Configuring Your Router
The first and most important thing is to have a sense of curiosity. Don't be afraid to do some internet searches and get in there and change some settings! Here's a few places to start:
QoS
QoS determines what kind of traffic gets priority. Most router firmware includes some kind of QoS settings - the open, third party variety having more options.
Using QoS you can identify specific types of traffic, or machines, that will get priority. This means your computer can always have priority over other users on the network.
Blocking P2P
If users are concerned about P2P (torrents, and filesharing) on their network some router firmwares can be configured to block this traffic.
Recommended Firmwares
There are many free software firmwares available for a wide range of devices. These three are the ones that we recommend. Tomato Firmware is currently the easiest and most flexible for most users, with DD-WRT a close second. OpenWRT provides a huge range of flexibility but is only recommended for users who are already very familiar with GNU/Linux.
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- Free QoS, no VAP
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- Includes VAP, QoS. “Special” pay version has more QoS features
Routers
There are many wifi routers and access points available, and they vary widely in the amount of power and flexibility they offer you. We are collecting a brief list of the best equipment to get. Currently Apple are the least flexible, with D-Link and Netgear roughly tied for second-worst. The best equipment is the Linksys WRT54GL.
Another important detail: even though the outside of the routers may look the same, the computer that is inside vary a lot in its power. The WRT54G is the classic example, the versions 1 through 4 are much more powerful computers than the more recent version.
Recommended Routers
- Linksys WRT54GL (not the WRT54G or WRT54GS, it need to have the L at the end)