Technology does not stand still. And I, as a lover of everything new, of course, try to keep up with progress. The TP-Link TL-WR1043ND router served me flawlessly for several years, and I didn’t really have any complaints about it. But with the purchase of, albeit not the “Coolest”, but still a 2-band router TP-Link TL-WDR4300, the old man TP-Link TL-WR1043ND had to go on the shelf.

Having read about alternative firmware, I decided to experiment with the old TP-Link TL-WR1043ND to make it simplest HTTP file server with possible access to it via an internal network and the Internet. In fact, it also turned out to be a Samba server.

For ease of management, I did not use the Wan port of the “Experimental” router. Connected via Lan port. And in this case, I didn’t have to set up the Internet, firewall, or forward ports. All this is configured on the main router. And the “Experimental” router again became a quiet and silent workhorse. The articles will nevertheless discuss all the nuances, in case you decide to flash your only router in the house.

This series of articles will cover the entire process of flashing a router with alternative OpenWRT firmware, its Russification, setting up booting from external media, be it external USB hard disk or Flash. Installation and configuration of the HTTP file server itself, its few settings, as well as for the convenience of file administration - installation of Samba servers.

The examples will show all the nuances and not entirely clear points that I once encountered. Will be described in simple language, perhaps, somewhere in too much detail, so the articles are intended rather for beginners, whose hands are probably shaking from uncertainty, but want to try...

About the hardware and software used

Operating system Windows7x64 Maximum

Installed programs in Windows environment: Acronis Disk Director, PuTTY , WinSCP

Router for connecting to the Internet via optical cable - HUAWEI EchoLife HG8245

The main router, which manages the network, distributes IP addresses, etc. - TP-Link TL-WDR4300 (4x1000Base-T + 802.11n (300+450 Mbit/s) + 1xWAN + 2xUSB 2.0, dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz)

Test router for flashing alternative OpenWRT firmware - TP-Link TL-WR1043ND revision v.1.8 (4x1000Base-T + 802.11n up to 300Mbit/s + 1xWAN + 1xUSB 2.0, Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz)

Small in size and very convenient for our case, the Kingston 8 Gb DataTraveler Micro flash drive

What is the final device connection diagram?

Why is it so difficult, you ask? The answer is simple - this is not a complicated scheme at all, and most importantly, I wanted it that way.

See for yourself, HUAWEI EchoLife HG8245 does not have Wi-Fi at 5 GHz, the same can be said about the “Experimental” TP-Link TL-WR1043ND.

Secondly, I’m quite happy with it so far official firmware on the main router from TP-Link TL-WDR4300, although I’m already thinking about flashing it with alternative firmware.

Well, thirdly, I organized what I wanted - access to HTTP file server when the computer is turned off, constant access to the Internet of computers home network in the amount of 3 pieces and at the same time the opportunity to experiment with the “Experimental” router.

Manufacturer network routers TP-Link has begun to prohibit firmware updates on its products. The restrictions apply to WiFi-enabled routers operating at frequencies in the 5 GHz region. The manufacturer operates in accordance with the new rules of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which came into force in November last year.

William Lumpkins, a specialist from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), argues that these intentions are primarily aimed at ensuring safety. According to him, playing with the radio module can negatively affect the operation of a number of devices - from radars to medical devices such as pacemakers and automatic insulin dispensers.

Custom router firmware, like the popular OpenWRT or DD-WRT, is capable, according to Lumpkins, of changing the router’s operating modes, which can lead to unpleasant consequences - even creating a jammer that can clog the airwaves within a radius of several hundred meters.

And, although it is common practice for the FCC to regulate such parameters, it is strange that in its recommendations one of the firmwares is mentioned by name - this is DD-WRT. This is a free firmware for Linux based, working on various routers.

As a result, the FCC does not seem to prohibit manufacturers from allowing the installation of custom firmware, and users from installing them. But it is much easier for manufacturers to comply with the commission's requirements for protecting the radio module by simply disabling the ability to install firmware, rather than spending money on trying to safely isolate this module from access third party firmware.

Naturally, manufacturers follow the path that turns out to be simpler and cheaper. In particular, recently one of the buyers of a new router received “error 18005” when trying to update the firmware. Having contacted technical support for clarification, he received an answer: quite a large number of new router models already have restrictions on firmware updates.

