stev32k
Premium
join:2000-04-27
Mobile, AL
 ·Mediacom
| reply to KCrimson
Re: WNDR3300 with DD-WRT firmware
Yeah, I read that thread and several others. I ended up returning the WNDR3300. The only reason I bought it in the first place was Netgear claimed it could be used as a range extender without using third party software. Boy is that wrong! I spent days trying every setting I could think of on both WNDR3300 and the Linksys WRT160 N that was to be the base station. I read every knowledge base article netgear published on the subject, and I spent hours on the phone with both Netgear and Linksys tech support, but nothing worked.
I have a Linksys WRT54GL on the way to me and It should be here tomorrow. I'll flash it with the DD-WRT firmware. I know that will work as an extender and I know the DD-WRT firmware is stable for that router. There are a lot of reports on the DD-WRT web site about turning the WNDR3300 into bricks and I didn't want to take a chance. I just felt uncomfortable with the Netgear router because I've never had one before. I've always used either Linksys or Zyxel.
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KCrimson
Premium
join:2001-02-25
Brooklyn, NY
·Optimum Online
 ·Verizon FIOS
| If you check the Linksys threads over the past few years you'll see plenty of WRT54Gs that were bricked as well. The reports of bricks are I'm sure a small percentage of installs on both devices.
While you can't go wrong with the GL, you are giving up 5.0ghz dual band - the Linksys WRT610 would be a similar device that can also be flashed to DD-WRT. They also recently released the 620 which is a strange derivative - its dual band with a single radio. Personally I like the flexibility of configuring the radios separately.
As for the OF - I couldn't get it to connect to the WRT54G that runs DD-WRT in client-bridge mode. I have no idea why. As soon as I flashed DD-WRT to the WNDR3300 the bridge was recognized. There's one other non-obvious bonus to the DD-WRT firmware on the WNDR3300 - it disables the blue disco dome lights.  |
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stev32k
Premium
join:2000-04-27
Mobile, AL
·Mediacom
| said by KCrimson  : There's one other non-obvious bonus to the DD-WRT firmware on the WNDR3300 - it disables the blue disco dome lights. Ha, Ha, I forgot to mention those annoying blinking blue lights. That was another reason I didn't like the router I could not find any way to turn them off. |
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KCrimson
Premium
join:2001-02-25
Brooklyn, NY
·Optimum Online
·Verizon FIOS
| If you upgraded the router to the new version of the Netgear firmware then shutting them off was easily accomplished by pressing the dome - it functions as a switch. From what I've read in the DD-WRT forum, the control of those lights would require a custom script to function in DD-WRT as they do in the OF. Supposedly they light to illustrate which of the internal antennas is active in realtime. |
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