Open Source v.

Linksys Firmware on the Linksys WRT310N

IST 448/648

Spring 2009

Christopher Doval

Michael Fleishman

Jerille Lowe
Current State

Open source firmware has been a popular alternative for enthusiasts and IT professionals
looking to improve the capabilities of SOHO routers beyond proprietary standards. Despite
having become popular with the consumer market, open source firmware options for Pre-
802.11n wireless SOHO routers has not seen much development, and are limited in terms of
manipulation to their out-of-box proprietary firmware.

Most open source developers have not yet made the jump towards developing for
802.11n products mostly due to the lack of ratification, and so options for enthusiasts and IT
professionals alike are limited. Among the many available firmware options DD-WRT is the
only open source option available for Pre-802.11n Wireless SOHO Routers.

Issue

Does the current state of development for open source firmware at all compete against
pre-existing proprietary firmware in terms of performance and features on a Pre-802.11n SOHO
router?

Linksys WRT310N

The Linksys WRT310N is a moderately priced (roughly $100) Pre-N 2.0 router aimed at
the SOHOmarket. The device utilizes a Broadcom chipset and sports three internal Omni-
directional antennas hidden away within its casing. The 310N is an aesthetically pleasing
departure from Linksys previous WRT series routers.
This sleek and small from factor device sits well at the
corner of a desk or mounted to a wall.

Linksys has integrated a vast feature set into

this router, some of which include firewall protection,
four port 10/100/1000 switch, auto-sensing per device,
auto-negotiation, auto MDI/MDI-X to prevent the need
for crossover cables, Stateful Packet Inspection, VPN
Linksys WRT310N (from CNet)
passthrough, 256-bit encryption, MIMO technology,
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), and a DHCP server. In terms of security this device supports
WEP 64/128-bit, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK WPA-TKIP, and WPA-AES. There is also some
proprietary technology built into the router in the form of Linksys EasyLink Advisor software,
which simplifies router setup into a wizard-like process to help novice users. This software will
also routinely check Linksys.com for firmware updates for the device and download them
automatically.

The web-based management tool used to configure the WRT310N will be familiar to
anyone who has used a Linksys product before. The interface is available by default at
192.168.1.1 and remote access to the router configuration options is also available using TCP
port 8080. All configuration parameters are well labeled, with a help tool available to explain
different features.

Although the WRT310N supports draft 802.11n, it only works within the more crowded
2.4 GHz band. Therefore, the WRT310N must compete for the medium with the wide range of
devices that can provide interference, including microwave ovens and telephone handsets. By not
opting for a dual radio configuration the WRT310N has severely crippled its ability to provide
the full power of the 802.11n specification to consumers. It seems clear that Linksys didnt see
the need to provide 5 GHz support for a SOHO product yet such a capability would have made
this router much more powerful (as well as future proof).

DD-WRT Firmware

DD-WRT is a third party developed firmware released under the terms of the GPL for
many IEEE 802.11a/b/g/h/n wireless routers based on Broadcom or Atheros chipsets. At present
DD-WRT is free and the most popular open source firmware on the market. Some manufacturers
have opted to use DD-WRT as their primary firmware as opposed to making their own. For
example, through a partnership with Buffalo Technology, Buffalo ships routers pre-installed with
a customized version of DD-WRT.1 DD-WRT was chosen due to its compatibility with pre-n
wireless routers, as other popular firmware such as Tomato and Svensoft were not compatible
with any on-the-market equipment.

1
http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/31/buffalos-whr-hp-g54dd-airstation-router-comes-loaded-with-dd-wr/
 Linksys WRT series routers have been commonly associated with enthusiasts as one of
the most popular brands of SOHO routers since the DD-WRT project began in 2004. The
popularity of open source firmware like DD-WRT even forced Linksys into re-releasing the
WRT54G as the WRT54GL, with the L standing for Linux. Linksys had changed the amount
of memory and operating system of the WRT54G, therefore ending its compatibility with open
source firmware. The release of the WRT54GL shows the impact that these open source
firmware packages have had on the industry as a whole.

