I have a small LAN with two desktop computers, both running linux, hooked up by ethernet cable to an SMC broadband router hooked up (by a cable with two multipin plug thingies) to a US Robotics modem. I have been happy with the modem, but my system never really got along with the router, and I am thinking of buying a new one. Just to make sure I am not misunderstood:

Connectivity I want:

• dynamic IP
• dialup, via my modem

Connectivity I don't want:

• static IP
• wireless
• broadband
• DSL
• cable
• satellite dish
• whatever I've forgotten to mention

If it helps:

Things I don't mind about the SMC router:

• web interface accessed by browser

Things I dislike about the SMC router:

• only M$ is supported, which prevents me from being able to upload firmware updates from the manufacturer,
• when logging into web interface, the password is transmitted in cleartext. Sure, if everything works as it should, that couldn't be sniffed by someone outside my LAN... but... should that really be any comfort?

Any recommendations?

off the shelf linksys routers might work
either a linksys cable router befsr41 or a wrt54g with the antennas disabled (note i mention wrt54g because there are also linux based firmwares (dd-wrt, tomato etc) for the wrt54g that add functionality above and beyond the stock firmware)

well I am sure most people have preferences. Since most use a simple HTML interface. not a big thing. fire up your browser type in the 198.168.11.1 or a number very close. then set up you connections and your security. creat a name for it make a root password for it log out all is good.
the big thing you should ask how easy is it for my router to connect to my IP. most are pretty much using auto dhcp router does that. With using the simple html gateway.
then your stuff is stored.
the truth is if you are using a cable IP provider some of them only allow one mac address only.
So if you have that then you will look for a router that has a mac clone ability.
but that is not a linux question.
I like the WRT54G2 it is good stuff very configurable and can use open source stuff.

Other wise any of the big boys stuff works. It is all html and data packets of 50,000 byts.
just read the guides manual set up. Because trust me the disk will not do it for you.
but on most of the disks there is a manual set up.

Linksys cable router befsr41: is that a non-wireless router suitable for a small LAN connecting via a modem? Perhaps I am being thrown by the word "cable".

Linksys router WRT54G2: OK, two recommendations, but apparently it is a wireless router? Is it hard to disable the wireless? I'd prefer to throw dip switches or something like that viz. fallible/crackable software.

you want to route a 56k modem or a 128 isdn modem. fine go buy a old router in a recycled computer shop and do it. good luck. as fare as disable no need no wifi connected or set up it is disabled. but it is not for modem stuff.
please read a little about linux. find an old 486 computer and turn it in to a pppd server.
point to point protocol dial up. acquire your dial up conection with your 20 dollar 486 computer and let it send it out via a 21 century router configure your connection to your other computers or devices dynamic or static any way you want. even control the speed mac address wifi if wanted .so now you have dial up connection 56k connect to a 54 mp system no bottle neck there. but very secure.
this is 2010 right lol hang in there that M$ thing was fixed last century samba server software. comes with every linux distribution I use. and M$ uses it as a bench mark.

I would STRONGLY DISCOURAGE anyone thinking of buying a router from buying a linksys. For years I recommended them as did an ISP I am associated with, but in the last 6 months there has been a serious drop in quality. I would go so far as to say that 30% of the linksys routers our customers are buying are bad out of the box for that time frame. At the same time netgear and D-link seem to have lost a great deal of their quirkiness. Just my 2cents.

Linksys used to be great but the Linksys router I got ~a month ago was defective; the next router I got was a Belkin (not much choice ex-stock locally and under time pressure) and it has been fine so far.

If buying another router, I would try to avoid being under time pressure and would look for one that can be loaded with DD-WRT, OpenWRT or Tomato. As well as Linksys' quality reduction, each new version seems to have less functionality perhaps to differentiate them more clearly from Cisco branded products (think "market segmentation").

That's been my thinking, as well as the fact that it's not one size fits all anymore, they now have a "good, better, best" product line that pushes you towards the higher priced products. Oddly enough though, they are branded CISCO more noticeably than linksys.

My apologies for getting off topic.

56k modem. I have only a vague idea what a "default route" is: something like setting things up so my packets find my way through a... gateway server?

I want to find a non-wireless router which I can put behind my modem. I want a router which I can firewall and configure, and ideally, one which runs off a linux.

Do I have this right? I think you are suggesting:

• obtain a used desktop computer with... 128M RAM?,
• install a business card type linux on it,
• configure it as a pppd server (is there a tutorial somewhere?)
• obtain a modern wireless router
• obtain a high speed internet account
• ... something, something... dynamic IP...
• ???

I'm lost, but it may not matter, since I specified that I don't trust wireless, want a dynamic external IP, and don't need or want a high speed internet account.

This has nothing to do with my problem, right?

Thanks to you and damgar for the warning about Linksys routers, but in any case I believe they make wireless routers, which I wish to avoid (too many security problems I don't wish to deal with).

I believe that DD-WRT and Tomato are firmware for wireless routers. Not sure about OpenWRT--- does anyone know? I want to purchase a good linux-friendly wired router.

OK, how about this plan? I have two computers which are not both on often, only one of which I use for websurfing, and want both to be able to printer to a laser printer.

• I obtain a good Linux-friendly, non-wireless router and use it to set up a network printer for my humble LAN,
• Instead of connecting modem to router, I connect it to my surfing computer, and then the modem connects to a phone jack,
• I use kppp to configure and run pppd dialing out from my surfing computer (with local firewalls on each computer)

See the problem? That brings the internet inside my LAN! So it makes sense to want to have the modem outside the router, agreed?

Does anyone know if this should work, if I can find a suitable router?

• Attach modem to router,
• Use kppp to configure and run pppd and hope kudzu (?) figures out how to find the modem,