Asus WL-330ge Modded
October 3rd, 2010 | 
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I recently purchased an Asus wireless access point/router from eBay for the purpose of using it for mobility. I wanted something that I could use while in a car, boat, rv, camping, etc. Due to it’s size. (its smaller then a deck of cards) I could use it about anywhere but first I had to make some changes.
For starters I flashed the Asus wl-330ge using the open source (linux based) firware called dd-wrt so it would be alot more powerful and be able to be used as an access point, client bridge, client, repeater, repeater bridge, etc.
Once this was complete I was so impressed with this little wifi router that I decided to take it one step further. I wanted to mod it to use an external antenna.
Once opening it up out of the plastic case I got a couple of suprises. First, I found that not only did it have 2 internal antennas but it also had another connection near antenna 1 that could also be used to attach an external antenna (like the wires used on laptop wifi cards built in) so a possibility of 3 antennas in total.
I took an old wifi adapter and de-soldered the external wire and connector and soldered it to the number 2 antenna of the asus pcb. In the pictures I have taken of the unit modified you can see that I attached (soldered) 2 external antenna connectors to it however in the end I only used just one external antenna as I did not notice alot of difference using 2 of them.
Just using the 2 internal antennas I was only able to see 2 access points near my home. With the one new external antenna mod I am now able to see and connect to over 12! (this using only a standard 2 Dbi antenna) When you add this to the fact that I can now use the advanced control panel provided by the dd-wrt firware, you can see what a great addition this would be for anyone that travels.
The Asus wl-330ge requires only 5volts DC @ 1 amp to run which also makes it perfect for use with a small solar panel. The solar panel seen in the photo was purchased on ebay from a china seller. Strange that only china offered a panel this small with such a large output. (compared to it’s size)
Here are pics I did during the modding. I hope this helps some of you that have this tiny little wireless access point and are considering modding it.
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Tags: 7 Responses to “Asus WL-330ge Modded”
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new2you :
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new2you : hay anyone got any extra solar panels thay want to get rid of for free?
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new2you : LOL
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new2you : boy this place is boring at 10:13 at night...
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new2you : I am playing with my portable hotspot right now
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new2you : whats shakin
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new2you : hello tocco
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admin : please post your mods, hacks or other articles
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admin : hello world
I think this mod will definitely work better for me than the cigar box one due to size. Are you open to making this one for me without the solar panel?
Thanks I hope to hear back from you:)
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Yes, it is alot smaller for sure. In fact it's about the same size as a deck of cards. Actually I think it's a little smaller then a deck of cards. Anyway, not sure what you are wanting. You want one of these with the external antenna mod? Or you want one that is mounted into a backpack?? Not sure what you are asking. Sorry.
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No problem. I did not mean to be unclear. I want one with an external antenna, usb powered, and set up and ready to connect to a free network. I think that should cover it. This would work just like the larger cigar boxed one correct?
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I think that can be done however it is not the same as what is in the box. The one in the box does not need a PC to be connected to it….ever. The point of the solar powered one or grid tied for that matter is so that everyone within 150 feet of the thing gets 5 bars signal and is able to get online with a more reliable signal.
As far as the usb goes, it would be cheaper and better to get yourself a "alfa networks" adapter that is usb and plugins into a usb port on any pc. I have one that is 1 watt I got from ebay and it works great however it will NOT allow for everyone else around you to get online. It can only can be connected to one pc at a time.
Hope that helps answer your question as I understand it.
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I see. Let me explain what I am trying to do. I want to have a device to travel with (mainly for inside hotel rooms), where I can hopefully pick up a free wi-fi signal to use on my mac laptop. What would you recommend? I looked at the alpha and that would be great provided if it could do dd-wrt?
It doesn't matter that I must have a computer (that is what I wanted it for – not trying to share the connection). And two something small to travel with.
Thanks again for your response.
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Okay. I see what you are doing now. Okay, what I would do is either get myself the alfa network adapter or get the smaller router like the asus wl-330ge and flash it with the dd-wrt firmware. It is small enough that you could fit it into your shirt pocket and it would not get noticed. Then once you have dd-wrt firmware flashed onto the device you login to the admin control panel for dd-wrt and click on the admin tab at the top of the page. (as seen on this screenshot)
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8485/screenshotmf.png
Then you copy paste this code ( http://www.mediafire.com/?emjl7382w38tn71 ) into the box and click on the "save startup" tab at the bottom.
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Can we talk offline via skype, yahoo, etc?
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