questions questions questions..... I got some questions.....

[neotigZ]

I have a WRT54G. i was wondering whats the best firmware i can update it too? i was also wondering if a router can receive a signal? i was also wondering what is the best wireless adapter for like range and stuff? here is a few i found on newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833158017

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833180030

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315041

Im looking for cheap if you can't tell. ;)
oh and im using win xp pro ubuntu 7.10 and mac 10.4 so what ever i get has to work with all 3 ya know.
thanks to who ever helps me out. hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and ate lots of turkey. :)

[neotigZ]

some advice would be great. thanks

[Limp_Trizkit]

I'm surprised I didn't see this post when you made it the first time, so I'm not going to harass you for bringing it to my attention now with a bump. ;)

In my opinion, the best third-party firmware for the Linksys WRT series is DD-WRT (http://www.dd-wrt.com). I've been using it for a while on a WRT54GS (as well as a few other non-Linksys routers) It supports everything your standard Linksys firmware does, and a few things it doesn't, including some really advanced bandwidth management/monitoring features (the newer builds even graph usage in real time if you leave the appropriate page open).

When you ask if it's possible to configure a router to "receive a signal", do you mean set it up so that it picks up the wireless and allows a wired device to use it as a pass-through? If this is what you mean, DD-WRT will let you set that up by configuring it as a Client Bridge (or if your broadcasting router supports it, WDS).

When picking out a Wi-Fi card, look for one with a decent broadcast power rating for your application. Antenna gain is important too, but for the PCI cards you're looking at, the antenna is interchangable so you might find it easier to pick a better antenna up if you think the performance you're getting is lax.

[neotigZ]

thanks for the reply and thanks for the help. :) so i went to the site and there is a lot to choose from. my wrt54g is version 6. i don't have a clue as to which to get. dur dur me.

i was thinking the same thing about the cards but i just wanted some extra input. i think ill go for the cheaper one ;)

[Limp_Trizkit]

Use this how-to (http://www.wrtrouters.com/guides/upgradetolinux/) to flash your firmware to DD-WRT, but when it gets to Step 7, download the latest firmware from this URL (http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/release%20candidates/DD-WRT%20v24%20RC5/GENERIC%20BROADCOM%20(Linksys,%20Asus%20etc.)/dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin) instead. The rest of the steps will be the same.

Remember that this is very risky to do, and that you do so at the risk of having to buy a new router. If you have any doubts whatsoever, do not even THINK about it, as a misflash means that the router is next-to-useless (without a JTAG cable). And keep in mind: NEVER, EVER reflash firmware over a wireless connection (not that you'll be able to for the TFTP...)!

[Killdogg5000]

Limp covered it. I used that same guide and it was pretty straight forward. WDS has made my life so much easier. But really be careful a wrong move can mean -$50

I used a linksys USB adapter and it kept dropping connection to the router.

[neotigZ]

WOO HOO!! it worked thanks for the help! there is a lot of stuff but where is the option to increase the range and where can i see about it receiving a signal? i saw something about receiving but it said 0

[neotigZ]

ok so i have no idea what im doin but i found where it has Neighbor's Wireless Networks and i tried to connect to one and it had a signal strength of 34% but when i unhooked my internet and tried to use that it didnt work. there is suppose to be a public wifi around here and i think that was it. there was other ones but they didnt show up all the time. i had a friend that lived near me that had a laptop and she could pick this stuff up. so what am i missing here.