A router is a device that forwards data packets across multiple networks. Questions tagged with router can cover router hardware, software, and network configuration.
49
votes
1answer
30k views
What is port forwarding and what is it used for?
There are a lot of questions on 'port forwarding' but there doesn't seem to be one that clearly states what it is and what it's used for. So:
What is Port Forwarding?
What is it used for, and why ...
31
votes
2answers
5k views
What's the maximum actual bit rate of an 802.11g connection?
Using a wired connection, I get a 38 Mbit/s download speed. When I switch to wireless one (Linksys WRT54GL router with Tomato firmware), the speed drops to 23 Mbit/s even if the distance between the ...
27
votes
10answers
19k views
Can I make two wireless routers communicate using the wireless?
I want to make a setup like this:
cable modem <-cable-> wireless router 1 <-wireless-> wireless router 2 in another room <-cables-> PCs in another room
Basically, I want to extend my ...
26
votes
12answers
5k views
Which routers do you prefer for DD-WRT or OpenWRT? [closed]
I'm aware of the giant Supported Devices list. I'm wondering which ones you all prefer (e.g., support for Mega install, cheap, reliable hardware, USB port, etc.)
I've used an ASUS WL-500G Premium ...
24
votes
3answers
11k views
OpenWrt vs DDWrt
I have a TP-Link Wr1043ND router and I want to install one of these two firmwares:
OpenWRT
DD-WRT
I read that I can install custom packages and do much more than I can with the original firmware.
...
22
votes
5answers
10k views
Does DD-WRT QoS actually work?
There have been various reports of DD-WRT QoS not working (here, here and elsewhere).
The DD-WRT QoS Documentation mentions some checks would indicate whether the proper priorities are being applied ...
20
votes
6answers
17k views
Recommended gigabit 802.11n routers that work with DD-WRT [closed]
I've read this question, and checked out the supported devices list, but am looking specifically for a gigabit 802.11n router that is easy to find and fully supported by DD-WRT.
It seems like some of ...
17
votes
3answers
9k views
Which home router support IPv6?
Which routers suitable for small/home networks support IPv6 as described in the Microsoft document IPv6 Support in Home Routers?
Edit: to answer some comments wondering about the reasons of wanting ...
16
votes
8answers
2k views
What are the disadvantages (if any) of accessing the internet through two or more “chained” routers?
My Problem
I just got internet setup in my dorm room at school through a third-party provider. The modem they gave me, however, also functions as a wireless router. I also have my own router with ...
16
votes
6answers
1k views
Is it possible for a router to “go bad” with time?
I've been having problems with my internet connection over the past weeks (intermittent disconnections, slow transfers, etc), and my provider keeps telling me that the problem is not on their end.
I ...
16
votes
2answers
836 views
Is securing Wifi with MAC Filter enough?
I have a MAC filter in place for everything that connects to my router. I also have WPA2 on the wireless.
When a friend comes around, I tell them the password (I trust them), they type it into their ...
15
votes
3answers
11k views
DD-WRT: How to allow port forwarding to apply to requests originating from inside the LAN?
With the original firmware of my router I had port forwarding defined from port 80 to the server in the LAN, which I used in conjunction with an external dynamic DNS service.
I've now upgraded to ...
12
votes
5answers
4k views
How to disable internet access at night on the router?
I have an internet connection that I'd like to be enabled only during the day. With multiple household internet devices, this would need to be something disabled at the level of the router.
I don't ...
12
votes
7answers
4k views
How to extend Wi-Fi signal across rooms?
I moved into a new place and my old Wi-Fi router just doesn't have the range to get into all the rooms. I've been investigating a lot of options and I'm wondering what other folks have done here. ...
12
votes
2answers
5k views
How does Router know where to forward packet
If several computers with local addresses (192.168.0.#) are connected to a router and each computer opens a web browser and requests a page over HTTP, when these TCP:80 packets are sent out, the ...
11
votes
5answers
30k views
What does “On-link” mean on the result of “route print” command?
I'm using Windows 7. When I type "route print" under command prompt, I get a IPv4 Route Table with several "On-link" values under the Gateway column. For example, like this one:
IPv4 Route Table
...