All future models will also come with this limitation. According to TP-Link technical support, there are no ways to remove the restriction. These restrictions apply only to routers operating at 5 GHz frequencies.

We should expect that other popular router manufacturers will soon follow TP-Link's lead, and the era of open firmware with additional features will gradually end. Enthusiasts may try to produce “free” hardware without such restrictions, but this hobby will lose its mass character.

Routers lose their native firmware for various reasons. The desire to add functionality, solder a USB port, or simply add stability to the operation of the router.

In my case, the router on the latest stable native firmware with 3 WiFi and 2 Ethernet consumers froze 4 times a week. It's not very scary, but it's also annoying to reboot. I wanted stability. After searching and reading reviews, the choice fell on OpenWRT. The article has already presented step-by-step instruction without the mistakes I had to go through.

Step 1, flash to the latest official firmware

The first thing to do is update and install the latest native firmware.
you can find the latest firmware for TL-WR741ND, for the corresponding hardware version.

• Turn the router over and check the version of the hardware in it using the sticker on the case.
• Download the archive from latest firmware.
• Flash the router with firmware from the archive in the usual way. System Tools -> Backup & Restore (System Tools -> Firmware Upgrade).

Step 2, download and install OPENWRT

Next, you need to select the OpenWRT firmware version.

You should use the exact file that matches the hardware version of your model. Don't neglect this rule! There are two file system options for booting: JFFS2 and SquashFS.

Before continuing with the description of the assembly, I’ll dwell a little on how the OpenWRT root file system is structured. It is a mini_fo filesystem that transparently combines two other filesystems: the immutable SquashFS mounted on /rom and the mutable JFFS2 mounted on /overlay. All files that are created or modified after installing the firmware are located in /overlay. When deleting files that were originally in the firmware, mini_fo simply marks them as deleted, while the files themselves remain in /rom and continue to take up space. Both SquashFS and JFFS2 use compression, but SquashFS gives better compression ratio, so putting all required packages Immediately in /rom it gives smaller firmware. Excluding unnecessary packages from the firmware also allows you to save precious space on the flash drive.

The word factory in the file name means that you must upload such a file to your device on top of the factory (native) firmware. a file with the word sysupgrade is only applicable for upgrading OpenWRT, i.e. uploaded after factory firmware.

We have native firmware, which means we need to install firmware with the factory tag.

Below is one firmware with different hardware versions of the device, select the one to which your router belongs, in order to determine the version, see Step 1:

Download the factory firmware and sew in the usual way. System Tools -> Backup & Restore (System Tools -> Firmware Upgrade).

Step 3, enter the WEB firmware interface

After successful firmware installation, we receive a working router with the web interface enabled. Therefore, we go to the firmware settings through the browser. Further actions are:

Enter the router address in the address bar 192.168.1.1

Press the key Enter and the router web interface appears. We will see what we were asked to enter Username and Password. In Username we enter root, leave the Password field empty. Click Login.


This is where the firmware is completed, you are in the web interface of the Openwrt firmware.

Step 4, set up an Internet connection

Click on Network -> Interfaces -> Wan -> Edit

We select the protocol we need, in my case it is PPPoE. Enter your internet login into the line PAP/CHAP username, and the password is in PAP/CHAP password. Click Save & Apply.

Let's go back to Interfaces, by clicking on this section, select the line WAN and press connect. The Internet is configured.

Step 5, set up a Wi-Fi connection

It is configured in almost the same way as an Internet connection, so I’ll tell you briefly.
Let's go to the section Network ->Wifi -> edit(if any) or Add(if not created). In chapter General Setup change ESSID, this is the name of your network, then go to Wireless Security. In line Encryption choose WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK Mixed Mode. In line Key write the password from wi-fi networks. Click Save & Apply.


Returning to the section Wifi and press connect. Wi-fi is set up.

Step 6, Russify the firmware

In order to Russify the firmware we need to go to the section System -> Software-> and click on the button Update List.

After this, click on Available Packages, select a section L. We find a file named " luci-i18n-russian"press the button Install. When asked if you agree, click OK.

The language pack has been downloaded, now you need to apply it. Open the section System -> Language and Style-> Language -> Russian. After this, press the button Save & Apply.

Refresh the page (press on the keyboard F5) and see the Russian interface.

