If you want to install linux on your router you came to the right place! Linux Routers are getting very common these days as they provide many powerful features that common routers don't. Linux Firmware let's you unleash all the potential under the hood of many commercial routers.

Some may say that linux routers are hard to configure and that you need some linux knowledge to put everything up and running, the truth is that installing the linux firmware on many routers is a wall in park if you follow the steps correctly. Installing third party linux firmware on the Buffalo WRH-G54S it's easy and the configuration of all the networking parameters it's even easier, as we will be using the Tomato Linux Firmware by Polarcloud. Tomato Linux Firmware is based on OpenWRT but writen with easy of use, power and speed in mind.

This tutorial will explain you how to flash the router in order to install Tomato Linux Firmware on it, turning this low cost wireless router into a powerful and resourceful wireless router.

I chose to install Tomato on this Buffalo router because it is one of the cheap (if not the cheapest) routers you can install third party Linux firmware on.

This router is amazing in features and can even be hacked and tweaked to make it even better. For example, you can hack the Buffalo WRH-G54S to use an SD memory card as additional storage that you can use to install software, keep configuration files or even log files.

Don't be fooled by the Buffalo Wireless Router WHR-G54S low cost because it's features are top class for a commercial home use router. This quick review of the G54S will give you an idea of what it has to offer.

Features Specification

NetworkingCompliant Standards

IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g

Features

Firewall protection, DHCP support, NAT support, Intrusion Detection System (IDS), MAC address filtering, Wireless Distribution System (WDS) support

Switching Protocol Ethernet
Data Link Protocol Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Integrated Switch 4-port switch
Connectivity Technology Wireless, wired
Frequency Band 2.4 GHz
Data Transfer Rate 125 Mbps
Line Coding Format OFDM
Spread Spectrum Method OFDM, DSSS

Encryption Algorithm AES, 128-bit WEP, 64-bit WEP, TKIP, WPA-PSK

Expansion / ConnectivityInterfaces 1 x network - Radio-Ethernet / 4 x network node - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45 / 1 x network - Ethernet - RJ-45 ( WAN )

General

Height 5.7 in
Depth 5.1 in
Width 1.1 in
Weight 0.7 lbs

Please Read these notes Before Install

• This will not work over a wireless connection.
  
• The following procedures are for an first install on a Buffalo router.

Installation Procedure using Windows XP

• Navigate to Tomato's Webpage and download the firmware file (you will need to unzip it).
• Push and hold the reset button on the router for a few seconds to reset the configuration.
• Make sure the red diagnostic light isn't lit on the router and unplug the power cable from the router.
• Connect to the router using a Lan Port.
• Change your computer's ethernet card settings to IP ADDRESS 192.168.11.2 NETMASK 255.255.255.0 GATEWAY 192.168.11.1 (you can set this by going to Control Panel, Network Connections, right-click your ethernet card, click on properties, then open TCP/IP settings).
• Open a DOS console and navigate to the directory where you unzipped all the files (the file you need will have a .trx extension and should be called "tomato.trx").
• Write the following on the DOS console "tftp -i 192.168.11.1 put tomato.trx" (without the ""), this command will return Timeout if it fails or Transferred if it was successful. AND DO NOT HIT ENTER YET!
• Now Plug in the Routers power cable and HIT ENTER! (You have a 3 or 5 seconds window to do this) If it doesn't start the process do it all over again, unplug and enter the command again. It could be tricky to get the timing righ, just keep trying...
• Wait for at least 2 minutes after the initial flash, then with the power still on, push the reset button for one full minute to reset the configuration. Release the reset button and allow the unit to boot up before trying to access it.
• Go back to your ethernet card configuration and configure it using DHCP and you shloud be able to navigate to the router's page at "192.168.1.1".
• The GUI username is "admin" and the password is "root".

Update: There now a whr_install.bat file included in the package that automates the file upload process. Double-click on the whr_install.bat file and Re-plug the power cable to the router. If it doesn't work, unplug, the router, wait a few seconds and try again.

Tomato Linux Firmware is an OpenWRT based third party firmware that features a new easy to use GUI, a bandwidth usage monitor, advanced QOS and access restrictions, enables new wireless features such as WDS and wireless client modes, raises the limits on maximum connections for P2P and allows you to run your custom scripts or connect via telnet/ssh.

Advanced QOS and Network Congestion Control features gives you the power to control and mantain bandwith and trafic quality on your network, both cabled and wireless networks.

There are many mods based on the Tomato Firmware that have been tweaked to serve different purposes. You can find Tomato mods for increasing P2P speed, for 32GB SDHC mempry cards support or even for VPN tunneling.

• Linksys WRT54G v1-v4, WRT54GS v1-v4, WRT54GL v1.x, WRTSL54GS (no USB support)
• Buffalo WHR-G54S, WHR-HP-G54, WZR-G54, WBR2-G54
• Asus WL500G Premium (no USB support)
• Untested but apparently works without changes: SparkLAN WX-6615GT

Note: Most WRT54G and WRT54GS (not WRT54GL) sold in stores right now are the v5.0+ variety and will not work with Tomato.

Some useful resources for tweaking and configuring Tomato

• Tomato Official FAQ
• Tomato Pages at Wikibooks
• Guide on Tomato's QOS by scottb (aka gazguzla)
• Some more on Tomato's QOS by Mark Wagner
  

Buffalo WHR-G54S SD/MMC Card at OpenWRT Docs

Buffalo WHR-G54S Disassembly