11
votes
3answers
3k views
Can dd-wrt or tomato keep track of GB usage per billing period per device?
I want to be able to track the usage of each device connecting to our router so we can split up the ISP bill by usage. Can dd-wrt or tomato provide the stats I'd need to do this?
Update:
After a bit ...
10
votes
2answers
4k views
Will using a 10/100 router stunt gigabit switch speeds for an internal network?
I have a 10/100 Verizon router. 3 computers are connected to this via Ethernet. I'd like to put a gigabit switch between the computers and router to enable gigabit speeds on the intranet.
If the ...
10
votes
3answers
9k views
Should I Upgrade My Old Wireless Router?
I have an old wireless router, and I mean stone age old (5 years). There is nothing wrong technically with the router, it serves my wireless needs at home but it is really darn old. A search on ...
10
votes
6answers
7k views
Why is my router assigning the wrong address via DHCP
I have a WRT54G router that is set up to serve out addresses via DHCP. It correctly serves up addresses to every other machine on the network, including another PC, my macbook when connected via ...
10
votes
3answers
3k views
Setting up ad blocking on the router?
Is it possible to block or remove ads (graphical as well as textual like Google text ads) on the level of the router? I have a Cisco Linksys WRT54GL with Tomato Firmware v1.28.1816.
Basically I want ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
Does All LAN Traffic Travel Through A Router
I have a very simple question: if I have a router (DHCP enabled - leasing IP addresses between 192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.254) with a switch plugged in, and I plug two computers into the switch, will ...
10
votes
3answers
3k views
Windows 7 machine makes router drop ALL wireless connections
Some background:
My home network consists of my desktop computer, a two-month old Windows 7 (x64) machine which is online most frequently (N-spec), as well as three other Windows XP laptops ...
9
votes
4answers
1k views
Can I use more than one internet provider at the same time?
Usually a home router has only one uplink connection, enabling a single internet provider at a time. But suppose I hack my router (ie. installing linux), could I use 2 internet providers then?
9
votes
2answers
177 views
Gateway / Switch hybrid
Next week I'm getting a new internet connection installed. It comes with 5 static IP addresses by default.
Now, I would like to use some of these IPs on my systems. However, I have more than 5 ...
9
votes
2answers
4k views
How do I know if my router supports IPv6?
$ ping6 ::
PING ::(::) 56 data bytes
64 bytes from ::1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.046 ms
64 bytes from ::1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.053 ms
64 bytes from ::1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.058 ms
^C
--- :: ...
8
votes
11answers
3k views
Has anyone tried to DIY his own router?
Can someone provide all necessary components to assemble a router?
Especially,what's the component to make it programable?
Seems google doesn't give such information .
UPDATE
I'm not gonna use a ...
8
votes
3answers
532 views
Does a router know not to hand out static IP addresses to other devices?
I set a computer on my network to use a Static IP address
Shutdown the computer so its not on and not connected to the network
Question: How does my router know not to hand out that IP address to ...
8
votes
4answers
11k views
Are there any wireless IPv6-ready home routers?
Checked the router we have at home (D-Link DIR-655) and doesn't seem like it supports IPv6. Got curious; Are there any?
It would have to support bridging to IPv4 on the outside though, since the ISP ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Does 1 Gbit/s port in full-duplex mean 1 Gbit/s send and 1 Gbit/s receive?
I'm figuring out the best router for me based on their performance.
When you have a 1 Gbit/s port in full-duplex, does that mean you can send 1 Gbit/s and receive 1 Gbit/s at the same ...
8
votes
3answers
22k views
Why does my Internet slow to a crawl unless I reboot my router every few days?
A few weeks ago, I noticed that my Internet connection had slowed down to a crawl. I waited a few days hoping it would go away on its own, but it didn't get better. So I asked this question about how ...
8
votes
5answers
2k views
Are there any wireless routers that allow bandwidth monitoring and throttling?
Are there any wireless routers that would allow me to see what clients are hogging up bandwidth and that would let me limit them so that they can't grab it all? Both wifi-wise and internet-wise.
I ...
