Prioritizing Privacy
The following DD-WRT builds are from 11/24/2024 r58699. Keep in mind that these builds are for upgrading routers that already have DD-WRT firmware flashed. To flash a stock firmware router with DD-WRT firmware see our Flash My Router plan!
Download an updated DD-WRT firmware build for your specific FlashRouter model below. Contact support@flashrouters.com if you are uncertain about your router model or your router model is not available below.
Please be aware that FlashRouters is not responsible for any DIY firmware flashing updates. If you have questions or concerns contact FlashRouters Support or check out the DD-WRT Community for additional helpful resources.
Make sure you are following the directions below to load the firmware file into the router settings and not trying to open the firmware file on its own.
Access the FlashRouter via wired connection. It is possible to upgrade firmware via WiFi, but this is not recommended unless you are unable to wire directly to the router.
Navigate to Administration > Firmware Upgrade
Bypassing the ExpressVPN tunnel on certain devices allows you to have multiple IP Addresses while connected to the same router. This feature is very helpful with certain websites where VPN is blocked such as streaming services and banking information.
1. Connect to the FlashRouter’s network via ethernet cable or wireless.
2. Open your web browser and enter expressvpnrouter.com or 192.168.132.1 in the URL.
3. Login with your ExpressVPN FlashRouter admin password.
4. Select VPN Off on the right hand side of the menu.
5. Click and drag the device that you want to bypass the VPN tunnel to the No VPN area.
The devices assigned to No VPN will now correct directly to your ISP internet while the devices in the VPN group will remain connected to the VPN server.
Your Privacy Hero router uses Cloud Based router management which means you can access the router settings from anywhere on any device that has an internet connection. You can follow these steps while connected to your phone, other Wi-Fi network, or the Privacy Hero network.
Each Privacy Hero router comes with a year free of Privacy Hero WireGuard VPN and can be setup for NordVPN and Surfshark users as well. Use these steps to change between the VPN providers to find the best connection for your needs.
1. From any device that has a browser such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet visit app.privacyhero.com
2. Enter your Privacy Hero account email and password. Click Login.
If you have not created your Privacy Hero account yet please follow these instructions.
3. Click the VPN symbol.
4. Click the Change button and select the VPN provider that you want to use.
Your Privacy Hero router uses Cloud Based router management which means you can access the router settings from anywhere on any device that has an internet connection. You can follow these steps while connected to your phone, other Wi-Fi network, or the Privacy Hero network.
The Safe Surf settings feature allows users to block inappropriate search results, YouTube videos, and adult content. All devices assigned to this profile will have these rules applied.
1. From any device that has a browser such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet visit app.privacyhero.com
2. Enter your Privacy Hero account email and password. Click Login.
If you have not created your Privacy Hero account yet please follow these instructions.
3. Click the Profiles symbol.
4. Click the name of the User Profile.
5. Toggle On the settings for Internet Safe Search, YouTube Safe Search, and Block Adult Content as needed.
When connected to a FlashRouter’s network the DNS settings of the devices will be reporting as 192.168.11.1. This means that the router is handling DNS internally through the servers you have set in the Setup > Basic Setup section of the router. If you did not set any custom DNS here, then you will using your ISP or VPN DNS servers automatically.
You can always customize the DNS servers in the router to your preferred servers and through DNSmasq the router will use 192.168.11.1 to route these servers to your connected devices.
In some instances disabling DNSMasq in the DD-WRT settings can help unblock previously blocked websites while connected to VPN. This will force devices to report the DNS servers set in the router directly as opposed to 192.168.11.1.
Disabling DNSMasq is not recommended unless FlashRouters specifically advises you but we have seen this work for certain VPN providers. To disable the DNSMasq do the following.
Navigate to Setup > Basic Setup
Navigate to Services > Services
Follow this guide to change the Wireless channel on your TP-Link FlashRouter.
1. Connect your computer, phone, or tablet to the TP-Link router via wireless (FlashRouter24 / FlashRouter50) or via ethernet cable to one of the LAN ports on the router.
The FlashRouter WiFi password is printed on the sheet that came with the router and is set to Wireless#[First 5 characters of your router MAC]. The router MAC can be found on the bottom of your router if you cannot locate the sheet. For e.g. if your MAC is 1459C07E70A8 then your WiFi password is Wireless#1459C
Be sure to capitalize the W.
2. Once connected via wireless or ethernet on your device open your browser and go to the TP-Link firmware settings.
3. Enter tp-link as the admin password to access the TP-Link firmware settings.
4. Click Wireless.
5. Change the Channel setting to the number that you want to use. Click Save.
6. Connect your devices to the wireless network again as they may have been disconnected when making this change.
Save a backup file of your correctly configured DD-WRT settings to ensure you can load the working settings in a few simple clicks instead of manually configuring each setting in the event of a reset.