DD-WRT Installation and Versions

Linksys and Buffalo routers are not the only devices capable of running DD-WRT. The
DD-WRT wiki (located at dd-wrt.com/wiki/) lists all compatible devices as well as installation
instructions for each. Currently the DD-WRT project is making a searchable database of
supported hardware, easing installation for all users. As of April 2009 more than 100 routers
from all major, and many minor, manufactures are on the supported hardware list with more
devices being added frequently.

DD-WRT comes in a multitude of versions, each with slightly different feature sets. The
possible choices include micro, mini, nokaid, standard, VoIP, VPN, and mega. The micro build
is specialized to only require 2mb of ram on the router, while the mega build is only for routers
with 8mb available. Some of the differences between these versions are the inclusion of other
open source applications into DD-WRT, such as the management of hotspots using Chillispot
and NoCatAuth or the inclusion of VoIP services using SIP. All versions of DD-WRT include
features that cannot be found in most other out-the-box firmware, such as the ability to change
radio transmission power and enhanced QoS capability. DD-WRT also has one version of its
firmware up for sale that includes additional QoS capabilities beyond those of the free versions.

Installing DD-WRT on the Linksys WRT310N was very simple. Using the DD-WRT
wiki I found out that for our particular hardware it was required that we first flash the router with
the mini firmware and then flash standard on top of it. Our device was not capable of
running any other versions of DD-WRT due to RAM limitations.

Using DD-WRTs download repository I managed to download both the mini and
standard versions specially tailored for the WRT310N. I was explicitly warned in the wiki that I
was to perform a 30/30/30 hard reset after each firmware flash. This technique consisted of
pressing the reset button for 30 seconds, unplugging the router while holding the reset button for
another 30 seconds, then plug the router back in while holding the reset button for another 30
seconds.

Our group followed the DD-WRT wikis instructions and before long had an operational
WRT310N running DD-WRT standard. According to the DD-WRT wiki it seems common to
have to flash mini then standard as opposed to simply flashing the standard firmware, yet some
popular routers (like the WRT54g) can take standard firmware off the bat. We decided to
exercise caution, as we didnt want to end up with an expensive Linksys paperweight. Overall
we found the process relatively painless.

Unique DD-WRT Abilities

DD-WRT can also be used to drastically change the way the router operates, such as
support for WDS and workgroup bridging. These features can in a way break limitations set up
by manufactures of other products. For example, WDS can be used with Apples AirTunes
music streaming service, which typically requires the user to buy Apples expensive Airport
Extreme wireless router. Yet the WDS feature within DD-WRT allows for the firmware to be
used in exchange for Apples expensive product. Workgroup bridging allows any cheap DD-
WRT router to be used as a four port Ethernet to wireless adapter. Devices that exclusively
connect via Ethernet can use the DD-WRT configured router to provide connectivity to devices
that rely on Ethernet, such as game consoles (which sometimes require a specific and expensive
console specific hardware device).

DD-WRT also includes support for advanced technologies, such as IPv6 and VLAN
support. While these features are typically overkill for the home user if the router is being used in
a SOHO environment it could be a very cost effective solution for a small business IT manager.
DD-WRT has a list of tutorials that show just how powerful the firmware can be, located at
www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Tutorials. Other notable advanced abilities include separate
WLAN from LAN with independent DHCP, dynamic DNS, and samba file system sharing. DD-
WRT has lot of options and an easy to use interface that organizes the features in an coherent
way. The next section will show our test setup
 N Strength Testing

To perform distance testing of the Linksys and DD-WRT routers, we used a native
network stumbling application for OS X tool called AirMoose. We took the average dBm level
of based on our location in Hinds Hall.

Basement Hinds Hall

1st Floor Hinds Hall (*locations 1-3, 1-4, were the fringe point of routers)
2nd Floor Hinds Hall

3rd Floor Hinds Hall (*locations 3-2, 3-3, were the fringe point of routers)

Based on what we found the coverage area for the routers were similar, with DD-WRT doing a
little bit better. Both routers could fully cover any RF-friendly SOHO environment. In the next
section we present the results of the performance test we did in the Hinds Hall basement.
Methods & Tests & Results

Our motivation for performing these tests were to see if open source firmware could
compete or outperform the Linksys proprietary firmware pre-installed on the Linksys
WRT310N. We decided to focus on 802.11N because we felt that it will be the future of SOHO
wireless networks.

