How To Install Dd Wrt On Asus Rt Ac66u

Cloudwards.cyberspace may earn a minor commission from some purchases fabricated through our site. Notwithstanding, any chapter earnings do not affect how nosotros review services.

DD-WRT is an open-source firmware upgrade for wireless routers that tin improve the functioning and security of your home WiFi network. Nonetheless, despite these benefits, many people avert changing their firmware only because they don't know how to install DD-WRT.

Luckily, information technology's not a terribly complicated process and can even be washed in fifteen minutes or less if you know what you're doing. (Click here to go straight to our step-by-step instructions.)

Fundamental Takeaways:

• DD-WRT profoundly improves the performance of almost any router and is compatible with a majority of all major routers.
• DD-WRT can be flashed onto a router in effectually 10 minutes, using merely an Ethernet cable and a few pieces of software.
• It is possible to "brick" your router during this process, then be sure that you are familiar with how the process works on your router before jumping in.

In this article, we're going to look at what DD-WRT is, who could benefit from it and how to install it. While the specifics of your DD-WRT installation will vary slightly from one router model to another, the full general ideas are the same across the board and the process should be very similar.

• DD-WRT cannot be installed on every router, only the list of routers it is compatible with is more all-encompassing than any other third-party firmware. In that location is a very good chance that there is a version of DD-WRT that is compatible with your router.

• DD-WRT improves the functionality of almost any router and gives you a much greater level of control over how the hardware operates, especially when it comes to VPN features and repeater settings. The drawback is that DD-WRT is harder to use than well-nigh stock firmware.

• While it isn't the most complicated process, flashing a router with DD-WRT is something that will be different from what near people are used to. The procedure is slightly risky, and there is a chance that you lot could "brick" your router if things go wrong, but ultimately nigh people are able to flash their router without an effect.

How to Install DD-WRT: Basics You Need to Know

Earlier diving in, at that place are a few things to know. First, this is a process that could potentially completely impale, or "brick," your router. If you rely on your router and don't have a backup — or wouldn't know what to do if the firmware setup failed — it'south best to accept extreme caution with this process.

An alternative option, if you're averse to tinkering with things yourself, is to buy a router that is designed for VPNs and advanced use out of the box, such every bit the router we looked at in our Vilfo review.

Second, at that place are a few things you'll need — namely an Ethernet cable to connect your estimator to your router. Aside from this, we suggest downloading the manual and firmware for your router before getting started in instance something goes wrong.

What Is DD-WRT Firmware?

Firmware is the term used to draw a specific type of software that provides low-level command of a device's hardware and operation. In this instance, DD-WRT is a Linux-based firmware designed for use on wireless routers.

WRT is a common acronym for router firmware and equipment, and it stands for "wireless receiver/transmitter." The DD prefix is to represent Dresden, the place where the development squad is originally from.

DD-WRT firmware is designed to replace the stock firmware that comes installed on your router out of the box. If you read our DD-WRT vs Lycopersicon esculentum commodity, you can get a much more in-depth look at what DD-WRT offers — as well as some of the pros and cons of Tomato, i of the other major third-party firmware options.

DD-WRT adds tons of settings and features to your router, including expanded VPN support.

In short, DD-WRT expands the functionality of your existing router in almost every way. Information technology improves VPN support over almost any out-of-the-box firmware and removes a number of sometime vulnerabilities that many routers still take, such as WPS network security. It also adds a huge amount of general networking options and tools that stock firmware almost never has.

DD-WRT offers so many options, in fact, that it can really exist a bit overwhelming for some people. It's much more hard to employ than about firmware and has hundreds of technical options that often go far difficult to find the things you need.

While in that location is extensive documentation available on sites like the DD-WRT wiki, DD-WRT is usually best for those who are already fairly tech savvy.

Should I Install DD-WRT on My Router?

Changing your router'due south firmware can be a fleck of a claiming, particularly if yous're not familiar with how your router'south stock firmware works. It's possible to damage your router, but if yous're careful it can be worth it.

As we mentioned, DD-WRT can be difficult to use and is largely geared toward knowledgeable power-users, only there are plenty of advantages that make the extra effort worth it. If you want to set up a VPN on your router, so a firmware upgrade is pretty much a necessity in many cases (also cheque out our guide to the best VPN for routers).

Another fantabulous utilize for DD-WRT is if you're going to prepare a router as a repeater or access point. DD-WRT offers a huge amount of control and features for things like setting up a WDS or dwelling house network admission point.

If y'all're unsure nigh information technology, we propose checking out Tomato plant due to its simpler blueprint — and we have a guide on how to install Tomato firmware. However, DD-WRT is a powerful tool for those who have the know-how to apply it or the patience to acquire.

What Does It Hateful to "Wink" a Router?

Flashing your router is the term used for the process of loading a new firmware onto information technology. This process varies slightly from one model of router to another, merely for the near function the general idea is the same.

You lot'll take to set upward a connection between your computer and your router before using a special software provided by your router's manufacturer to send the new firmware to the router through a LAN cablevision.

If this procedure goes smoothly, it only takes a few minutes, but in that location are a few places where it's easy to hit snags. This can end up taking a considerable amount of time, so nosotros'll try to point those out throughout our installation instructions.

