After encountering a few problems in configuration of the wireless routers, I was searching the Intenet for solutions. The Buffalo site itself was down due to some ongoing litigation. Scourging more, I found that DD-WRT has released an alternate firmware for it.
Installing it on the WHR-G125 was fairly easy. Although wireless routers come with a web gui, where one can upgrade firmware, this one rejected the alterative. Apparently Buffalo routers only accept signed updates released officially.
But all is not lost. A minor feature in this router came in handy. The bootloader (CFE) waits for incoming TFTP connections for about 5 seconds before loading the firmware from flash. So, I had to connect the router to my PC, give it static IP addresses, and push the DD-WRT firmware within that window. It took a couple of tries to get the timing right, but in the end it went through. Once downloaded, CFE overwrites the new firmware to the flash, and brings the router up wth the new image.
I think this will be a life-saver if ever we screw up with new images. If the router does not come up fully enough to respond to network connections ('bricked'), we can always force download a known-to-work image thorugh the bootloader. It should be a default. OpenWrt (another popular alternative firmware) sets boot_wait variable by default. Apparently they too are working on porting thier image to WHR-G125.
The advantages of alternative firmwares are enhanced signal strength, telnet access (they run linux underneath, afterall), lot more features, nice graphical bandwidth, and wireless site monitor), frequent updates with bug fixes, customizations (you can pick and choose what features you want and build your image, like in FreeWRT). DD-WRT even offers different pre-packaged images like standard, VPN, mini, micro (for routers with as little as 2MB flash). The feature I like the most in DD-WRT is the ability to have multiple WLANS. I can now give the password to a different wireless to my guest, so they can access the Intenet, but not my home PCs.
Update: Apparently Tomato has been ported to this router too. I downloaded and tried it out. Much simpler, slick UI, and I hear a better optimised code too.
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Friday, October 26, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Time for a new Router
Ok, only a geek will get excited about this, and working in a Networking company doesn't help much either.
Had to give away my trusty old D-Link DI-624 to my Dad (who is a proud owner of a laptop now, and cutting all cords). It has served its purpose well, albeit with some limitations: it used to crash/reboot every time I setup URL filtering and domain blocking. Guess its meager processor was just bogged down by the demands of deep packet inspection. So, it is time to retire it, and look for a new powerful, shiny wireless router.
Along came Buffalo WHR-G125 in a really small form factor. I have heard good things about Buffalo before, and this router fit all requirements of mine. Except for one little detail - It had a fixed antenna (I used to have an external antenna for the DLink, to extend its range upstairs). But my fears were unfounded - this little router exceeded my expectations with all excellent signal strength all over the house. So far so good. Will keep this space updated.
Had to give away my trusty old D-Link DI-624 to my Dad (who is a proud owner of a laptop now, and cutting all cords). It has served its purpose well, albeit with some limitations: it used to crash/reboot every time I setup URL filtering and domain blocking. Guess its meager processor was just bogged down by the demands of deep packet inspection. So, it is time to retire it, and look for a new powerful, shiny wireless router.
Along came Buffalo WHR-G125 in a really small form factor. I have heard good things about Buffalo before, and this router fit all requirements of mine. Except for one little detail - It had a fixed antenna (I used to have an external antenna for the DLink, to extend its range upstairs). But my fears were unfounded - this little router exceeded my expectations with all excellent signal strength all over the house. So far so good. Will keep this space updated.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Brinjal Kuzhambu
Ingredients:
- Soak the beans in water overnight.
- Wash in water, and pressure cook it
- Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric to the tamarind extract
- Heat oil in a pan, fry the seasoning mixture
- Add tomato, onion, and curry leaves
- Saute the brinjal slices in this
- Add the tamarind extract
- now Add the cooked beans, and let it boil until it thickens
- add coriander leaves and let it rest off the stove
- Labla beans: 150g
- Onion: 1, chopped fine
- Tomato: 1, chopped fine
- Brinjal: 1/2kg
- Curry leaves: few
- Coconut: 1 cup, grated fine
- Chilli powder: 3 tsp
- Turmeric: a pinch
- Tamarind: small ball size
- Oil: 5 tablespoons
- Season: mustard, jeera, urad dal: 1 tablespoon
- Soak the beans in water overnight.
- Wash in water, and pressure cook it
- Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric to the tamarind extract
- Heat oil in a pan, fry the seasoning mixture
- Add tomato, onion, and curry leaves
- Saute the brinjal slices in this
- Add the tamarind extract
- now Add the cooked beans, and let it boil until it thickens
- add coriander leaves and let it rest off the stove
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Recipe: Tomato Khorma
Ingredients:
- Cut tomato, onion, and chillies
- Boil these in two cups of water, with ginger/garlic paste, turmeric, and salt.