Figure 1: Test setup

To perform testing we stood near the router (point 1), facing away from it we started taking
readings and turned 45 degrees clock-wise every 30 seconds for two minutes. This helped us take
into account antenna orientation of the laptop WLAN card. We repeated this for all points shown
in the above image, and for all tests.

N-downstream

To perform this test we ran a network cable from one of our laptops into the router and used
Chariot Version 5 build 3186 to send data to the client associated to the WLAN. We used the
throughput scripts for all of our testing. The laptop used a 10/100 NIC (We noticed when we
used another laptop with a 10/100/1000 NIC our results were differentthe WLAN performed
better). The client laptop used a Linksys WPC300n V1 card.

N-down and upstream test were performed between 9am and 2pm on a Saturday April 25th 2009
in the basement on Hinds Hall.

Figure 2: N-Downstream test

Results:

From the results shown above DD-WRT outperforms the Linksys firmware on the router in
downstream data throughput. DD-WRT beat the Linksys firmware at all distances from the
router. DD-WRT performed 16%, 25%, 31%, 21%, 8%, and 23% better at points 1 through 6,
respectively.
N-upstream

To perform this test we ran Chariot from the client laptop associated to the WLAN, and sent data
to a laptop connected to through a network cable to the router. The laptop used a 10/100 NIC.
The client laptop used a Linksys WPC300n V1card.

Figure 3 N-upstream Test

Results:

From the results obtained DD-WRT outperformed the Linksys firmware at distances 22 meters
or less, but the Linksys did about the same between 26 and 45 meters. For clients between 26 and
45 meters they are receiving about half of what 11g clients might get.
NG-downstream

To perform this test we ran a network cable from one of our laptops into the router and used
Chariot to send data to the client associated to the WLAN. We also had an associated G-client
constantly pinging the wireless router. The laptop used a 10/100 NIC. The N-client laptop used a
Linksys WPC300n V1 card, and the G-client used a Cisco AIR-CB21AG-a-K9 card (see
previous image for G laptop placement).

NG-down and upstream test were performed between 9pm and 11:40pm on a Monday April 27th
2009 in the basement on Hinds Hall.

Figure 4: NG-Downstream Test

Results:

From the results obtained Linksyss throughput was 20% greater next to the router than DD-
WRT in mix-mode, but DD-WRT performed moderately better overall of distances we
measured.

NG-upstream

To perform this test we ran Chariot from the client laptop associated to the WLAN, and sent data
to a laptop connected to through a network cable to the router. We also had an associated G-
client constantly sending ping packets to the wireless router. The laptop used a 10/100 NIC. The
N-client laptop used a Linksys WPC300n V1card, and the G-client used a Cisco AIR-CB21AG-
a-K9 card.

Figure 5: NG Upstream test

Results: From the results obtained Linksyss performed better close to the router, but DD-WRT
did moderately better over the range of points we tested.
Conclusions and Recommendations

DD-WRT with only N-clients associated performed significantly better than the out-of-
box firmware provided by Linksys, but performed moderately better than the Linksys with a G-
client attached. Most SOHO environments currently are not N-only, so flashing the router to DD-
WRT may not make much of a difference in these environments. For enthusiasts and IT
professionals managing environments with mostly pre-N clients moving to DD-WRT may
improve the overall performance of their SOHO networks.

Overall we recommend DD-WRT firmware over Linksys standard firmware in N-only

and in a N/G environments in distance and performance, and offer a lot more features. All of the
features and the act of flashing may be overkill for most in the SOHO environment, but if
possible we recommend updating to DD-WRT. Upgrading will boost what can be done on the
same hardware, at no extra cost (unless you brick your router).

With all of the features that DD-WRT includes it could be very helpful to an SOHO
WLAN administrator or an enthusiast to switch over to an open source firmware solution. People
that try this will have to follow the careful directions given to them but the benefits would out
way the cons, in this case.