Open source software and a cheap router to empower the home and provide free global wifi

By Marcus Cake • August 25, 2006

The WRT54G is a router which costs approximately USD50. It has a large installed base of users. With custom software it can have the functionality of more expensive routers. The combination of open source software, the large installed base of WRT54G users and cheap hardware and cheap hardware has also faciltated the creation of the largest global wi-fi network encompassing 80,000 members within twelve months. This article will highlight the personal practical applications of using the WRT54G to empower the home. It will also highlight one opportunity to change the world by leveraging “user contributed infrastructure” that is being pursued by FON.

Connecting to the world at home
The Linksys router is a network device which will connect to the internet over a phone line and share that connection with other computers via wi-fi or network cable. The software that runs this router is Linux. Linksys did not originally release the software as it is required under open source licenses. After some encouragement, they released the software. The Open Source community began to modify the software and add functionality to the router. Some Open Source projects replace the router completely. A portal into the available software for the WRT54g is here.

Connecting to the world at home
The software that I use on my router is dd-wrt. The software offers greater functionality and may be downloaded from www.dd-wrt.com. I suggest you review the Feature list and the dd-wrt wiki.

The primary reasons that I use this software are:

More responsive (lower latency): it is more responsive than the standard firware (without any changes to the standard). In my specific situation, the router appeared to be a major influence of internet speed (bandwidth) and responsiveness (latency).
Router allocates fixed IP addresses to each computer: Every time I move from home to office, I do not need to change my
network settings. I have the benefit of a fixed IP address without the
hastle of changing network settings when I change locations. The router assigns a fixed IP address to each computer. Each computer is configured to assign IP address dynamically.
“Quality of service” improvements enable quality voice calls and heavy internet traffic: The “Quality of Service” feature allows the router to prioritise different types of internet traffic. For example, internet phone calls have the highest priority, web surfing second priority, checking mail third priority and file transfers to my web server have a low priority. All these activities can occur on multiple computers on my network without affecting the quality of internet phone calls and ensuring that the traffic flow and all requests for bandwith are satisfied.
with an analgoue telephone adapter I can connect my “normal” traditional telephone to the internet and make cheap VOIP calls
“Low risk” and easy to set up: There are risks at using custom firmware. The software could make the router unusable. On my router and with a stable version of dd-wrt, I have never had any problems. The software is easy to configure. For some of the more advanced features, you will need to know what you are doing and what settings you need to enter. For the record, I currently use version v23 SP2 (Build 11th August 2006) - an beta/unstable version.
increased range of wi-fi: the standard router transmits at a power output of 28mw. The new firmware allows me to set this at a safe level of 100mw. This means that I have a good signal throughout my apartment. The maximum power output can be 251mw. There are even anecdotal reports of individuals linking two WRT54g routers which are six kilometres apart and have line of sight. A series of these routers could be linked together using the Wireless Distribution System feature to create complete coverage of a specific area.

Connecting to the internet with FON while global roaming
FON is the largest wifi community in the world. FON is an entrepreneurial initiative of the serial entrepreneur Martin Varsavsky. As at 25th August 2006, it had 79,720 members known as Foneros. Each member loads their router with the FON software, or purchase a social router at a subsidised cost. Each Fonero nominates to be a “Bill” or a “Linus”. A “Bill” will allow users to use their internet connection for a fee. A “Linus” makes their router available for free. Every Fonero allows their internet connection to be shared and publishes their location at http://maps.fon.com . Other people, called “Aliens”, can also use the community network for a fee. You can travel the world and find an easier wi-fi connection and avoid prohibitive costs. I am not sure if it requires “loitering” outside peoples windows.

Some Internet service providers (”ISP”) prohibit the sharing of internet connections by their users. FON offers to share the revenue from these shared connection with the ISP.

FON has received investment capital of US$20m. Investors include Google and EBay, the parent of Skype. FON is also partnering with hardware providers to bundle wifi fones that will connect with the routers. The NY times broke a story of the FON router being bundled with a Skype handset. It is also not clear to me if the only revenue source is a share of money paid to the “Bills”. FON is an example of user generated infrastructure with a community sharing their hardware faciliated by open source software.

Article amended (24th October 2006): The developer of dd-wrt firmware also maintains an online store at http://www.dd-wrt.com/shop/catalog/. I recommend that you use this store. The prices are competitive and he preinstalls the latest firmware. It will also provide indirect financial support for this open source project. The developer has suggested that future versions of the firmware may not work on devices with 8mb of RAM. Linksys has been reducing the memory in its devices in recent years. This may have been an effort to discourage replacement of their firmware. The Buffalo WHR-54GS has 16mb of RAM.