1. Windows Port 5355

Of all the great DIY projects at this year's Maker Faire, the one project that really caught my eye involved converting a regular old $60 router into a powerful, highly configurable $600 router. The router has an interesting history, but all you really need to know is that the special sauce lies in embedding Linux in your router. I found this project especially attractive because: 1) It's easy, and 2) it's totally free.

How to Close Port 21. When doing routine computer maintenance, you may run a port scan and discover that a number of ports are open. Ports are docking points that your computer uses to accept and send information to and from programs.

Hack Attack: Maker Faire Highlights

by Adam Pash

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So when I got the chance, I dove into converting my own router. After a relatively simple firmware upgrade, you can boost your wireless signal, prioritize what programs get your precious bandwidth, and do lots of other simple or potentially much more complicated things to improve your computing experience. Today I'm going to walk you through upgrading your router's firmware to the powerful open source DD-WRT firmware.

Photo by puruan.

Update: This is a rather old post at this point, and much has changed in the world of DD-WRT. For one, DD-WRT now supports considerably more devices, and it's much easier than it used to be. Check out our updated guide to supercharging your router with DD-WRT to see how it works. And, for an alternative to to DD-WRT with a simplified interface and fancy charts and graphs, check out our other guide to turning your $60 router into a user-friendly super router with Tomato.

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What you'll need:

1. One of the supported routers. I used a Linksys WRT54GL Wireless router that I picked up from Newegg, and the instructions that follow detail the upgrade process specifically for that router and its close siblings. If you're upgrading one of the other supported routers, you might want to look into instructions specific to your router. These instructions may generally work for other supported routers, but I'm not making any promises.
2. The generic DD-WRT v23 SP1 mini firmware version located here.*
3. The generic DD-WRT v23 SP1 standard firmware version located here.*

*You'll be upgrading the firmware twice, first using the mini firmware, then using the standard.

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Upgrading your router to the DD-WRT firmware

Check out this gallery for the detailed step-by-step upgrade with screenshots. When you're finished, come back here for some of my favorite tweaks.

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Update, October '07: Reader Josh Harris writes in:

All the new WRT54G routers being sold now are v8, and the previous DD-WRT software didn't work on them. However, recent versions added support for the new v8 router— but it's a little more in depth.

Got this to work on the WRT54G v8 (should work on 7 as well, just replace the files with the corresponding 7 version):

First of all, use IE explorer. Firefox didn't work at all on this for me, even after install. Second, go to this page. Read the textfile carefully and follow its instructions. Two edits to the textfile:

1. Make sure you go to command prompt and type ipconfig /all. Record the default gateway, the subnet mask, and the two DNS addresses. When you set the IP address manually on your desktop/laptop to 192.168.1.100 as per the instructions, you will need to set these 4 numbers as well.

2. Don't forget when you do the tftp that you need to be in the folder that contains the downloaded dd-wrt.v24_micro_wrt54gv8.bin file (for example, if it is in C:/Downloads, type /cd C:/Downloads).

Lastly don't forget you need to be on a wire to the router, and download both vxworkskillerGv8.bin and dd-wrt.v24_micro_wrt54gv8.bin before you start. Following this procedure will install the micro version on your router.

After this, switch your laptop/desktop back to receiving your IP address via DHCP rather than the manual configuration you set as per the instructions. You will be able to access the DD-WRt micro install via 192.168.1.1 with the login username root and the password admin. From here, you still need to install the DD-WRT standard.

Unfortunately, you cannot go any farther than this with WRT54G v7 and v8 because Linksys downgraded the physical memory in these recent models. However, micro is still an improvement over the original Linksys firmware.

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Boost your wireless signal

The first thing I did after I finished the firmware upgrade was give my wireless signal a much needed boost ('needed' in the sense any signal boosting that can be done needs to be done, right?). Doing so is trivial.

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Go to the Wireless tab, then to Advanced Settings. Find the entry labeled Xmit Power, which is set by default at a paltry 28mW, and can be set up to 251mW. To be honest, I don't know much about the science of the whole process, but I do know that 251 is WAY bigger than 28. However, you probably don't want to pump it up to 251mW right away.

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The DD-WRT manual suggests that a 'safe increase of up to 70 would be suitable for most users.' Anything too much above that and you'd be flirting with overheating your router and damaging the life of your router (though I've heard that many people have pushed it up to 100 or above). So go ahead and change your Xmit Power to 70 and click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.