8
votes
1answer
2k views
How to connect a wifi router to a cable modem router?
Here's the thing: I have a cable modem router (Thomson TCW710) with wifi-g that I rent from my cable company. I would like to use a wireless-n router (D-Link DIR-655, that I received for free) with it ...
8
votes
4answers
6k views
If a computer is connected to internet via wireless and lan both, which way Internet traffic would flow?
How does this actually work? How different ip addresses on ethernet adapter and wireless adapter are handled for internet data? I know these ip are translated in NAT table but the whole process ...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
What does static DHCP mean? Static Dynamic is confusing
I've found some home wireless routers/ADSL+ modems (ZyXEL 660) talking about Static DHCP, when refering to assosiating a specific MAC to an IP, but still serve the configuration over DHCP.
Doesn't ...
7
votes
3answers
15k views
What's DMZ used for in a home wireless router?
As far as I understand, by using DMZ you expose all of the host computer's ports to the Internet. What's that good for?
7
votes
5answers
3k views
Periodically reboot dd-wrt
I have a Linksys Router with dd-wrt installed on. Due to some problems, I would like to periodically reboot the router (let's say at 0:00 everyday).
How would I do that?
7
votes
5answers
6k views
Why does restarting/resetting the router work?
So, I'm a technology guy and sometimes I have to troubleshoot a home network, including my own. I make sure the wires are in securely and that the lights suggest there's an actual internet connection. ...
7
votes
7answers
2k views
Why is it so hard to connect with a cable modem and router?
I've gone through various combinations of cable modems, routers, computers, and apartments in my life, and one thing has always puzzled me. Why is it so difficult to get these things to connect to the ...
7
votes
4answers
919 views
How can I set my computer up for remote SSH access?
I have a Linux machine that I can access by SSH from my laptop when I am inside my house, but when I am using another Internet connection, I can't connect.
What do I need to do?
I have Verizon DSL ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I configure my wireless network for the strongest security?
There seem to be many security features in wireless routers from MAC address filtering to the authentication type and data encryption. WPA or WPA2 PSK? AES or TKIP?
When I set up a new wireless ...
7
votes
4answers
3k views
How to get wireless coverage over my whole house? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What’s the best way to increase the range of my 802.11g router?
My wireless router does not cover my whole house... Can I do something maybe with multiple routers, ...
7
votes
4answers
6k views
Difference between wifi router and access point?
I see both terms used, and I was wondering what the difference is between a wifi router, and a wifi access point. Does the latter only create a LAN, with no way to connect the wifi box with a second ...
7
votes
4answers
657 views
Looking for network simulator (subnets, routers, etc..)
I am looking for network simulator (subnets, routers,wireless etc..) to study for an interview that I have.
7
votes
3answers
246 views
How do routers assign IP addresses?
How does a router assign an IP address? Is this random or is there a set method?
It seems that the same device – regardless of the time it was connected – seems to get the same IP assigned. Does the ...
7
votes
5answers
528 views
Is it possible to get your router's external ip address without using a website?
I was wondering if there was a way to find out your router's ip address without using a website like www.whatismyip.com.
I searched around, and I am beginning to think it is impossible. If that is ...
7
votes
4answers
154 views
How to prepare WiFi for an on-stage demo?
Today at WWDC, Steve Jobs gave his keynote and ended up having a failure on-stage when connecting to WiFi. Google had a similar issue a few weeks ago in the same conference center. Please reference ...
6
votes
5answers
9k views
Modem/Router/Networking Emulators
I'm looking for a decent source of modem/router emulators. Something along the lines of the following
http://www.voiproblem.com/emulators/Netgear/
http://www.voiproblem.com/emulators/Linksys/
The ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
What's the best way to increase the range of my 802.11g router?
I have cable broadband, and as such the router has to be attached to a cable modem which also has to connect to the TV. That means the router is stuck in the corner of my house.
This is good when I'm ...
6
votes
2answers
2k views
Alternatives to dd-wrt?
I'm looking for alternatives for the popular dd-wrt router firmware. I don't really like the look of it. It seems like it was quite good 2 or 3 years ago, but I have a feeling some better things have ...
