Most people are content to just get their ADSL or Wireless router, plug it into the phone jack and their PC and then start surfing. Then there are those people who like to "enhance" the hardware they just shelled out for.  I am pretty much like the first group when it comes to something like my car. I just want the thing to start and get me from A to B. I don't much care how it works internally. 

Improve performance, security and add features by controlling your router firmware!

When it comes to IT then I am more like the first group. I am happiest when I am squeezing every last bit of performance out of what I got. Other reasons for having control of your own firmware is security. Most people rely on their router as their first and last line of defense against hackers, freeloaders and other malcontents. When was the last time your hardware provider released an update for their firmware? After two or three years they stop supporting the firmware and you just have to rely on faith and luck for not getting hacked.

Use open source for your firmware

If you are interested in having control over the firmware of your ADSL/Wirless router then you should take a look at the OpenWrt and DD-WRT. If you are keen to try out the cornucopia of extra services and enhancements thats possible with your router and OpenWRT or DDT-WRT it is vital that you have compatible hardware to start with. The list of compatible hardware for OpenWrt can be found here and for DD-WRT it can be found here.

A model that is quiet commonly available now is the WRT-54G wireless router. I have seen it at Hifi corp and Dions. Of course we stock it as well. We just need to get it onto the web site. This  is a wireless router and will need an ADSL router as its uplink to connect to the net. Make sure you download the correct firmware version you need before you flash your device. Using the incorrect firmware could brick your hardware so this is not without risk. But then thats what makes it fun! 

New users usually find it quiet confusing to find the correct version of the firmware needed for their device. The best thing to do is read the README.txt , about the bottom of the first page and top of the second, and the hardware compatibility list and find the platform that your router has.The hardware compatibility list will tell you the platform of your device based on the manufacturer and model.

For example for the WRT54G uses the Broadcom 4710 @ 125MHz chip, Looking at the readme this is the brcm-2.4 or brcm47xx-2.6 platform. We chose the brcm47xx-2.6 as it uses a later kernel than the brcm-2.4 version.
Then you go to the downloads section, Go to Kamakazi, this is the code name for the latest stable version of the firmware, and then release 7.09, here there is a list of folders for each platform, find the folder for your platform you want and the the correct binary for your router model. I know this might sound complicated but once you understand how it works its easy to find what you are looking for.

Once you have this you can upgrade your firmware using the built in upgrade functionality of the router. The rest of the process is pretty well documented here.

So why are you waiting? Get control of your router now.