Default Linksys WRT54GL Firmware The first one I tested.

|
The first firmware I tested was of course the default one from Linksys. Naturally, it was already installed on the router - I'm providing a link in case you want to overwrite your alternative firmware back to original one.

After you connect to the router (default IP is 192.168.1.1), you can configure the settings. The web interface is simple and easy.

First thing I did was disable wireless, since I don't need it at all (glad the software had this option).

Next, I decided to test the QoS. Instead of adding the game manually, I simply checked "Optimize of gaming" and asked my neighbor to start his downloading. The game I tested was Counter-Strike Source (CSS, for short). I usually get 5 latency if no one else is using the line; I used to get around 500 or more when my neighbor was downloading something. With QoS optimized for gaming, it's around 40, and ping stays low - right on! Note, it's still not the same as with "empty" connection, but I was unable to get any better latency no matter which QoS settings I tried.

Then I setup the port forwarding for my applications which need it. It all worked nicely, except you can quickly run out of port forwarding fields and QoS fields - they are limited in this version of firmware.


The next test was launching a P2P program, namely Azureus, which is a BitTorrent client. Default Linksys software completely failed here, I'm afraid. When Azureus was running, I couldn't access any web pages because of "timed out" error. The reason is limited number of connections on the router, and that can't be changed on default WRT54G firmware - enough of a reason to try a different one!

0 comments:

Post a Comment