Increase WiFi signal: Install this program on the router

Generally, to get the WiFi signal to reach further, in order to cover every corner of the house or share Internet service with the house next door, the most common solution is to buy a more “powerful” router. However, if you do not have the money or do not want to invest in another equipment, an alternative is to change the firmware or software of your current router, for one that allows you to increase the transmission power above the limit established by the manufacturer, something that can improve download speed on connected devices.

For example, through this procedure I have been able to increase the 20 dBm of maximum power offered by my router TP-Link WR940N, by 28 dBm. East 40% power increase It has allowed me a similar signal gain on my devices and a range of five to ten meters more, considering a couple of walls in between.

Pictures above: WiFi signal before and after increasing the power of my router with the DD-WRT firmware.

But the increased power and gain of the antennas are just a few advantages of this procedure. Replacing the official firmware with one like DD-WRT allows you to operate the router in switch mode (adding the WAN port as one more LAN), wireless LAN client and WiFi repeater or WDS bridge with STP support (something that has prevented my connection from WiFi crashing with two linked routers). You get additional features like VPN, QOS Quality of Service, detailed resource monitor, router overclock, scheduled reboot, etc.

If the DD-WRT firmware does not exist for your router, other alternatives with similar advantages that you can also investigate are Tomato Y OpenWRT.

DD-WRT

Some features of the DD-WRT Firmware in images.

How to install

Fortunately, installing new firmware on the router is fairly straightforward. In the case of DD-WRT, there are several methods, but the easiest and most recommended is from the router’s configuration page, “Firmware update” option. However, you must be very careful to avoid interrupting the process, because if this is the case, you will be left with an unusable router.

1. Reset the router to its factory settings. You should locate the “Reset” button on the back and hold it down for 10 to 20 seconds until all the lights turn on and off.

2. Download the firmware. In the case of DD-WRT, you must go to the router database and enter the model of your router. On the next screen choose the version of your router (you will find it next to the model on the label attached to the back). Among the available files, choose the file DD-WRT Factory Image.

3. From the browser of a device connected to the router (preferably from a PC connected by cable), enter the IP of the router and in the login screen the default username and password, which are on the label pasted on the back, or you can find them on the Internet depending on their model.

4. In the System or similar tab you should look for the option that says «Firmware Upgrade«.

5. From the button «Search», locate and choose the file .bin Discharged. Click on “Upgrade”. The firmware may be flashed immediately. If the option «Continue» appears, wait at least five minutes before clicking on it, after which the flashing should take place. Make sure you don’t interrupt the process. Do not close the browser tab, allow it to disconnect or turn off the router.

6. Once the process is complete, check that you can enter the new router configuration page. The new DD-WRT firmware will change the router’s IP to 192.168.1.1. Therefore, if you can no longer log in, on the device or PC you are using to access you will have to manually set its IP so that it is within the range of the router’s IP. That is, you must use an IP such as 192.168.1.2, or instead of the final 2 any number up to 255. On the login screen you can configure a new username and password, but you can skip this step and use the username and password by default, which is root Y admin respectively.

7. Once you have verified that the new interface or firmware of the router is working, reset it again from the physical button, as in step one.

Increase power and gain in DD-WRT

Once you have installed the DD-WRT firmware, you must go to the Wireless tab, Basic Settings. Check the box that says “Advanced Settings.” You will find the option “TX Power” or transmission power, which determines the strength of the signal that the router produces when it is transmitting (eg when you are downloading something).

DD-WRT says the following about the «TX Power» parameter: «This value ranges between 1 and 1000 mw (0 and 30dBm). Default txpwr is chosen to meet wireless stability and regulatory domains. Higher power settings are not recommended for users due to excess heat generated by the radio chipset, which can affect the life of the router. »

The maximum possible power that you can apply will be 30 dBm, as long as you configure Canada or the United States as the regulation domain. You can put another higher value, but it will have no effect on the router. On the Wireless Information tab you will still see 30 dBm. In the case of my router, possibly due to some internal configuration of the equipment, I have not been able to configure more than 28 dBm.

Another value you can play with is the antenna gain, something that allowed me to gain an extra couple of dBm. I configured 4 dBi, which is the gain indicated by the manufacturer.

Conclution

The downside to this procedure is that it can be illegal. If your router came “capped” at 20 dBm of power, as in this case, it is probably due to the regulations in your country. On the other hand, if the same router were sold in other countries, only without that limit, such as Canada or the United States (where the maximum transmission power is 1000mW or 30 dBm for channels 1 to 11 in the 802.11b band) , there should not be any technical (such as shorter shelf life) or health disadvantage.

References: DD-WRT (Installation, Compatibility), TechSpot (Firmwares), TomatoUSB (TX Power), TP-Link (Gain)

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