As avikby pointed out, DD-WRT is a very popular firmware for routers that has lots of extra features. And I also commend him for pointing you towards How To Geek. They frequently publish articles about basic and advanced router firmware setup. Here's a basic one:Originally Posted by SeniorRaul
There's also a Wiki which lists compatible modems: and the Dlink DIR-300 is on the list.
Personally, I use Tomato -- on a Linksys WRT54G -- which is the other popular firmware that you will find tutorials about at How To Geek (HTG).
Here's a blog article -- but not from HTG -- comparing them:
Now, I'm just barely competent when it comes to router firmware and security. Main thing I've done is to setup good basic security on my router:
- Change the default password for router login to a highly secure one
- Use WPA2-Personal protocol with AES encryption and a randomly generated 64 character password for wireless connections
- Disable telnet access to the router.
- Restrict access to the wireless connections to only the MAC addresses of your machines and devices.
- Setup a rule which disables the wireless network during the times it's not needed.
Just doing 1 & 2 will put you far, far above the security curve of most people. You don't have to go to custom firmware. Note that step 2 is vitally important - that alone will stop the hacker kiddies in your neighborhood. I don't think I need mention that the first thing they do is try stand default passwords to access your router.
One forum where you will find people that are highly knowledge about router security and setup is They are focused on Linksys routers but the information on DD-WRT, Tomato and general router security will translate to whatever router(s) you end up using. Definitely worth your time.
I used to have DSL and was unhappy because I had to use a combination modem - router. I think that's what you are having to do as well.
One possibility that comes to mind is to hook up a second router to your modem-router and install DD-WRT or Tomato on it and have it handle the wireless setup. I've seen articles about this sort on thing on HTG.
But I would first venture over to LinksysInfo and get advice on the simplest and best way for you to proceed. Hope this helps. It took me awhile to just learn and understand this much about the world of routers.
P.S. To the Mods: what happened to the advance formatting buttons for posts? Had to manually input the codes for the List & Bold functions?
---------- Post added at 03:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:57 PM ----------
P.P.S. I forgot to mention this. Once your have your router securely setup, then you only need install a Internet Security suite on your machines. You see, the router security is a separate deal from your individual machine security. Personally, I suggest Kaspersky IS 2012. But your choice is really dictated by your likes and needs.
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