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DD-WRT, What Will It Do For Me?

C

Carbo

Diamond Member
Just bought a new laptop and a wireless router to go with it. I'm new at this stuff, so bear with me.
The router is a Netgear WNDR3700. I'l be running an older Dell desktop, a new Dell laptop, a Wii console, and Netflix on the network. Never having setup a wireless network before, I was doing some reading and I'm seeing DD-WRT references.
What exactly is this, and is it the performance enhancer they say it is?
 
Generally, it enhances the functionality, not the performance. In fact, DD-WRT is often a negative for performance, as it doesn't seem to maintain the type of link speeds that factory firmware does.

Edit: I should say, that DD-WRT is often much more stable than factory firmware. When I got back from vaca, I rebooted my DD-WRT router. It had an uptime of 250+ days.
 
Last edited:
DD-WRT offers much more in terms of functionality than what is usually provided by factory firmware. For example, on a Linksys WRT54G router, it can only be operated as a router. With DD-WRT, I can use it as a wireless bridge.
 
DD-WRT is firmware. Like changing the OS of your router from Windows XP to Windows 7.

For me, when I used to have a DD-WRT router, it increased the stability of the performance, it was just more consistent than stock firmware.
 
So then the question is whether or not the tradeoff between increased functionality versus decreased performance is worth it?
 
Carbo said:
So then the question is whether or not the tradeoff between increased functionality versus decreased performance is worth it?
Click to expand...

I haven't had any decrease in functionality. It's also allowed me to boost the signal strength to higher levels than the factory firmware allows, so I can get a signal to the back room where I set up another DD-WRT router as a bridge for the wired devices back there. I've also adjusted the max open ports and timeouts to be much more usable with p2p, the factory firmware would end up choking up requiring a modem reset occasionally.
 
I actually saw an increase in performance when I did my E3000. I don't know why a performance hit is being suggested here. I now have two wireless routers running the software and have not had to reboot ever. Very stable. Very recommended. Follow the directions carefully and exactly. Do not take short cuts.
 
JackMDS said:
It is Not like there is an 11th commandment about flashing with DD-WRT.🙄

It is simple. 🙂

You look at the additional features.

You need some of them you flash.

You do not need. You leave the Devices alone.

These are DD-WRT Features. Compare them to the Data Sheet of your Wireless Router.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/What_is_DD-WRT?#Features


😎
Click to expand...

this ^

I see too many people flash for no good reason. If you don't leave the features, leave it at stock.
 
DDWRT had it's time, but isn't as needed now. Companies are equipping better firmware on their routers (many run linux now), so the primary benefit is the extra features. The most likely one you would need is extending wireless functionality beyond the reach of a single router, or creating a wireless to ethernet bridge.
Cheap routers may still see a good benefit, but more expensive routers generally have good range and performance already.
 
Avoid DD-WRT on new hardware AT ALL COSTS. Some feature is ALWAYS broken on it. Flashing to a newer version will fix one thing and break another. Long standing bugs go ignored and never fixed.

In short, it's pure garbage.
 
jaiello said:
I actually saw an increase in performance when I did my E3000. I don't know why a performance hit is being suggested here. I now have two wireless routers running the software and have not had to reboot ever. Very stable. Very recommended. Follow the directions carefully and exactly. Do not take short cuts.
Click to expand...

It's pretty well known that DD-WRT does not perform well.

Check out this review:

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...ormance-netgear-wnr3500l-with-dd-wrt-reviewed

DD-WRT has its uses, but being a performance router isn't one of them.
 
LOL. I like the 21st century American approach of young and upcoming.

Do not think, you will get tired, and your brain might explode. 😳

Life entails only two polarized approach. :colbert:

You either am an AMD fanboy, and every thing else is "Garbage".

Or may be it is Intel, and everything else is "Garbage".

You are an ATI fanboy, and everything else is "Garbage"..

Or may be it is nVidia, and everything else is "Garbage".

DD-WRT always rule, or it is garbage.

G_d forbid that there might be an in-between, and one has to learn the variables and choose what is right in his situation. :twisted:


😎
 
JackMDS said:
LOL. I like the 21st century American approach of young and upcoming.

Do not think, you will get tired, and your brain might explode. 😳

Life entails only two polarized approach. :colbert:

You either am an AMD fanboy, and every thing else is "Garbage".

Or may be it is Intel, and everything else is "Garbage".

You are an ATI fanboy, and everything else is "Garbage"..

Or may be it is nVidia, and everything else is "Garbage".

DD-WRT always rule, or it is garbage.

G_d forbid that there might be an in-between, and one has to learn the variables and choose what is right in his situation. :twisted:


😎
Click to expand...

I prefer Tomato. :whiste:
 
mosco said:
It's pretty well known that DD-WRT does not perform well.

Check out this review:

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...ormance-netgear-wnr3500l-with-dd-wrt-reviewed

DD-WRT has its uses, but being a performance router isn't one of them.
Click to expand...

So basically you are saying that you read it therefor it's true. Have you used DD-WRT? Probably not. I use it every day. I am running it on two Linksys routers in my home. I saw an increase in wireless speed vs. the stock firmware and the stability is excellent. Before you critize something shouldn't you at least try it?
 
jaiello said:
So basically you are saying that you read it therefor it's true. Have you used DD-WRT? Probably not. I use it every day. I am running it on two Linksys routers in my home. I saw an increase in wireless speed vs. the stock firmware and the stability is excellent. Before you critize something shouldn't you at least try it?
Click to expand...

I actually used it up until a week ago on a netgear WNDR3300 as a client bridge and have used it in the past on my main router.

Posting that article was just the easiest way to show an example of how bad performance is. The other downside is that the WNDR doesn't support recent k26 builds since they dropped support for its broadcom CPU and the k26 builds offer better performance.

You can even read the dd-wrt forums and people there admit that performance isn't that great, its more about features.
 
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