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So i cable modem connected to my WRT54GH router, then my main PC is connected via cable to the router and everyone else is connecting to the router via wireless.

I have read something about this and i did ask some of my buddys, but because im still newbie with routers i didnt do anything except making everything work.

Before i had router i was using my pc with connectify and my wireless card and i could use something like netlimiter. But i needed router, and again i dont want people to take entire bandwidth when uploading large pictures(or something simmilar).

So, what do i need to do in order for me to limit download and upload speeds?

I know it had to be done with some unofficial firmware(or not?), but i have no idea which one to try...

Current firmware i have on my router is this:

Firmware Version: v1.0.00 build 005

I did check Tomato and DD-WRT and it seems that both those firmwares dont support this router. So please if someone had some success with getting those firmwares to work with WRT54GH please let me know.

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4 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

What you are looking for is called Quality of Service (QoS) under Applications and Gaming.

It allows you to restrict bandwidth based on different criteria (MAC address, IP address, application, physical router port).

If you are using DHCP (do your computers get IP addresses automatically?) and have people connecting wirelessly I would recommend using MAC addresses to filter out machines. Give your computer a higher priority than the others and your issues should go away.

To find the MAC addresses of your machines (in Windows) run Command Prompt and type "ipconfig /all"

Look for the connection that maps to your router (IP address will probably be 192.168.1.xxx) and note the MAC address in the table.

edit: I have a WRT54GL loaded with DD-WRT. One of my motivating factors in switching to DD-WRT was the more robust QoS settings available.

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Under "Applications & Gaming" i have Single Port Forwarding, Port Range Forwarding, Port Range Triggering, DMZ. If i understand correctly i need some firmware in order to get "more robust QoS settings", but i have no idea which firmware to chose. – Gavrisimo Jul 15 '10 at 15:11
Tomato and DD-WRT are the two most popular one. Tomato is much more user friendly. I hooked that up on my dad's router (he is not technical at all) and he understands it well enough to throttle the connection at our house when I'm not around. – baultista Jul 27 '10 at 17:20
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From the Linksys WRT54GH FAQ :

Q: Does the WRT54GH support wireless QOS and Internet Access Priority QOS?

A: No.

So the answer to your question is: Not possible with your current setup.

The only solution is to change the firmware, with the risk of bricking the router. Frankly, I wouldn't advice it if you describe yourself as newbie.

However, if you can find help, then you can choose between these free firmwares: DD-WRT and Tomato. Many people recommend Tomato for better QoS support.

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I agree with the tomato suggestion. It seems more stable and more user friendly than DD-WRT, especially with QoS features. It's not too difficult to install, but do be careful to follow their instructions if you choose to go ahead with this. Make sure your model is supported though - I haven't heard much about the WRT54GH before. Is it a new model? – nhinkle♦ Jul 22 '10 at 19:43
I was looking at tomato and dd-wrt before posting this question, and on both sites it seems that my model is not supported. – Gavrisimo Jul 22 '10 at 21:10
@GaVrA: Having studied the WRT54GH, I don't think that it supports third-party firmware. The latest firmware update (v1.0.00.005) also doesn't mention QoS. So I'm sorry to say, but the WRT54GH is just not suitable for QoS. For your next router, I suggest choosing one from the Tomato compatibility list. However, most good routers support QoS (although not at the same price-tag). – harrymc Jul 23 '10 at 6:36
Yeah... It might seem that the best thing would be to try and sell this router and add some money and but some router that is more "third-party firmware" friendly. :) – Gavrisimo Jul 23 '10 at 20:24
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up vote 0 down vote

I don't know about unofficial firmware, but most routers these days have an option that levels bandwidth so each gets a fair share. With my router, if I enable "Traffic Shaping", it does that automatically.

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But i dont want that "each gets a fair share". :) I want my pc to have unlimited bandwidth, while everyone else to be on some limited mode(dl and ul speed to be what i decide). Is something like this possible? – Gavrisimo Jul 15 '10 at 15:00
@GaVrA - Then I suggest you take a look at the dd-WRT project here: dd-wrt.com/site/index If the router is relatively new, it may take some time for custom firmware to be developed. – BloodPhilia Jul 15 '10 at 15:03
i did find that website some time ago. The problem is that my router is "WRT54GH" and like i said, im a newbie, when i run that version through dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database i dont get any result. But when i run "WRT54G" i do find a lot of routers that are supported. I just dont know if WRT54G is the same as WRT54GH? – Gavrisimo Jul 15 '10 at 15:08
@GaVrA - No it is probably not... But as I said before: If the router is relatively new, it may take some time for custom firmware to be developed. – BloodPhilia Jul 15 '10 at 15:11
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up vote 0 down vote

DD-WRT might be able to enable this missing features on your router.

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