Step 7, set a password for the router

Go to the section System -> Control. Install Router password. Click save and apply.

Step 8, final stage

-> Reboot.

Hello again. I hope you liked the updated Part I of the article, dedicated to the ASUS RT-N13U and TP-Link TL-WR1043ND routers, as well as their accompanying Wi-Fi adapters from the same companies. We promised to tell you about using alternative firmware for them, and we will keep that promise.

But as you may remember, the results of speed tests for both wired and Wi-Fi connections showed that the TP-Link router is slightly faster than its more expensive counterpart from ASUS. Of course, this state of affairs could not suit the Taiwanese company, so the test laboratory almost immediately received at its disposal a router that was supposed to surpass its competitor. Therefore, before moving on to the study of working with alternative firmware, as well as overclocking routers, we would like to review one more device.

Packaging and equipment

ASUS sent us the ASUS RT-N16 router for testing. It is equipped with an impressive set of functions, as well as truly powerful hardware. But first things first.

Just like its younger brother RT-N13U, the router comes in a large box decorated in blue colors. At first glance, you can see that the theoretical throughput of an 802.11n wireless network using MIMO technology can be 7 times higher than using 802.11g technology. Informative...

The box additionally notes the router’s ability to work with media formatted file system NTFS and also finally availability of ports Gigabit Ethernet.

The equipment is standard, but it should be enough to get started:

In addition to the router, you will find in the kit:

• Ethernet cable;
• Power unit;
• Warranty booklet;
• Instructions;
• Disk with software.

The instructions pleased me with their thickness. However, you shouldn’t look into it after using the RT-N13U - the standard router setup interface from ASUS is very convenient and simple.

Appearance

The newcomer looks standard, and this is more of a plus than a minus. I would like to note the good build quality, as well as the horizontal layout.

I liked the design from TP-Link better; the combination of black and white looks stylish and not as ordinary as a completely beige case. But this is a matter of taste and will not affect the rating.

Set of connectors on the rear wall:

Here is the first pleasant surprise: finally, the bright minds from ASUS came up with a wonderful idea - if we are going to make a router with the ability to use it as a file and a print server, then why not equip it with two USB ports? Excellent and convenient, although I note that the other two routers can use USB hubs. With the exception of two USB ports, we see three antennas and four Gigabit Ethernet ports - all standard, but enough to provide acceptable functionality.

Design Features

Judging by one of the inscriptions on the box, the device from ASUS is filled with productive hardware. Let's open it to make sure:

The device is based on a chipset from Broadcom. His characteristics are truly serious and command respect. It uses a Broadcom 4718A processor, which has operating frequency at 533 MHz, but ASUS engineers lowered it to 480 MHz. Also soldered are two memory chips from Samsung, 64 MB each (K4T51163QG-HCE6), giving a total of 128 MB. Excellent performance for a router. The amount of flash memory used is 32 MB and should be enough for any mockery of the firmware. The RT-N16 also uses a Gigabit Ethernet controller from Broadcom labeled BCM53115SKFBG.

We have again brought together the characteristics of competitors for a visual comparison, but this time instead of the RT-N13U we are honored to present ASUS company belongs to his “big brother”:

	ASUS RT-N16	TP-Link TL-WR1043ND
Iron	CPU: Broadcom 4718A 480 MHz RAM: 128 MB (2 x 64 MB) ROM: 32 MB	CPU: Atheros AR9132 400 MHz RAM: 32 MB (2 x 16 MB) ROM: 8 MB
Communication ports	1 WAN and 4 LAN	1 WAN and 4 LAN
Port type	10/100/1000 Mbit/s LAN/WAN	10/100/1000 Mbit/s LAN/WAN
Wireless communications		Supports 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n, supports MIMO technology
Antenna type	Three external antennas	Three external antennas
Encryption support	WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPS (called EZ-WPS here)	WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPS (called QSS here)
Receiver sensitivity	-75dBm @ 54 Mbps	-68dBm @ 54 Mbps -85dBm @ 11 Mbps -90dBm @ 1Mbps
Transmitter power	15.8~19.5 dBm	20 dBm
Periphery	2 USB port, with the ability to organize a print and file server	USB, with the ability to organize print ( only after flashing) and file server
UPnP and IPTV Multicasting support	Yes	Yes
Safety		Filter by MAC address, built-in Firewall
Ability to install third-party firmware	Yes, DD-WRT	Yes, DD-WRT

This time, when comparing characteristics, I would give preference to the router from ASUS. Its advantages include a more powerful processor, more random access memory and space for firmware, as well as the presence of two USB ports and the ability to organize a print server with native firmware. Not bad at all. It will be all the more interesting to look at the test results.