Navigate to Administration > Backup
Navigate to Administration > Backup
Keep in mind that passwords are case sensitive.
The preset DD-WRT FlashRouter WiFi password is Wireless#[First 5 characters of your router MAC]. The router MAC can be found on the bottom of your router. For e.g. if your MAC is 1459C07E70A8 then your WiFi password is Wireless#1459C
Connect an ethernet cable from a numbered port on the FlashRouter to a computer and access the FlashRouter’s settings.
Navigate to Wireless > Wireless Security
Check the Unmask box and note the wireless password that is entered.
Make sure that you have WPA2 Personal / AES set as the security settings for all bands. For some router models make sure the CCMP-128 (AES) box is checked for all bands.
Wireless devices usually offer a “forget” network feature to remove a wireless network from the saved information of the wireless adapter. If you have updated your WiFi password and are trying to connect on a device that previously used the old WiFi password then removing the wireless network and then trying to connect fresh can help with this issue.
Follow this guide to disable Wi-Fi network on your GL.iNet FlashRouter.
1. Connect your computer, phone, or tablet to the GL.iNet router via wireless (FlashRouter24 / FlashRouter50) or via ethernet cable to one of the LAN ports on the router.
The FlashRouter WiFi password is printed on the sheet that came with the router and is set to Wireless#[First 5 characters of your router MAC]. The router MAC can be found on the bottom of your router if you cannot locate the sheet. For e.g. if your MAC is 1459C07E70A8 then your WiFi password is Wireless#1459C
Be sure to capitalize the W.
2. Once connected via wireless or ethernet on your device open your browser and go to 192.168.8.1
3. Enter openwrt as the admin password to access the GL.iNet firmware settings.
4. Click Wireless.
5. Click Modify under the 5GHz or 2.4GHz band.
The 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands must be disabled at separate times. Keep in mind that if you are connected to wireless when disabling one band you may need to reconnect with the other band to disable it. Also make sure you have a device that has ethernet capabilities so you can still access the settings with wireless disabled.
6. Set the Enable Wi-Fi toggle to the OFF position and click Apply.
DD-WRT open source firmware removes many firmware vulnerabilities and backdoor access issues that may cause problems in stock firmware. DD-WRT is also updated more frequently than stock firmware, so be sure to always check with the FlashRouter support team to see which DD-WRT build we recommend for the highest level of security for your router at any time.
Aside from avoiding common issues and flaws with stock firmware, DD-WRT give you more control over the firmware settings and allows you to take some extra steps to really lock down your network security. In this article we highlight additional options for WiFi network security and also preventative measures for remote execution attacks.
Navigate to Wireless > MAC Filter
Navigate to Services > Services
Navigate to Administration > Management
A DNS Leak is an instance where your ISP receives DNS requests despite being connected to a VPN tunnel.
Updates to web browsers have added DNS settings capabilities, while this often makes your browsing experience more secure it can also effect the results of a DNS leak test. You can go into your browser’s settings and search for “DNS” and disable the DNS of the browser for more accurate DNS leak test results.
A simple web search for “DNS settings [browser name]” should return helpful information for finding the setting in your browser.
1. On the Setup > Basic Setup page of the DD-WRT settings check the Ignore WAN DNS box.
This setting may not appear in older DD-WRT firmware builds. If it is not appearing for you, upgrade your DD-WRT firmware.
2. Lower on the same page check the Forced DNS Redirection box.
3. Click Apply Settings at the bottom of the page and then wait a full minute and power the FlashRouter off and back on. Reconnect to the FlashRouter’s network once it boots back up and then make sure you are connected to VPN by going to https://whatismyipaddress.com then perform the DNS leak test again.
Adding your VPN provider’s DNS servers to the router’s configuration can be helpful as well. The DNS servers are typically found on the VPN provider’s website or you can reach out to their team for a recommendation of what DNS servers to enter.
Your Privacy Hero router uses Cloud Based router management which means you can access the router settings from anywhere on any device that has an internet connection. You can follow these steps while connected to your phone, other Wi-Fi network, or the Privacy Hero network.
Use these steps to enable Privacy Hero’s VPN Kill Switch to make sure that no traffic goes through your router unless it is connected to VPN.
1. From any device that has a browser such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet visit app.privacyhero.com
2. Enter your Privacy Hero account email and password. Click Login.
If you have not created your Privacy Hero account yet please follow these instructions.
3. Click the VPN symbol.
4. Toggle the VPN Kill Switch setting to On.
StrongVPN Wireguard DD-WRT setup is now officially supported by FlashRouters. Follow the steps below to gather all the required information to complete your Wireguard router setup.
