Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 0:07 Post subject: Why use DD-WRT on ASUS RT-AC66U?
Hello everyone. I've been using DD-WRT on my old Linksys WRT-54GL router for several years. I initially started using DD-WRT because it allowed me to add more MAC addresses to the MAC filter. Later, I started using more features in DD-WRT to create a script which automates a WOL packet which was sent to my HTPC when my Media Center Extenders "phoned home" checking for a firmware update. For those features, I am grateful.
Now, I no longer need a WOL to my HTPC... because I now use XBox360 extenders which can send their own WOL, and also because my HTPC never sleeps anymore because I built a very energy-efficient HTPC.
I am planning to finally replace my WRT-54GL with an ASUS RT-AC66U. I have read the user manual, and the ASUS firmware seems to have everything I would want... DDNS, VPN support, media sharing from an external hard drive, and plenty of MAC addresses in the MAC filter.
So, I'm wondering what is the benefit of using DD-WRT on this router considering my needs. Is the default firmware unstable? Am I forgetting something important which the DD-WRT firmware supplies but the ASUS firmware does not?
I greatly appreciate the people who have made DD-WRT the wonderful product that it is, but I don't know if I need it anymore.
Please tell me if there is something I am forgetting to evaluate.
if the stock firmware does all you need then you should stick with it. _________________ Please state what make and model router plus the build number and type of DD-WRT you are using. Screen prints and a network diagram can are also helpful. Before you create a new post, use the search function. Chances are your issue has happened to someone else.
Hmmm... looking at the manual again, it doesn't show settings for a VPN server. I wonder if the manual pre-dates the feature being added to the firmware.
Well... so if I end up going with DD-WRT on this router, how well does DD-WRT support a Samba share for a 2TB USB hard drive? What will I need to install in addition to DD-WRT to get this working?
Well... so if I end up going with DD-WRT on this router, how well does DD-WRT support a Samba share for a 2TB USB hard drive? What will I need to install in addition to DD-WRT to get this working?
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_________________ Router currently owned:
Netgear R7800 - Router
Netgear R7000 - AP mode
Wow, thanks for all the detail. Does that mean that I won't need to install any other packages after I install that kong build?
Oh... and the drive is currently formatted NTFS and has about 1TB of data on it that I don't want to lose. Will DD-WRT force me to format the drive? Should I save my files somewhere else until after I connect the drive to the router?
Last edited by barnabas1969 on Tue Jul 01, 2014 17:30; edited 1 time in total
Not that I am aware of no.
I have 2 usb thumb drives plugged into my r7000 router & I don't use any extra packages.
Thus I was showing you how my setup looks.
I didn't take an image of the usb enable tab but I did point at it.
You have to enable usb services first then plug the drive into the usb port. After that you go to the tab shown in the above image & do those settings. _________________ Router currently owned:
Netgear R7800 - Router
Netgear R7000 - AP mode
I didn't take an image of the usb enable tab but I did point at it.
You have to enable usb services first then plug the drive into the usb port. After that you go to the tab shown in the above image & do those settings.
Thanks. I understood.
I don't know if you saw my edit to the post above because you posted while I was editing. Here it is again:
Oh... and the drive is currently formatted NTFS and has about 1TB of data on it that I don't want to lose. Will DD-WRT force me to format the drive? Should I save my files somewhere else until after I connect the drive to the router?
I have 1 thumb drive formatted in ext2 (for YAMon2) and 1 thum brive formatted in fat32.
See image.
The router didn't format them; I did with my pc.
To be safe you can backup the data off your hdd but it shouldn't lose it under normal circumstance. You will get difference read/write performance with different formats. I think the ext's are going to be quicker for the router but I don't recall exactly. Someone has posted in these forums about transfer speeds per format.
barnabas1969 wrote:
I don't know if you saw my edit to the post above because you posted while I was editing. Here it is again:
Oh... and the drive is currently formatted NTFS and has about 1TB of data on it that I don't want to lose. Will DD-WRT force me to format the drive? Should I save my files somewhere else until after I connect the drive to the router?
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_________________ Router currently owned:
Netgear R7800 - Router
Netgear R7000 - AP mode
And, I also found threads where experienced users recommended NOT using NTFS for performance reasons.
So, if I decide to use DD-WRT, I'll reformat the drive per the instructions in the 2nd link above.
Now, I just need to figure out which file system is best for my needs, ext2/3/4 ... ?
This drive will mostly contain MKV and ISO rips of DVD and Bluray movies. The drive is currently connected to my HTPC, but I like the idea of connecting it to the router and getting the drive out of my living room.
EDIT: Oops... now I see that those numbers are in Mega BYTES... so with the stock firmware it looks like the RT-AC66U can do 75Mbps ... which is 2X BD-ROM speed. That should be OK.
Last edited by barnabas1969 on Tue Jul 01, 2014 20:50; edited 1 time in total
You already own all the hardware.
Invest some time & see if you can get it to work.
No cost other than time to know for sure first hand.
Then, you can help someone else out here on the forums with informative answers. _________________ Router currently owned:
Netgear R7800 - Router
Netgear R7000 - AP mode
i don;t think ext4 is supported and DD-WRT treat it like ext3if mounted. _________________ Please state what make and model router plus the build number and type of DD-WRT you are using. Screen prints and a network diagram can are also helpful. Before you create a new post, use the search function. Chances are your issue has happened to someone else.