This status page is shown by default when you enter your router’s IP address into your web browser.  Information included on this page is the WAN IP address of your router, the MAC addresses of your LAN, WAN, and Wireless connections, router memory usage, and partial MAC addresses of client users (which have been hidden by default.)

If you are looking to add some extra security to your DD-WRT enabled network, consider password protecting the status page.

How to Password Protect The DD-WRT Status Page

Step 1: Log-in to your DD-WRT enabled router by entering it’s IP address in your web browser (usually http://192.168.1.1).

Step 2: Click on the Administration tab.

Step 3:  Scroll down to the Web Access section.

Step 4: Check the Info Site Password Protect box, as shown below.

Step 5: Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Apply Settings.

Once the settings have been saved, close your web browser, re-open it, and return to your router’s IP address.  You are now presented with a box to enter your router’s username and password.  Entering this information will allow you to login and see your router’s status page.

Do you use the DD-WRT firmware on your router and have any tips for securing your network?  If so, share them in the comments below!

The post DD-WRT: Password Protect Your Status Page To Increase Network Security first appeared on Techerator.

In the previous guide, any devices connected as clients to the wireless router adapter would use Network Address Translation (NAT). (If you’re not up-to-speed on networking terminology, HowStuffWorks has a great explanation of NAT.) While the NAT adds an extra layer of security, it also adds an extra layer of complexity if you need to do any port forwarding to the clients of the wireless router adapter.

In this guide I’ll show you how to use an old wireless router and the same DD-WRT firmware as before to create a wireless bridge between two wireless routers and remove the NAT layer created by the DD-WRT Client Mode.

Configure the Router and Wireless Bridge

Step 1: Start by checking if you router supports a 3rd party firmware. (For this guide, I am using the free DD-WRT firmware).

Step 2: Download and install the firmware according to the instructions for your router model.

Step 3: Once you have the DD-WRT firmware installed on your router, connect an ethernet cable from your computer to a LAN port on the router.

Step 4: Enter the local address of your router, typically http://192.168.1.1, into your browser and log in using the default credentials. The default credentials are usually root for the username and admin for the password.

Step 5: When you are logged into the router, navigate to the Wireless tab and select Wireless Security. Select your current wireless security settings and enter your wireless encryption key that you use to access your wireless network.  Click Apply Settings.

Step 6: Navigate to the Wireless tab and select Basic Settings.  Select Client Bridge from the Wireless Mode drop down.

Step 7: Enter the name of your wireless network into the Wireless Network Name (SSID) box.  Note: This is case-sensitive! Click Apply Settings.

Step 8: Select the Setup tab, select Advanced Routing.  Change the Operating Mode to Router and click Apply Settings.

Step 9: Navigate to the Security tab and select Firewall.  Disable the SPI Firewall by checking the Disable button and clicking Apply Settings at the bottom of the page.

Step 10: Navigate to the Setup tab and select Basic Settings.   Here is where you give your wireless bridge router its new local IP address other than the default.  My main router has an IP address of 192.168.1.1, so I set my wireless bridge router to have an IP address of 192.168.1.2.  Basically make this anything other than your main router IP address or anything that falls within your DHCP pool.

Enter the Gateway and Subnet Mask of your wireless network next. You can find this information under Default Gateway and Subnet Mask by entering ipconfig in the command prompt on a computer already connected to your wireless network.  Click Apply Settings when the settings have been entered.

Step 11: At this point you will lose the connection to the web interface of the wireless bridge router since the IP address has now changed.  If you need to reconnect to the wireless bridge, simply enter the new IP address from Step 10  into your web browser.

Step 12: (optional) Click the Setup tab and select Basic Setup. Under WAN Port, check the box to Assign WAN Port to Switch. This will add the WAN port to the 4 port switch, giving you 5 ports to share the wireless connection.

