[MLB-WIRELESS] WRT54G Bulk Buy - cheaper again!

[Ben Grech]

Wow, lots of points discussed today, I don't know where to start so I'm just
throwing it all down as I think of it...

Dimensions - External case excluding antenna and power connectors is 186 x
155 x 49mm. My V1.0 bare circuit board is approx 160 x 145mm.

Voltage - my V1.0 unit runs on 5 volts. Somewhere in the later units Linksys
changed the power circuitry, and started shipping them with 12 volt
supplies. Apparently these later units have an onboard DC-DC converter and
can be fed anything from 5 volts to 15. This is third-hand info though, so
do your research before trying this. You have been warned!

Sensitivity - I planned a Kismet showdown between an Enterasys card and my
WRT54G, but unfortunately the two radios report signal strength and noise
differently. Luckily I was still able to find a winner: while connected to
the stationary 15dBi dish on my roof, the Enterasys was able to pick up 4
networks, while the WRT was able to pickup 6. (For the more hardcore amongst
us, the Enterasys used a 25cm Rojone pigtail which seems to be Tensolite
Mil-C-17/60-RG142, and the WRT used a 50cm CFD200 pigtail.) I haven't done
any calcs, but sensitivity seems to be a few dB in the WRT's favour.

(Oh - yes you can run Kismet on the WRT54G! Info here:
http://toys.lerdorf.com/archives/20_Kismet_on_the_Linksys_WRT54G.html)

VLANS - possible, but difficult from a development point of view. This is
especially true for the v1.x units, because their VLAN config is hard-coded
in the wireless module. Getting these units to a point where the VLAN is
configurable, while maintaining NVRAM compatibility with other firmware, is
not easy. The v2.0 units on the other hand have a user space utility for
VLAN config, so customisation is simpler. NOTE: no official or third party
firmware I know of so far can reset the VLAN configuration in NVRAM. Mess up
and lose contact with your router, and you could be in for a ride trying to
get it back. I've built a firmware that can fix this problem, but just like
most things in life, no guarantees...



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