By the way, the standard interface of the ASUS RT-N16 router is a complete copy of the RT-N13U interface. Therefore, for those who want to appreciate all the beauty, simplicity and functionality of the interface from ASUS, we recommend turning to the first part of the article, where all its praises have already been sung. I would just like to point out that for some reason the standard firmware pages load very slowly. Even through trial and error and using different browsers, we were unable to achieve fast loading router settings pages.

Testing methodology and test stand

In the second part of the review, the TP-Link adapter from the previous part and a regular PC with built-in network card, having the following characteristics:

• Motherboard: ASUS M4A79 Deluxe, BIOS version 2708;
• Central processor: AMD Phenom II X4 940BE, Socket AM2+, 3.0 GHz in stock, 1.4 V;
• RAM: 8 GB (2 GB x 4) OCZ OCZ2P10662G, DDR2 PC8500 (1066 MHz) DIMM CL5 5-5-5-15-26-2T (2.1 V);
• Cooling system: Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX, 1200 rpm;
• Thermal interface: KPT-8;
• Video card: Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 Vapor-X 1 GB;
• Hard drive: Seagate ST3750330AS (750 GB);
• Power supply: COOLER MASTER Silent Pro 600 W;
• Case: Thermaltake Xaser V.

It was previously noted that with the tariffs of our providers, Internet speed is not limited by the performance of WAN routers. Therefore, testing in the second part was carried out only on the local network. The speed of the wired and demon wired connection routers when using standard firmware and with the latest DD-WRT firmware (at the time of writing - version r15747).

All standard firmwares have been updated to the latest versions from the manufacturer's website.

Using alternative firmware

I am sure that many people are interested in the issue of using alternative firmware on home routers. With the proper skill and care in reading manuals, you can purchase a router with almost unlimited functionality. As a site specializing in overclocking, we couldn’t ignore these firmwares also because they allow you to overclock the router’s hardware. By the way, we also have to find out whether this is necessary or not.

The most commonly used firmware is DD-WRT, which, however, does not prevent you from using programs for the second most common, OpenWRT. DD-WRT is free firmware, based on Linux kernel, successfully developed by a huge community. The main hangout is the forum and wiki. This firmware has a convenient and extremely functional web interface, although I will immediately warn you that some modifications will require using the command line via telnet. Numerous add-ons are easy to install, so everyone can customize it to their own taste.

Below are two mini-reviews on installing the firmware, installing an add-on in the form of a print server on it, as well as instructions on how to return to standard firmware.

Please note that all modifications, incl. software, you do it at your own risk and neither the site editors nor the manufacturing company is responsible for your incorrect actions.

Installing DD-WRT on ASUS RT-N16 and RT-N13U

Let's start with today's newcomer and his “little brother”.

In order to update to DD-WRT, you need to put the router into firmware recovery mode. Before this, you need to prepare - connect a single computer to it via LAN, pull out everything USB devices from the router. We register the network address on the computer 192.168.1.2 and gateway address 192.168.1.1 , although, if this router previously automatically assigned an IP address to your computer, you don’t have to do this. Install the supplied software from the router disk. Next, you need to turn off the router, then use a pen or other thin object to press the black “Reset” button and plug in the power cable while continuing to hold the same button. At the same time, the power indicator on the front panel of the router starts blinking. After this, launch the Firmware Restoration program from the ASUS Utility folder, having first completely turned off all firewalls, incl. built into Windows. Next, you need to “slip” into the program a file with initial firmware created specifically for updating from the standard one. You can download it

oh from here. Enter the name of the router and download the firmware. For RT-N16 it will be dd-wrt.v24-14896_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini_RT-N16 , and for RT-N13U - asus-to-ddwrt . The flashing process will begin.

Installing DD-WRT on TP-Link TL-WR1043ND

With a competitor from TP-Link, everything is somewhat simpler - download the firmware from here. The file name will be factory-to-ddwrt . After downloading, go to the web interface to the Firmware update page and update using the downloaded file.