Navigate to Security > Firewall
Set SPI Firewall to Disable.
Click Save at the bottom of the page.
Select your actual time zone for you physical location from the dropdown and enter 1.pool.ntp.org in the Server IP/Name dropdown.
Click Apply Settings at the bottom of the page.
If you are not already a StrongVPN user Sign Up Now.
1. Log in to your account on the StrongVPN website.
2. Select Router icon as the Platform
3. Select the Advanced Options dropdown and then check Exclude LAN Traffic and set any value between 52000 and 60000 in the Custom Port field.
4. Select the Server Location from the dropdown that you would like to connect to.
5. Select the Generate at the bottom of the page.
6. Click the DD-WRT installer script box to copy.
Navigate to Administration > Commands
Paste the StrongVPN Script that was copied in the empty Commands Shell.
Delete the very last line sleep 8 && reboot.
Click Save Custom (or Save Custom Script may appear depending on your firmware build, they are the same thing)
Copy the line below and paste into the empty Commands Shell.
sh /tmp/.rc_custom
Click Run Commands.
Wait two minutes and then power the FlashRouter off and back on. Reconnect to the FlashRouter’s network when it has booted back up.
Navigate to Setup > Tunnels
Navigate to Administration > Backup
Your Privacy Hero router uses Cloud Based router management which means you can access the router settings from anywhere on any device that has an internet connection. You can follow these steps while connected to your phone, other Wi-Fi network, or the Privacy Hero network.
Use these steps to disable your Privacy Hero Wi-Fi so only ethernet connections are active. This is not a required step just a preference.
1. From any device that has a browser such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet visit app.privacyhero.com
2. Enter your Privacy Hero account email and password. Click Login.
If you have not created your Privacy Hero account yet please follow these instructions.
3. Click the Wi-Fi symbol.
4. Set the toggle switches to the off position for the Wi-Fi bands you want to disable.
Create a Guest WiFi network on your Roqos to segment certain devices from the main network and set custom content filters as you see fit. Note that this is only for 2.4GHz wireless.
Login to Roqos Core UI web app in a browser on any computer or smart device.
1. Click the navigation menu and select Basic Settings > WiFi Settings.
2. Click Guest WiFi.
3. Toggle the Enable slider and set the Network Name and Guest WiFi Password. Click Save.
4. Optional: If you wish to set specific Content Filters for the Guest Network and set the Filters that you see fit.
Listed below are important links to setup instructions for connecting an Asus Merlin firmware router to the internet and WiFi.
A Wireless Access Point is a setup that has the FlashRouter using an existing network’s DHCP instead of assigning its own. The FlashRouter’s WAN/Internet port should be not be connected to your modem or other router while performing this setup.
Locate the Local IP Address of the existing router that the FlashRouter will be bridged to.
Navigate to Security > Firewall
Navigate to Services > Services
Navigate to Setup > Basic Setup
Navigate to Setup > Advanced Routing
Navigate to the Administration > Backup page.
Changing the wireless channel on your ExpressVPN FlashRouter can help with WiFi stability and allows you to use a wireless channel with less traffic in your local environment.
1. Connect to the FlashRouter’s network via ethernet cable or wireless.
2. Open your web browser and enter expressvpnrouter.com or 192.168.132.1 in the URL.
3. Login with your ExpressVPN FlashRouter admin password.
4. Select Network Settings on the left hand side of the menu.
5. Select Wi-Fi Settings on the left hand side of the menu.
6. Select Advanced Settings.
7. Select the Channel Width and Main Channel you want your ExpressVPN FlashRouter to use. Note that higher 5GHz Wi-Fi channels will not be compatible with older devices. Click Save. Click Continue.
Flint WiFi 6 AX1800 VPN Router
Upon flashing the router from stock manufacturer firmware to DD-WRT firmware many buttons and lights on the router may have altered functionality. With DD-WRT firmware on certain devices a red internet/WAN light means a successful connection. While in factory firmware a red light denotes an issue with your internet connection. For anyone with DD-WRT firmware, this is not something you need to worry about as long as the internet functionality is in fact working.
Schedule a reboot of the FlashRouter to restart your connection. A reboot of your network can help with stability and prevent the connection from slowing down over time.
Navigate to Administration > Keep Alive
If you are not already a IVPN user Sign Up Now.
Log in to your account on the IVPN website.
Navigate to Setup > Tunnels
1. Click Add Tunnel.
2. Set Tunnel to Enable.
3. Select Wireguard from the dropdown.
3. Set MTU to 1412.
4. Click Generate Key.
9. Copy the Local Public Key.
10. In a new tab (leave the DD-WRT settings opened), go to your IVPN Account and click WireGuard and then click WireGuard Key Management.