Does DD-WRT Piece of work on All Routers?

Most firmware, DD-WRT included, needs to be designed specifically for the router it will operate on, or it will at the very least need to run on a router with nigh identical hardware. For this reason, DD-WRT does not work on every model of router.

That said, DD-WRT is more widely compatible than any other third-party firmware. It covers all the most popular routers like Netgear and Asus models, as well as dozens of bottom-known routers from smaller companies.

What to Do Before You Install DD-WRT on a Router

Before you lot wink your router, there are a few things we suggest you do. Starting time, this process only works on a LAN cyberspace connection for most routers, so you'll need an Ethernet cable connecting your router to a device similar a desktop or laptop.

The second thing you should do before flashing your router is to download and install your router'southward existing firmware restoration utility, too as the firmware you're going to put onto it. This commonly means you'll accept to discover the exact model number of the router, which can often be found printed on the bottom.

You'll need to caput to your router manufacturer's website and discover the verbal model of router y'all own in order to download the firmware utility. We propose that you also download the latest firmware available for your router so that you have a backup copy of the router's original firmware if something goes wrong.

Footstep by Pace: How to Wink a Router With DD-WRT

1. Install Firmware Utility and Prepare Firmware

   The beginning thing y'all'll take to practice to brainstorm installing a new firmware on your router is to download and prepare the firmware utility and the firmware itself. You'll take to download the firmware restoration utility from the router manufacturer's website and install it. You'll also likely accept to extract the firmware from a compressed binder after you download it.

   

   Download and install the firmware restoration utility, as well as a backup of your current router firmware, from your router'southward manufacturer.

2. Reset or Clear the Router's Memory

   Next, you'll want to reset your router. This helps prepare the router for the installation of the new firmware and prevents any kind of information corruption from happening during the setup. How to do this stride varies from ane router to another, only it commonly involves property some kind of reset button on the back of the router.

   In our case, using an Asus RT-AC66U B1, we had to turn the router off, then plough information technology dorsum on while holding the "WPS" push for 10 seconds. The lights on the front end blinked, confirming that the RAM was cleared and we could move to the side by side footstep. Exist certain to check your router's transmission for how to practise this properly for your model.

   

   On our Asus router, the reset button and power push are on 1 side while the WPS push, used for clearing the RAM, is on the other side.

3. Disable WiFi and Enable Static IP Address

   In social club for the transfer of the firmware from your computer to the router to exist successful, you accept to make sure the internet connectedness is using a static IP address. We also found that disabling the WiFi on the router fabricated the process piece of work more reliably. Yous tin can change these settings in your router's admin page, but exactly where to find them volition change from one router to another.

   

   How you set up a static IP volition depend on the model of your router and the firmware it uses.

4. Enter Firmware Restoration Mode

   Again, this step is router-specific, so information technology's best to find the manual for your model online to see exactly how this is done, but on near models this is similar to clearing the memory. For our router, nosotros had to plough it off, then turn information technology back on while holding the reset button.

   Afterwards holding information technology for a few seconds, the ability supply indicator began to blink slowly, indicating that it was in restoration mode and we could hit "upload" in the firmware restoration utility to begin the procedure.

   

   On our router, we had to concur down the reset button the entire fourth dimension the new firmware was being flashed.

5. Wink the Firmware and Restart the Router

   Once you commencement flashing the DD-WRT firmware onto the router, the process should but take a couple of minutes if everything is working properly. In our case, we had to really hold the reset push button the entire fourth dimension the new firmware was being flashed, which wasn't mentioned in the manual for our router, so proceed in listen that some routers take quirks that might make the installation process a bit harder.

   Afterward the firmware is finished flashing and the restoration software says it'south complete, you tin restart the router once more.

   

   The restoration software will look different for each router, but all of them will have y'all select the file yous downloaded previously and and then trigger the upload.

6. Gear up the Router With DD-WRT

   Finally, yous are ready to fix your router with its new DD-WRT firmware. To practise this, you lot can get to the router's IP address — which should be 192.168.ane.1 — in your web browser. This will take you to the router'south admin folio where you tin can utilise the default username and countersign to login and begin the setup.

   If the default IP accost doesn't work, you can open up the command prompt on your computer and enter "ipconfig." The line that reads "default gateway" will prove the IP yous need to enter into your accost bar to access your router.

   

   The final footstep is to log on to the DD-WRT router using the default username and password to begin setting upward your router.

Terminal Thoughts

Although it offers plenty of improvements over stock firmware, installing DD-WRT can exist a daunting task for many people. Thankfully, the procedure isn't too difficult if you know what to do and get the necessary tools ready beforehand.

While it might accept some getting used to and a few Google searches, the expanded functionality offered by DD-WRT tin be a game changer for tinkerers and ability-users or those willing to learn.

Accept you tried other tertiary-political party firmware in the past? How did it go? What exercise you plan to employ DD-WRT for? Let us know in the comments below and, equally always, cheers for reading.

Source: https://www.cloudwards.net/how-to-install-dd-wrt/

Posted by: makrismamrainy.blogspot.com

Share this post