Working with firmware

After the process is completed, for any router you should wait a few minutes, after which you need to start telnet and connect to the router with the latest firmware ( o 192.168.1.1 ). IN command line enter your login root and password admin . Next, enter the command to clear the router’s memory - mtd -r erase nvram and then reboot to reboot. That's it, the firmware is completed, you can go to the web interface. When you first launch, you will be asked to enter a new username and password. Remember, when you further connect to the router via telnet, no matter what user name you enter, it will be correct root . However, you must use a new password.

Don't rush to play with the new firmware and configure it. First, you need to update to the latest version, because the version downloaded from the site is stable, but far from the most functional. Restart your browser and go to the router configuration page again, enter new login and password, and then go to settings – Administration – Firmware Upgrade.

The latest firmware version can be downloaded from here. We go to the site, then go to the folder with the latest firmware versions (at the time of writing this review it was 11-17-10-r15747 ). Next, you need to select the hardware that matches your router. If everything is simple with ASUS RT-N13U and TP-Link routers, then the RT-N16 router is hidden under a fancy abbreviation broadcom_K26 . After downloading, update the router from DD-WRT using the file with the new firmware. Don't forget to set the option to clear settings after

flashing.

After this simple procedure, we set the login and password again, close and open the browser again, enter the new login and password again, and now the router is ready for use.

Brief overview of DD-WRT capabilities

Just as it is impossible to embrace the immensity, it is not possible to write about all the functions of an alternative DD-WRT firmware. But we will still try to give you general idea about the functionality of this firmware. When you log into the router’s web interface, without even entering your login and password, you are taken to a page with information.

After entering your login and password, you can configure all the necessary parameters for accessing the Internet on the “Setup” tab. DD-WRT supports all types of connections, however, routing to use the provider’s regional networks will need to be configured manually in the “Advanced Routing” tab.

and in the tab for setting up wireless networks, only the most necessary options are also available; we are most interested in the “Advanced Settings” section, which contains settings that cannot be found in standard firmware.

The list of them is really extensive:

Among the settings that most strongly influence the speed, it is worth noting the transmitter power (TX Power), Frame Burst technology and WMM Support.

Let's move on to the best part - in the additional services tab, you can enable various plugins, which there is no need to list. Here you can also configure the operation of the DHCP server.

Unlike standard firmware, routers have DD-WRT control can act not only as VPN clients, but also as servers.

In the USB tab, you need to set all switches to the “Enable” position, then you can use the services of a file and print server.

After setting the mount options USB drives you can also configure “sharing” of drives via the SMB and FTP protocols. Both work flawlessly.

The “Hotspot” tab can be used by those who want to deploy Wi-Fi in a public place. Many options available:

In the “Security” tab, in addition to standard filtering options DoS attacks and firewall, it is also possible to enable filtering of various active objects, which will have a positive effect on both traffic and computer security.

Also in the DD-WRT firmware you can very flexibly configure filtering of access to various resources or protocols.

A standard feature of all routers, port forwarding is also available, and entire ranges of ports can be forwarded. Everything is built with maximum flexibility in mind, which is good news.

For normal operation print server, you must enable “JFFS2 support” in the settings, and also, if desired, enable file system cleaning.

After all the manipulations performed, to enable the print server, just copy the following commands into the “Commands” line and click “Save Startup”. sleep 4

mkdir -m 755 -p /dev/usb

mknod -m 660 /dev/usb/lp0 c 180 0

/usr/sbin/p910nd -f /dev/usb/lp0 0

Reboot the router after connecting the printer to it. Now you can use the printer by adding it using the router’s IP address, port 9100, RAW protocol and installing the appropriate drivers. For Mac OS X, you must use the Gutenprint drivers and the HP Jetdirect Socket protocol.

On the information page you can estimate the amount of free RAM, and in the Bandwidth tabs you can admire beautiful Flash graphs of network usage.

If you look closely at the previous screenshot, you will see that the processor used in the RT-N16 does not run on standard frequency at 480 MHz, and at a frequency of 532 MHz.