11. Click Add New Key.
12. Paste the copied Local Public key to the Public Key field and click Add Key.
13.Copy the IP Address assigned to your public key and add it to the IP Addresses/Netmask(CIDR) field followed by a /32 subnet mask.
Certain DD-WRT builds will show two separate fields here: IP Address and Subnet Mask. If that is the case set the IP Address field to the Address without the /32 added and set the Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.255
14. Click Add Peer.
15. Set the Peer Tunnel IP to 0.0.0.0. Set Peer Tunnel DNS to 172.16.0.1
16. Set Endpoint to Enable.
17. Go to the IVPN Server Status page and copy the server name for the WireGuard server location you want to connect to.
Be sure to copy the WireGuard server address and not the OpenVPN server address.
18. Paste the server name you copied into the Endpoint Address field and set the Port to 2049.
19. On the IVPN Server Status page copy the Public Key of the server location you entered. Paste the Public Key into the Peer Public Key field.
20. Leave Allowed IPs as 0.0.0.0/0. Set Router Allowed IP’s via tunnel to Enable. Set Persistent Keep Alive to 25.
21. At the bottom of the page click Save and then click Apply Settings.
Navigate to Setup > Basic Setup
Set Static DNS 1 to 172.16.0.1
Set Static DNS 2 to 198.245.51.147
Click Apply Settings.
Navigate to Administration > Management
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the red Reboot Router button. Wait for the FlashRouter to reboot and then reconnect.
Navigate to Setup > Tunnels
Navigate to Administration > Backup
Follow this guide to upgrade the firmware of your GL.iNet FlashRouter.
1. Connect your computer, phone, or tablet to the GL.iNet router via wireless (FlashRouter24 / FlashRouter50) or via ethernet cable to one of the LAN ports on the router.
The FlashRouter WiFi password is printed on the sheet that came with the router and is set to Wireless#[First 5 characters of your router MAC]. The router MAC can be found on the bottom of your router if you cannot locate the sheet. For e.g. if your MAC is 9483C07E70A8 then your WiFi password is Wireless#9483C
Be sure to capitalize the W.
2. Once connected via wireless or ethernet on your device open your browser and go to 192.168.8.1
3. Enter openwrt as the admin password to access the GL.iNet firmware settings. Newer devices may have a different admin password set as openwrt1 or glopenwrt1
3. If a new firmware upgrade is available the router settings will either display a banner when you first access the router or a header. Click Install or the Upgrade arrow depending on which appears for you.
4. Make sure the Keep Settings toggle is pushed to the right so your router does not get reset. Click the Install button to begin the firmware upgrade.
5. The firmware update should take about 2-3 minutes. You may need to reconnect your wireless devices after the network comes back up in your available networks.
Your Roqos Core’s settings or UI (User Interface) is accessible via a secure cloud based connection rather than the typical local access of other routers. This means that you can manage your Roqos from anywhere in the world not just at home.
From any device that has a browser such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet visit login.roqos.com
Enter in the email and password that you set when your Roqos was initially setup. If you still need to create your Roqos account and activate your Roqos follow our Activate and Connect Roqos to Internet guide.
Now that you are logged in to your Roqos UI you adjust any settings as you see fit for your network. For guides on how to make specific changes to your Roqos view our Roqos Setup Guide area.
Your Privacy Hero router uses Cloud Based router management which means you can access the router settings from anywhere on any device that has an internet connection. You can follow these steps while connected to your phone, other Wi-Fi network, or the Privacy Hero network.
1. From any device that has a browser such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet visit app.privacyhero.com
2. Enter your Privacy Hero account email and password. Click Login.
If you have not created your Privacy Hero account yet please follow these instructions.
5.0GHz networks are not compatible with all devices so first make sure that you device’s wireless adapter supports 5GHz wireless frequencies.
If you are not sure, find out if your device support 5 GHz via Google search or by looking in the wireless hardware details in the device’s network settings. If you see Wireless a/b/g/n support then you have a compatible device. If you are missing the Wireless a then this means there is no 5 GHz support.
Our team has tested the wireless functionality for each FlashRouter that we offer and shared our recommended wireless settings in our Wifi Setup area. Replicate the settings for your FlashRouter model found on that page.
Some devices do support 5.0GHz connections but not the higher channels that DD-WRT firmware offers.
Navigate to Wireless > Basic Settings
Lower the wireless channel setting for the 5.0GHz band that is not showing. Based on our tests the most broadly compatible channels are 36, 48 and 161.
CLICK APPLY SETTINGS
The easiest way to accomplish this is by rebooting your device as the settings to reset your adapter may vary on all types of internet connected devices.
Navigate to Status > Wireless
The readouts on this page can help tell if there are errors with the FlashRouter’s wireless. View our article on how to read the Wireless Status page for more information.