I can't measure for sure how the signal boost has improved things for me since I've just moved into this apartment, but I can say that the signal is full bars pretty much anywhere I go. How's that for scientific?

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Hack Attack: Apartment hunting 101

by Adam Pash

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Throttling your bandwidth by program

While most routers treat one request for bandwidth the same as any other, your new $600 router is a step above. By setting up QoS (Quality of Service) rules, you can give priority to your interactive traffic (like VoIP, web browsing, or gaming) while throttling traffic that doesn't require a steady rate of bandwidth to function (like P2P programs).

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Doing so will ensure that even if your network gets clogged with lots of file sharing, you'll still have enough bandwidth left over to make all of your free SkypeOut phone calls. If you've got roommates who tend to sponge up a lot of bandwidth, you can even prioritize by IP address.

Free calls to any phone with SkypeOut

Skype has just announced free SkypeOut calling to any phone (landline or mobile) within the US and…

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What to do if you brick your router

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If, god forbid, while flashing your firmware you end up 'bricking' your router, don't worry - all is not lost. The DD-WRT wiki (a great resource of all things DD-WRT) can help you recover from a bad flash.

Of course, your router will handle securing your network, port forwarding, and all the other things your regular old router does.

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Geek to Live: How to access a home server behind a router/firewall

by Gina Trapani

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Obviously I've just scratched the surface here, so if you decide to try this out, there's a lot of potential for other things you can do. Any readers tricked out a router with DD-WRT or one of the other open source distros? Tell us what tweaks have worked for you in the comments or at tips at lifehacker.com.

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Windows Port 5355

Adam Pash is an associate editor for Lifehacker who loves a good signal boost. His special feature Hack Attack appears every Tuesday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Hack Attack RSS feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

This repository is a collection of tools and tips for the Optus SagemcomF@ST 3864 broadband modem.

The advanced features of the modem are not accessible by default and requireyou to login as the admin user to be able to view and modify them.

There are a number of ways you can obtain the admin password, with some methodsdepending on the firmware version your modem is running.

The techniques below only work with certain firmware versions. Browse to http://192.168.0.1/main.html?loginuser=1 and check the Software Version against the table below to see if it is supported. To get access for devices with unsupported firmware I will required a device running that firmware or someone to investigate and provide a fix for their firmware version.

Software Version	Supported
before 8.353.1_F@ST5350_Optus	Yes
8.353.1_F@ST5350_Optus	Yes
8.353.21_F@ST5350_OptusBootloader	No
8.379_F@ST3864AC_Optus	No
10.33_F@ST3864V3AC_Optus	No
10.54_F@ST3864V3AC_Optus	No

Factory Default Passwords

Listed below are the factory default passwords set on Optus' devices.These get automatically changed from the defaults when you connect the device to the Internet for the first time.

Leave the modem WAN/DSL ports disconnected if you want to access the modem using these passwords.

Stick a paperclip in the RESET button for 5 seconds to reset the modem to factory default configuration.

The passwords differ between modem models and firmware verions so try each one below until it works.

user	password	url
admin	Y3s0ptus	http://admin:Y3s0ptus@192.168.0.1/main.html
admin	0ptU%1M5	http://admin:0ptU%1M5@192.168.0.1/main.html
admin	8PTu5W@C	http://admin:8PTu5W%40C@192.168.0.1/main.html
optus *	optus	http://optus:optus@192.168.0.1/main.html

* Not an admin account

Getting the admin Password Prior to Software Version 8.353.1_F@ST5350_Optus

Getting the admin user password prior to firmware version8.353.1_F@ST5350_Optus such as version 7.253.2_F3864V2_Optus.

Open a web browser to http://192.168.0.1 and navigate to Managment / AccessControl and view the source of the righthand part of the page. Near the top ofthe page you will find a line something like this:

This is the admin user password.

If you now open your browser to http://192.168.0.1/main.html?loginuser=0 andenter the admin user and password details found you will enable the advancedconfiguration menus.

Getting the admin Password All Versions

From firmware version 8.353.1_F@ST5350_Optus access to the advanced settingswas disabled, as was the ability to view the admin password in the AccessControl page.

However, thanks to some reverse engineering done by Matty123123 at the plus.netforums there is a way to decrypt the configuration file obtained when youdownload the backup settings from the router.

Open a web browser to http://192.168.0.1 and navigate to Managment/ Configuration / Backup and download the backupsettings.conf file.

The Mystery Machine is the main transportation of Mystery Inc., taking them on their adventures.