Overclocking ASUS RT-N16

This was achieved thanks to simple overclocking, which, unfortunately, is only available for rare sets system logic. We kindly ask you not to overdo it with overclocking, because... there is a possibility of turning the router into a beautiful plastic brick. Don't forget about additional cooling, because... Even in stock mode, the RT-N16 has a fairly hot temper. It might make sense to think about installing a fan. This is especially true if you increase the transmitter power (from the standard 17 mW this can be done up to 251 mW). However, during our testing, no problems arose due to overclocking the router to frequencies of 532 MHz for the processor and 266 MHz for the memory. To overclock, you need to type three commands by connecting to the router via telnet: nvram set clkfreq=532,266

Rollback to native firmware

For ASUS RT-N16, there is a simple process of rolling back to the native firmware: you just need to go to the DD-WRT interface and update to the native firmware via standard Firmware Update. With its “younger brother” everything is just as simple - just repeat the instructions for entering it into recovery mode and then restore the standard firmware. With a router from TP-Link, everything is somewhat more complicated - you need to download the modified firmware and copy it to USB storage. After this, make sure that the media is mounted (all settings related to USB in DD-WRT must be enabled) and go to telnet. Next you need to run one command: mtd -e linux -r write /mnt/ linux . Instead of the firmware name, substitute the name of the downloaded file. After a while, letters changing each other will appear and then the router will restart. Do not forget to update the standard firmware after this.

Performance testing

Wi-Fi and Ethernet throughput

Let's move on to the tests. Given the many options for the development of events, we were very interested to find out whether routers on alternative firmware could be faster than their standard counterparts, as well as how overclocking the RT-N16 would affect its performance. However, we had no special illusions.

Let's look at the speed of routers when using Wi-Fi.

The router from TP-Link still holds the lead in our testing. A miracle did not happen and its competitor from ASUS stubbornly refuses to learn from the mistakes of its younger brother. Obviously, it uses only two antennas out of three. This is also evidenced by the DD-WRT interface, which sees only two antennas (Left&Right). Otherwise, the results are also not the most pleasant. When using the DD-WRT firmware, the Wi-Fi connection speed drops quite significantly, and the drop is observed for all devices. Apparently, this is due to the insufficiently smooth operation of this firmware with the 802.11n standard when high speeds. Let's hope this gets fixed soon.

Now let’s evaluate the speed of routers over a wired connection.

The results of this test were exactly the opposite. The ASUS device is noticeably faster than its competitor from TP-Link when connected via cable. While overclocking the ASUS router had virtually no effect on its speed, the DD-WRT firmware turned out to be faster than the standard one. We did not list the speed of less than 100 Mbit/s of the RT-N13U router, because... she would be humiliatingly small among these monsters.

Utilities from ASUS

Before concluding, I would like to dwell on the quality of the utilities from the Taiwanese company included with the router. There are five of them: Device Discovery, Download Master, Firmware Restoration, WPS Wizard, as well as a proprietary utility for working with the printer. When installing Download Master, without asking, it takes over the .torrent extension, which, in the laboratory’s humble opinion, is unheard of impudence. Firmware Restoration refuses to work without complete shutdown windows Firewall, which apparently is due to some religious reasons. And the printer driver installer refuses to work over a wireless network:

Is this probably how it should be?

All this does not have the best effect on the company’s image, because the interface of their routers, unless, of course, it slows down when loading, as is the case with the RT-N16, is an excellent role model and evokes extremely warm feelings in the laboratory.

Conclusion

Before drawing final conclusions, I suggest you think about one more side of the issue. The ASUS RT-N16 router in Moscow retail costs more than 4400 rub. A router from TP-Link costs 2,000 rubles, or almost half the price, from 2300 rub.! At the same time, the performance of the wireless subsystem of the ASUS router is frankly weaker than that of its competitor. Only in Ethernet testing ASUS connections rushes forward.

Are you ready to pay almost twice as much for a gain in wired connection speed, or for a faster processor that heats up your router more, or for more RAM? Decide for yourself, and in the second part of our testing we again give victory to the router from TP-Link.

Thank you for attention.

Always yours, open to suggestions, Iliapan

We express our gratitude to:

• ASUS for providing the ASUS RT-N13U and ASUS RT-N16 routers for testing;
• TP-Link for providing the TP-Link TL-WR1043ND router and the TP-Link TL-WN821N Wi-Fi adapter for testing.

