Category archives: WRT54GL

How to Flash Your WRT54GL Firmware from DD-WRT to Tomato

03Dec08

**DISCLAIMER**The following instructions are provided without warranty of any kind. Flashing firmware does not come without risk. I will not be held responsible for any resulting equipment failure or otherwise undesirable results. Proceed at your own risk.

This tutorial explains how I successfully re-flashed my Linksys WRT54GL version 1.1 to use the Tomato 1.22 firmware rather than DD-WRT version 23 SP2 VPN firmware (generic) I have been using for the past couple of years. I decided to write this tutorial because lots of sites have instructions on flashing from the default Linksys firmware to Tomato but far fewer sites offer lots of detail on how to flash from other firmware such as DD-WRT.

I have provided directions with enough detail for the non-technical user to feel comfortable with the procedure. To make things faster for the technical users, I have highlighted the major steps. At the bottom of the post, I’ve included links to related articles I’ve published if you’d like to learn more. Continue reading

Filed under DD-WRT, Tutorials, WRT54GL| | 16 Comments

Tomato Firmware Upgrade and Demo Video

01Nov08

I’ve been running DD-WRT on my WRT54GL for well over a year not and even documented detailed firmware flashing instructions. However, I’ve been debating on switching to the Tomato firmware for close to year now.

With Comcast’s new 250 GB bandwidth limit and Tomato’s impressive bandwidth monitor, the reasons to switch from DD-WRT to Tomato are more compelling. Although I believe DD-WRT v24 supports bandwidth monitoring, I like the looks and features of Tomato.

The Systm episode 71 by Revision3 recently covered the process to flash a Linksys WRT54G with Tomato firmware and also showed off some of the application’s coolest features. If you’re debating on upgrading your very basic Linksys router to something much better for free, I highly recommend you watch this video. It’ll make you want to do it right away.

Now, if I can just determine the best process to switch from DD-WRT to Tomato, I’d be good…

Update
I decided to switch from DD-WRT to Tomato because it has all of the features I need. Additionally, DD-WRT has been wrought with security vulnerabilities. While most vulnerabilities have likely been patched, finding a stable and patched version proved complicated. Since most other sites I’ve seen only describe how to flash from the default Linksys firmware, I decided to write a tutorial on how to switch from DD-WRT to Tomato.

Filed under DD-WRT, WRT54GL| | 1 Comment