Next download a copy the the decrypt-conf.py script included in thisrepository.

Set up Linux

Install the decrypt-conf.py dependencies:

Set up Windows

On Windows systems will need to download and install python 3.5. Make sure you check the box to add Python to your PATH in the installer.

Then open a DOS or PowerShell command shell and install the pycrypto module:

Download decrypt-conf.py

Download thedecrypt-conf.py script and you backupsettings.conf from your modem and put them in the same directory.

Decrypt the Settings

On Linux/Unix-like systems run:

or on Windwos:

This will produce a new file called backupsettings.conf.txt. Search this filefor the lines:

The password is base64 encoded so to decode it copy it into the followingcommand line:

Accessing the Advanced Settings

To access the advanced menus enter the following URL with your router's admin passwordinto your browser:

Credit goes to Matt Goring for his original Windows configuration decryptiontool on which I based my pythonscript.

Once you have obtained a plain text version of the configuration you can thenmodify it and upload it to the device.

Open a web browser to http://192.168.0.1 and navigate to Managment/ Configuration / Update and upload your modified the backupsettings.conf.txt file.

There is no need to encrypt the file as the router will accept plain text files.

Enabling telnet allows you to explore the device a little more and customize itfurther from the Linux command line.

To enable telnet you need to modify a plain text copy of the configuration toinclude the line:

The configuration may already contain the line above but it is set to FALSE sojust change it to TRUE.

If it is missing the line then add it after the following line:

Then upload the modified configuration.

You will now be able to telnet to 192.168.0.1 and login using the usernameadmin and the password you obtained earlier. Once you are logged in you areput into a restricted shell so type sh to drop into a BusyBox Linux shell.

ADSL2 Connections

Follow the instructions in the PDF to put Optus F@st 3864 modem into bridge mode. Original credit to Ray Haverfield.

Note:

• Use the instructions above to obtain your admin password rather than those in the PDF.

NBN FTTN/VDSL Connections

The NDN FTTN/VDSL steps are similar to ADSL:

1. Backup your existing configuration in case you want to revert to it later.
2. Factory reset the modem by hold a paper clip in the reset hole at the back of the modem until all the lights flash and it reboots.
3. Use the instructions above to obtain your admin password.
4. Open a web browser to http://192.168.0.1/main.html and login as admin with the password obtained in the previous step.
5. Navigate to Advanced Setup / WAN Service. Look for the row in the table with interface ptm0.1 and description ipoe_0_1_1.0. Select the Remove checkbox for that row only and click the Remove button. This will remove the non-bridged NBN FTTN VDSL WAN interface.
6. Navigate to Advanced Setup / WAN Service and click the Add button. This will start a wizard-like set of forms for configuring the WAN Service Interface.
7. On the first page select a layer 2 interface for the service. Select ptm0/(0_1_1) and click Next.
8. On the next page select the WAN service type Bridging. Do not change any other settings. Click Next.
9. On the next page is a summary of the settings. Click Apply/Save.
10. Next you will need to disable DHCP on the modem so that the alternative routing device you are bridging can get a public IP via DHCP. Navigate to Advanced Setup / LAN and select Disable DHCP Server and click Apply/Save.
11. Next you should disable wireless. Navigate to Wireless and uncheck the Enable Wireless box. Click Apply/Save.
12. Then reboot the modem by clicking the reboot button in the status widget at the top right.

Once the modem has rebooted and the VDSL connection is established you can connect your other router's ethernet WAN interface into the Optus modem. Configure your other router to use DHCP on the WAN interface and it should get an IP address handed out to it from upstream server at Optus. If you get a 192.168.0.x IP address then you haven't disabled DHCP on the Optus F@st 3864 modem and you'll need to connect a PC to it again to do that.

Note: Once you have disabled DHCP on the F@st 3864, if you ever need to make changes to it you will need to connect a computer to it with an ethernet cable and manually configure and IP address on your computer. Use 192.168.0.2 or higher. Then you will be able to browse to http://192.168.0.1 to make changes.

Note: You can test if bridging is working by plugging a computer using an ethernet cable and having DHCP configured. However, I strongly discourage doing this unless you know what you are doing and are sure that your computer's operating system is 100% up to date with all operating system security patches. Your computer will not have time to check for patches and update before you will be scanned and hacked within minutes. You have been warned!

• Dumping the firmware
• Full list of URLs
• PSI configuration decoder

• Forum user Matty123123 has done quite a bit to reverse engineer the firmwareon a similar device and here