DD-WRT – Asus RT-N16 – My Go To Router

BUFFALO WHR-HP-G54

BUFFALO WHR-HP-G54

Over the years I’ve had some favorite routers to load DD-WRT on to.  Like my all-time-favorite the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54. Of course it’s not available anymore and by today’s standards it would be both underpowered and only Wireless G capable.  Nevertheless, the best part about using that router, it was rock solid and just about all the on-line documentation for setting up various things with DD-WRT simply worked.  Unfortunately, all things change so I had to change as well.
 

Asus RT-N16

Asus RT-N16

Currently my go to router is the Asus RT-N16.  It has plenty of processing power, plenty of RAM to do what I need and lastly, it’s a Broadcom chipset.  I have found that with the things I do for my client base, Broadcom is the better option as opposed to the Atheros chipsets.  That’s a big deal to me.  So for now, the Asus RT-N16 fits the bill.  Keep in mind that I’ve had my fair share of issues getting things to work the way I want.  BUT, when I get them ironed out, the router works well for my clients’ needs.

Most of the documentation I post devoted to DD-WRT will be based around the Asus RT-N16.  Things like:

  • Dual SSID’s (A Private and Guest network)
  • VLans (Separating the ports out on the back of the router for different subnets)
  • VPN setup (PPTP, OpenVPN)
  • Using the device as a Wireless Access Point
  • And others…

…will all be documented using the RT-N16.  So if you want to configure your RT-N16 with DD-WRT and you’re having some trouble with it, you’ve come to the right place.

Asus RT-N12 B1 This is also a Favorite Router of mine but is no longer available

Asus RT-N12 B1 This is also a Favorite Router of mine but is no longer available

RT-N12 B1…oh, how I miss you

Sidenote: The RT-N16 had a less powerful “little brother” that I also had very good luck with, the Asus RT-N12 revision B1 (note the revision “B1”).  This router really fit the bill for some of my smaller clients.  However, Asus replaced it with the RT-N12 revision C1 and then revision D1.

 

Asus RT_N12 D1 This is the newer version of the Asus RT-N12 that is NOT supported by DD-WRT.

Asus RT_N12 D1 This is the newer version of the Asus RT-N12 that is NOT supported by DD-WRT.

 

The D1 revision is NOT officially supported by DD-WRT (even though I’ve seen Asus state that it is compatible).  I can get DD-WRT to load on the RT-N12 D1 but it’s really tough with a lot of issues along the way.  Yeah, it’s slicker and prettier than it’s old white B1 predecessor but I definitely liked the B1 a lot more.  I’d stay away from the Asus RT-N12 D1 if you want to use DD-WRT. However, if you REALLY want DD-WRT on there head over to How to install DD-WRT on the Asus RT-N12 D1