By chance, the Tp-Link WR-841ND wireless router fell into my hands. I have long wanted to test a router with the ability to install alternative firmware for speed and complexity of setup. Many people praise DD-WRT, but at the same time, I often see topics on the Internet “how to return factory firmware».

So, by tradition, a brief description of the device. There was no box, so there will be no photos of the printing.

The router body is made of white plastic and has a nice futuristic design. Along the perimeter of the upper part of the case there are hidden slots for ventilation of the device.

I was very pleased with the antennas. They look impressive and have a gain of 5 dBi. Moreover, they are removable, which can be useful (unlike the WR-841N model).

The bottom of the case also has many holes for air circulation.

Hardware revision of the router 8.1.

Overall, the router made a good impression. Appearance like a flying saucer, solid antennas, good ventilation case (probably for cooling powerful filling). On such a device, the Internet should surf the vastness of the Universe, just fly.

Personally, I'm in this moment I use a Dlink DIR-300 router (rev. D1). Which has only one internal antenna with a gain of 3.75 dBi. This is a good reason to compare devices from different manufacturers, especially since they are both inexpensive devices for the home.

Specifications

The router is built on the Atheros AR9341 rev 1.1 chipset, operating at a frequency of 535 MHz. The router has 32 MB of RAM and 4 MB of flash memory on board. Has 2 antennas with a gain of 5 dBi. The maximum declared speed is 300 Mbit/s.

The second participant in the Dlink DIR-300 D1 tests is built on a Realtek RTL8196E chip with a frequency of 400 MHz. There is also 32 MB of RAM and 4 MB of flash memory on board. The maximum declared speed is 150 Mbit/s.

Test conditions

Connection to the Internet was carried out using the PPPoE protocol on maximum speed 100 Mbps. Wireless connection carried out according to the 802.11n standard, wireless network was protected by WPA2-PSK/AES.

Testing was carried out on a laptop with wireless adapter 802.11n standard on Realtek RTL8188CE chip. In some tests, a computer with a TP-Link TL-WN727N wifi adapter, which also supports the 802.11n standard, was used as a second wireless device.

The test was carried out in a typical panel high-rise building with many wireless devices. Scanning networks using the Acrylic WiFi Home program showed the presence of 20-30 networks in the 2.4 GHz range.

Firmware used

Firmware dated February 28, 2014 was used as standard firmware. This is the most latest version standard software.

Also, since this router model supports DD-WRT, it was decided to flash it and see what comes of it. I will briefly describe the firmware process, especially since it is indecently simple.

Download files from dd-wrt.com factory-to-ddwrt.bin And tl-wr841nd-webflash.bin(the files are located )

We connect the router to the computer using a patch cord. Through the browser (192.168.0.1), go to the router menu under System Tools → Firmware Upgrade and insert the first file into the program (factory-to-ddwrt.bin). Click Upgrade.

When the loading indicator reaches the end you will need to address bar register new address 192.168.1.1. We went to DD-WRT. Next, go to the Administration → Firmware Upgrade menu and feed the router the second part of the firmware (tl-wr841nd-webflash.bin). After the download is complete, you can start working.

Setting up the router is similar to any other router:

• Internet connection: Setup - Basic Setup - WAN Setup. To avoid packet fragmentation, you can set the MTU in accordance with the provider settings. My provider has MTU=1480 (default MTU=1492).
• setting up wi-fi: Wireless - Basic Settings.
• security settings: Wireless - Wireless Security.

By the way, if for some reason you want to return the factory firmware, then this will be just as easy. Just download the file wr841nv8_webrevert.bin from the website dd-wrt.com and flash the device via the web interface (here is a link  to the relevant topic).

Testing data transmission within the network

Testing the data transfer speed between a computer and a laptop using the iperf utility showed the following results.

As you can see, the router does a good job of routing traffic between local clients. In particular, the speed between the router and the wireless client rose to 90 Mbit/s, which is quite good.

The tests did not show much difference between the firmwares. The only thing is that DD-WRT coped somewhat better with multi-threaded data transfer.

Testing work with PPPoE

Testing the Internet connection using the PPPoE protocol using the speedtest.net service and downloading torrents showed the following results.

Speed ​​measurements using speedtest showed noticeably top scores on DD-WRT firmware when connected via wi-fi. The speed of downloading torrents has also increased noticeably.

Noteworthy is the noticeable reduction in ping, especially under difficult reception conditions.

