3rd party firmware

[GoNz0]

Just wondering what 3rt party firmwares best for a v1 3700 ?

i will be using the 3700 as a switch soon as the 4500 is due in a few days.

i would like to turn it into a 5 port switch and allow TKIP for my very old works PDA and retain 300mbs for newer devices

i at least want a 5 port switch, i can live with using 5ghz for 300mbs.

[jmizoguchi]

most uses DD-WRT for third party firmware

[GoNz0]

thanks, next obvious question, what pre complied for the 3700 thats easy to install ?

[GoNz0]

i think i found the answer http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Netgear_WNDR3700

[Simon0]

Originally Posted by GoNz0

Just wondering what 3rt party firmwares best for a v1 3700 ?

i will be using the 3700 as a switch soon as the 4500 is due in a few days.

i would like to turn it into a 5 port switch and allow TKIP for my very old works PDA and retain 300mbs for newer devices

i at least want a 5 port switch, i can live with using 5ghz for 300mbs.

There are basically 4 firmwares for the wndr3700-- stock, dd-wrt, openwrt, and openwrt-based ones.

dd-wrt -- be sure to use latest that are in the eko directory.
openwrt -- I like the gargoyle mod.

you can remap the wan to be another lan to have a 5 port switch... though I prefer to just use the stock firmware and have a 4 port switch+AP, because the stock formware is quite limited in features (GUI do not expose many features). The Netgear firmware also only allow -g 54mbps speeds in wds/bridge modes, you'd have to buy their more expensive gear to gain those features. 3rd party has better support for those features.

For TKIP & old compatibility, I recommend using an old -g router in AP mode connected to a "good" firewall that has VLAN & IDS (intrusion detection system) to restrict that particular port into a separate restrictive VLAN. TKIP & hackable nowadays.

I prefer simplicity, so I have an x86 router with the wndr3700 as an AP/switch and a little legacy fonera single port router (w/ dd-wrt) for stuff like smartphones/pads.

good luck.

[GoNz0]

thanks for the reply, i have a cable to the 2nd router from the 1st thanks to me rewiring the house

i only need to run 4 devices for the 3700 so the 5th is the link to the soon to be 4500 but unless im mistaken i cant use the internet port unless its mapped as a switch ?

as the devices that use 2.4ghz only run 54mbs i dont see the point messing about as i can use 5ghz for the laptop and android phone

[dignoe]

How does dd-wrt hold up on the WNDR3700? I'm using dd-wrt on some basic Linksys wrt54g routers, but I noticed that it tends to slow them down a bit. Is there any advantage to switching from the stock firmware (since there aren't any features I'm terribly missing at the moment)?

[GoNz0]

i had my reasons, 1st was the need for a 5 port switch (disabling the wan gives a bind to lan option)

also i can setup the 2.4ghz for my old work PDA as it uses TKIP on the old WPA (not WPA2) encryption.

i can also setup a mac filter just on the 2.4ghz to stop anyone trying to get past the old security while my 5ghz shares the SSID of the 4500 to allow extended range.

basically unless theres something your missing feature wise there is no point swapping firmware to WRT.

speed wise the 3700 has lots of headroom and copes very well with it being a high spec router

[jlewter]

cpu wise yea, ram wise no.

There are hardware hacks to fix that, but along with the slow-ish usb port then the ram is a real letdown for application support. Many complain that wireless speed is not as good with 3rd party firmware, but I agree that you shouldnt really move to it unless your missing something essential.