stuff must really work!

Another chart showed me it was coming from the 5Ghz side of wireless. The device chart showed I only had a few devices running at 5Ghz. I was already familiar with most of them (and I knew them to be nine-o'clockers to boot).

That left an unidentified iPhone and one of my bosses (who starts early and who is an iOS fan). Turns out he had just bought a brand new iPhone. Had him stand in front of my traffic monitor, shut off his phone and the traffic stopped.

Few more anecdotes but the point is out-of-the-box is pretty darn good. I've listed a few wish-list features and, over time, I might try alternative firmware if its features are on my checklist but, for now ... I'm living the dream!

 

[Occu Pant]

Whoa! Slow down a sec. No question, Merlin's firmware is better, but do you need anything better than the AsusWRT that came with the router? If you were running the Linksys firmware that came with the 54G (with factory upgrades, I hope), then the AsusWRT should be good enough and you might leave "well enough" alone until you need something special. "If it ain't broke...."

wh7qq -While do I greatly appreciate your concern, and it shows that you are one of the people on this forum that have a vast understanding of the various devices and are truly helpful.

I am running the most current AsusWRT firmare for the N66R. On the 54G I was running DDWRT for scripting and telnet SSH functionality. I am still looking through the default AsussWRT's functions and my post was hopefully gleam some tips from those that actually had modified the firmware of these router.