It should be noted that the speed measurement was carried out with the number of peers limited to 50, because a large number of peers can lead to slower download speeds.

Test D-link Dir-300 D1

The data transfer speeds within the local network for this router can be viewed in this . Its speeds were noticeably lower than those of TP-Link. Let's see how this will affect working with the Internet via PPPoE.

The operating speed of D-Link was approximately at the level of TP-Link with stock firmware. Overall, this is not bad considering the weaker antenna. It definitely makes sense to switch to TP-Link, but you must change the firmware.

Additional modes. Repeater.

DD-WRT has many settings, but personally I was interested in how well the router would cope with the repeater function.

The stock firmware has WDS (Wireless Distribution System) mode, which allows you to combine several routers into one network. According to information from the Tp-Link forum this function works only with routers of the same company. I couldn't get it to work with another router.

Setting up the necessary parameters in DD-WRT is not obvious, but after a short dance with tambourines, everything worked as it should (with some reservations, you can use this instruction from Habr).

So, for the purpose of experimentation, I stuck basic router to the farthest corner of the pantry. At the same time, to weaken the signal, it had to be put into a large stainless steel pan from Zepter (not an advertisement) and covered with a lid. :)

The repeater was installed in the next room, and the receiver was installed across 2 walls from it.

Signal level:
Dlink DIR-300 (basic) - 70 dBm
TP-Link WR841ND (repeater) - 57 dBm

The difference in signal power is more than 10 times. Let's run the test.

The indicators are quite good, the speed increase is approximately 2.5 times.
I also note that the DD-WRT firmware has its own WDS mode.

Additional modes. Access point.

Router functions such as support for PPPoE connections and NAT create a certain load on the router processor. Let's see if the router becomes faster if you disable them. To do this, we need to turn our router into a simpler device - an access point.

I was not able to do this using standard firmware (perhaps due to my lack of directness), but with DD-WRT everything went relatively smoothly. Here at this link  you can see options for setting up DD-WRT for different tasks: repeater, bridge, access point, switch.

In access point mode, the router does not distribute IP addresses to connected devices; they must be entered manually in the parameters network cards. All connected devices (both wired and wireless) are on the same subnet and see each other (for example, you can easily share folders). No one has access to the Internet because NAT does not work. In order for one of the devices to gain access to the Internet, you need to install PPPoE connection with the provider (as well as when connecting the cable directly to the computer). As a rule, only one such connection can be established at a time (however, this depends on the provider).

In this mode, the router only forwards data packets from one port to another, the load on the processor is minimal. Test results are below.

The speed over the cable in this mode did not differ from the router mode, but the speed over wi-fi turned out to be slightly lower, which is a little strange.

Downloading torrents

Separately, I will say a few words about downloading torrents. A large number of connections creates additional load on the router. IN in this case, when the number of peers increased to about 100, I noticed a slight decrease in speed (by 20-30 percent). This is not reflected in the tables.

To get maximum speed on DD-WRT firmware, it is better to limit the number of connections to 50.

Sensitivity to line quality

Oddly enough, the router turned out to be very sensitive to line quality. So, in the initial version of the texts, he showed the speed of the neighboring Internet in the region of 20-30 Mbit/s both via wi-fi and twisted pair. At the same time, the computer and laptop easily downloaded 60-80 Mbit/s.

Replacing the switch port and twisted pair connectors with technical support from the provider solved this problem.

Accordingly, we had to retest the speeds via PPPoE.

conclusions

So, based on the results of getting to know the device, I can say the following. Given budget device It has a good design and solid antennas (the signal is simply excellent).

The speed within the local network via a wired connection is slightly lower than 100 Mbit/s, and over the air it can reach 90 Mbit/s. Exchange data between two wireless devices reduces the speed to 30-35 Mbit/s. However, this is quite enough for exchanging small amounts of data (music, photos).

The router also showed average Internet speeds using the PPPoE protocol on standard firmware (40-60 Mbit/s).

Installation alternative firmware DD-WRT (latest version from December 2014) allows you to slightly improve the performance of the router, increasing the speed and significantly reducing delays. Also this firmware allows you to use the router as a repeater to expand network coverage or as an access point.

PS. Please note that test results depend on many factors, including room geometry, provider equipment, etc. Accordingly, in other operating conditions the results may differ slightly.