Welcome to Routers & networking. This board is for getting more out of the network gear you own: flashing old routers with OpenWrt or DD-WRT, setting up home networks, VLANs, mesh systems, Wi-Fi coverage, ad blocking with Pi-hole or AdGuard Home, self-hosted VPNs such as WireGuard, and giving a second life to that dusty router in the drawer.
What belongs here
• Flashing third-party firmware like OpenWrt, DD-WRT or similar onto your own routers and access points
• Home network design: switches, cabling, Wi-Fi placement, mesh, VLANs and guest networks
• DNS, DHCP, firewalls, port forwarding and VPN setups at home
• Recovering a bricked router, serial console and TFTP recovery
• Getting consoles and handhelds online, such as older Wi-Fi standards for the PSP and DS
What doesn't belong here
• Dumping or modifying router firmware at a lower level: Firmware & reverse engineering
• Wi-Fi gadgets like a Pwnagotchi or Flipper Wi-Fi boards: Flipper Zero & hacking gadgets
• Securing your network, CTFs and learning about attacks: Security & ethical hacking
• Home Assistant, Zigbee and automations: Smart home & IoT
• Building a Pi-based network appliance as a project: Raspberry Pi & SBCs
The legal line
Your own network and your own gear only. We don't help with getting into networks you don't own or manage, cracking a neighbour's Wi-Fi, bypassing an ISP's or employer's restrictions in ways that break their terms, or anything that interferes with other people's connections. Wi-Fi jamming and deauthentication attacks against other people are illegal in many countries and are not allowed here. Changing transmit power or channels beyond what your country permits isn't something we'll help with either.
How to ask for help
• Router make, model and hardware revision (it's usually on the label underneath, and it matters a lot for firmware support)
• Current firmware and version
• What you're trying to achieve and what you've tried so far
• Any error messages or relevant logs, with passwords, public IP addresses and MAC addresses removed
• A simple description or sketch of how your network is laid out
Starter tips
• Always check that your exact model and hardware revision is supported before flashing third-party firmware. The wrong image is the most common way to brick a router.
• Flash over a wired connection, never over Wi-Fi, and don't power off mid-flash.
• Keep a copy of the original firmware and settings if you can, so you can go back.
• Many bricked routers can be recovered through a serial console or TFTP recovery mode. A USB to serial adapter at the right logic voltage (often 3.3V) is a worthwhile tool.
• Change default passwords straight away and keep firmware updated. Old unsupported firmware is a real security risk.
• Wired Ethernet beats Wi-Fi for anything that stays in one place.
Privacy
Never post your public IP, Wi-Fi passwords, VPN keys or full configuration files with secrets left in. Check screenshots before you upload them.
House rules
The usual house rules apply: be kind, English only (posts in other languages are translated automatically), no spam, no keyboard mashing and no self-promotion spam. Please use Report if you see anything that breaks the rules. This thread is locked, so start a new thread in the right board for your questions.
Dexter
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