OpenWRT on our Linksys WRT54GS
I installed an Open Source firmware called OpenWRT on our Linksys WRT54GS wireless access point about 2 months ago. My main reason for doing so was that it allows me to perform port mapping rather than just port forwarding. This allows me to map WAN service ports to different LAN service ports. This a neat trick to reduce the likelihood of a network attack since services are exposed on the WAN/Internet adapter on non-standard ports.
OpenWRT has demonstrated itself to be highly configurable and reliable. I also like the ability to run a caching DNS service. And, I can assign static IP addresses to my LAN computers and publish their computer names through the DNS service. It's much easier to remember the host-name 'tivo' than '192.168.1.2'.
OpenWRT also provides the ability to install numerous modules on the system, and is limited only by the access points small amount of physical memory. I have version 1.0 of the WRT54GS, which yields 32 MB of RAM - plenty for what I require of the system. I highly recommend using the OpenWRT firmware if you've got a Linksys WRT54GS or other supported device. My access point was purchased in Spring 2004, and I'm amazed that I can still rely on it to provide me fast, secure access without an upgrade in over 2 years. Perhaps I should expect more of my other electronic devices!
Here's a screenshot of what the web-based administration tool looks like:
