Flashing Cisco routers to DD-WRT, a professional bit of software for the consumer world.

How to Flash your router to be an ultra-modern router and resurrect it to work again ? Try DD-spanking-WRT. It’s like viagra for routers. If that makes any sense.

Step One: Dust off that old router that hasn’t been used in ages. Make sure it’s clean, and when you fire it up, the LEDs do something. As an added gesture of compassion, try sticking in an ethernet cable attached to a computer to see if more LEDs turn on. If your router can’t pass these simple tests, then it might be time to put it down. We suggest burying it in the back yard like an artifact for a future Indiana Jones to excavate.

Step Two: Now that you have your generally working router plugged into your computer via ethernet, it’s time to go ‘surfing the internets.’ NOTE: You might need to pull the router from your computer so that you can get on the regular way you connect. GOTO: ddwrt.com and let’s boogy.

Step Three: After that site loads go and click on the icon that says ‘ROUTER DATABASE.’ What you will search for will be the Model Number on the bottom, top, side to side on the router. E1000, wrt-120N, m10 (valet) are all Cisco-based router model numbers.

REMEMBER YOUR DOING THIS STUFF TO SAVE YOURSELF ABOUT 50 BUCKS (~150 $ equivalent, as you’ll have a professional grade equivalent) from getting a newer router with crappy-gooey software (Belkin/LinksysCisco/Netgear’s consumer default crapware)

Step Furrrrr: Download one of the files that comes up after you find the model number that finally brings something up, usually the ones at the top of the list that are greater than 2MB’s are good to start with. They end in .bin and are not to be unzipped when you download them. The router does this internally.

–DOWNLOAD COMPLETED– (Did your download complete alright ?)

#5. Connect router via ethernet. Goto 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.2.1 or 10.0.0.1 and this should access your login page for your router. If you get a ‘not connected to the internet’ error on all 3, you might check your cabling and see if your wire is plugged into a port labeled 1 through 4. ‘Internet’ Ports or WAN ports will not work for this upgrade.

Log in, find the Admin / Firmware Upgrade section by hunting around and select the file you downloaded previously. DDWRT.*******somethingsomething.bin

Click UPLOAD. Try other files if it fails. If it works, it’ll tell you and then you’ll need to refresh your webpage.

DONE DONE DONE. Happy clap.

-R=(M)=N.