Once the above steps have been completed, your router with DD-WRT firmware will connect to your wireless network as a client bridge just as if you connected to the same wireless network with a laptop.  Any devices that are connected to the 4/5 port switch has network connectivity and IP information that is handled by your main router, removing the NAT.

The post How To Use A Router as a Wireless Adapter Without NAT first appeared on Techerator.

Using a router as a wireless adapter will not only provide you with wireless connectivity, but will also give you a multiple-port switch to connect your wired devices.  This is a great way to allow multiple devices to have network connectivity without needing a wireless network card for each device.

1. Start by checking if you router supports a 3rd party firmware.  (For this guide, I will be using the free DD-WRT firmware).
2. Download and install the firmware according to the instructions for your router model.
3. Enter http://192.168.1.1 into your browser and login using the default credentials, which is typically a blank username and the password admin.
4. Click Wireless.
5. Change Wireless Mode to Client.
6. In Wireless Network Name (SSID), enter the name of the wireless network you would like the router to connect to.
7. Click Apply Settings.
8. Click Wireless Security (If the wireless network you are connecting to doesn’t have security enabled, you can skip this step.)
9. Select the corresponding Security Mode and enter the network key and click Apply Settings.
10. In the top right corner of the web interface, your router should now get a WAN IP that is provided by the wireless network.
11. Click Setup and then select Basic Setup.
12. Change the Local IP Address of your router to something other than the default, such as 192.168.5.1.  This is done to prevent conflicts with your existing network.
13. Enter the Gateway of your wireless network.  (You can find your Gateway information under Default Gateway by entering ipconfig in the command prompt on a computer already connected to your wireless network.
14. Optional: Click Setup and select Basic Setup.  Under WAN Port, check the box to Assign WAN Port to Switch.  This will add the WAN port to the 4 port switch, giving you 5 ports to share the wireless connection.

Once the above steps have been completed, your router with DD-WRT firmware will be connected to your wireless network as a client just as if you connected to the same wireless network with a laptop.  Any devices that are connected to the 4/5 port switch will now have network connectivity as well.

The post How to Use A Router as a Wireless Adapter first appeared on Techerator.

Recently, users had been mentioning that the Internet was unstable, with frequent reconnecting and low signal strength.  These specific users’ rooms are at the extreme ends of the house, which means that their Internet signal is the weakest.  I increased the Transmit Power of all the routers thinking this would be solution to the problem.  It was not.  As the users kept saying the Internet was unstable, I would increase the transmission power of the router.  I found that the recommended maximum transmission power level is 82 mW.

From Tomato Wikibooks : Transmit Power: Sets the transmit power in milliwatts. High settings may cause nonlinearity in the transmitter causing loss of data, interference to other users and channels, and a high “noise floor”. It may also overheat and shorten the life of the transmitter. Tomato default is 42mW, using 84mW is usually safe.

I had turned the routers up to 80 mW and the problem was still occurring.  Upon some research I found that as the Transmit power levels of the routers increased, so did the radio noise produced by the routers. I decided to turn the routers back down, to a level lower than when I first began to administer the network.  After this change, users noticed an immediate improvement in the quality of their wireless connections.  Everything was (and still is) running stable.  The users are no longer losing Internet connection and are maintaining proper network speeds.

In my personal experience, although the Transmit Power feature of the Tomato firmware may seem to be the answer to wireless coverage or wireless signal strength problems, it is not.  Not only does increasing the wireless transmission power of these routers cause more radio noise, it also reduces the life of the router.  On these routers, the settings were only at 80 mW and I was having problems.  The Tomato firmware allows a maximum setting of 250 mW.  Users with this setting will experience an unstable wireless signal, and will shorten the life of their routers.

Have you experienced any similar problems with your router?  What transmit power level are you using for your router?  What other steps have you taken to increase the signal strength of your router?  Let us know by commenting below.

The post Tomato Firmware: Increased Transmit Power Does More Harm Than Good? first appeared on Techerator.