Linksys Wrt54Gl
Linksys released the Wrt54G router in 2002. It gained popularity for being a powerful, unmistakably customizable router. Some third-party projects have released replacement firmware for the router which can enable it to accomplish functions not originally available. It prominent to buy a Linksys Wrt54Gl as it has adequate memory to install the third-party firmware. new version of the Wrt54G have too microscopic memory so make sure you go for the Wrt54Gl.
OpenWrt and X-Wrt
OpenWrt is a Open Source firmware project for the Wrt54Gl router. It's a very small version of Linux which runs in place of the stock Linksys firmware. The firmware is available from openwrt.org. I prefer to use another project called X-wrt (x-wrt.org) which is based on OpenWrt but has added a nice graphical front end for configuring the router.
To install X-Wrt (Which may void your warranty)
1) Download the openwrt-wrt54g-squashfs.bin firmware image to your Pc
2) Open [http://192.168.1.1/Upgrade.asp] in your browser or manually go to
[http://192.168.1.1] -> supervision -> Firmware Upgrade
3) Upload openwrt-wrt54g-2.4-squashfs.bin
4) Wait 2 minutes. The router will reboot itself automatically after the upgrade is complete.
5) You should now be able to telnet to your router (Ip address: 192.168.1.1) and start configuring.
Installing a Captive-Portal.
Nearly all industrial Hotspots are Captive Portals, this appears as an Open or Unencrypted Wifi signal but then redirects any traffic to a exact web page called a "Splash Page" where your often asked to login or buy internet access. This is a clever way of doing things as most laptops will automatically associate to an open WiFi signal, then when a buyer runs Internet Explorer (or which ever Web browser they use) they are sent to your splash page no matter what site they try to associate to. The most well known free captive portal software is Chillispot, which can be downloaded, and set-up, alternatively a whole of industrial providers furnish easy to use Captive Portal software, which can be installed on your Wrt54Gl.
Summary
In this record we have look at how mighty and versatile the Linksys Wrt54Gl router is. With a bit of work you can convert it into a mighty WiFi Hotspot router, which can be used for billing your customers for Internet access. Good luck with you new project!