- Once they soften, mash them fine.
- Add Chilli powder, check for salt and boil it again.
- Grind coconut, bengal gram and saumph and add it to the stew.
- Season mustard, cinnamon, clove and curry leaves in a teaspoon of oil and add it to the boiling stew.
- Garnish with coriander and now it is ready to serve!
- Onion - 1 big
- Tomato - 2 big
- Gree Chillies - 3
- Ginger/Garlic paste - 1 tsp
- Chilli powder - 1 tsp
- Turmeric - 1 pinch
- Grated Coconut - 1 cup
- Split Bengal gram - 2 tbsp
- Aniseed (Sompf) - 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Seasoning: Mustard seeds, Cinnamon, Clove
- Curry leaves, Coriander
- Cut tomato, onion, and chillies
- Boil these in two cups of water, with ginger/garlic paste, turmeric, and salt.
- Once they soften, mash them fine.
- Add Chilli powder, check for salt and boil it again.
- Grind coconut, bengal gram and saumph and add it to the stew.
- Season mustard, cinnamon, clove and curry leaves in a teaspoon of oil and add it to the boiling stew.
- Garnish with coriander and now it is ready to serve!
Recipe: Peanut Chutney
Ingredients:
- Fry the Peanuts dry, and remove the skin
- Fry the red chillies in 1 tsp oil
- Grind coconut, chillies, tamarind, salt.
- Then add peanut and grind
- Add some water to grind the mixture to a nice consistency
- Season with mustard seeds, urad dal, fried in oil
- Peanut - 2 cup
- Red Chillies - 4
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Grated Coconut - 1 cup
- Salt to taste
- Tamarind - small ball
- Mustard seed, urad dal for seasoning.
- Fry the Peanuts dry, and remove the skin
- Fry the red chillies in 1 tsp oil
- Grind coconut, chillies, tamarind, salt.
- Then add peanut and grind
- Add some water to grind the mixture to a nice consistency
- Season with mustard seeds, urad dal, fried in oil
Recipe: Idli
Ingredients:
- Soak Uraddal with Fenugreek
- Grind Rice seperately to a coarse consistency
- Grind Uraddal fine with about 2 cups water atleast for 30 mins
Suggestions:
- Add a cup of cooked rice while grinding rice, it will help the batter ferment fast.
- Soak in the morning, grind at night, and let it ferment atleast overnight.
- The consistency to grind the mixture to is a matter of experience.
- (Ravi) Idli rice - 8 cups
- Whole Urad dal - 2 cup
- Fenugreek - 1 tsp
- Soak Uraddal with Fenugreek
- Grind Rice seperately to a coarse consistency
- Grind Uraddal fine with about 2 cups water atleast for 30 mins
Suggestions:
- Add a cup of cooked rice while grinding rice, it will help the batter ferment fast.
- Soak in the morning, grind at night, and let it ferment atleast overnight.
- The consistency to grind the mixture to is a matter of experience.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Recipe: Chicken Curry
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Grind pepper, and fennel nicely
- Add tomato and onion to this and make a puree
- Pressure cook the chicken, yogurt, turmeric, salt, ginger/garlic paste, and the above puree for about two whistles
- Let is sit still to cool
- Sautee Cloves, Cinnamon and Curry leaves with 1 tablespoon oil in a deep frying pan.
- Now add the cooked chicken, and keep stirring.
- Once it thickens add some coriander
- It is ready to serve now
Suggestions: If you want thicker gravy, you can increase the proportion of onion and tomato.
Goes very well as a side dish for roti, naan etc.
- Chicken - 1/2 lb
- Onion - 1 big
- Tomato - 1 big
- Ginger/Garlic paste - 2 tsp
- Yogurt - 1/2 cup
- Chilli powder - 1.5 tsp
- Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp
- Turmeric - 1 pinch
- Garam masala - 1 tsp
- Pepper - whole - 1 tsp
- Fennel -
- Cloves - 2-3
- Cinnamon - 1 stick
- Salt to taste
- Curry leaves
- Coriander
Directions:
- Grind pepper, and fennel nicely
- Add tomato and onion to this and make a puree
- Pressure cook the chicken, yogurt, turmeric, salt, ginger/garlic paste, and the above puree for about two whistles
- Let is sit still to cool
- Sautee Cloves, Cinnamon and Curry leaves with 1 tablespoon oil in a deep frying pan.
- Now add the cooked chicken, and keep stirring.
- Once it thickens add some coriander
- It is ready to serve now
Suggestions: If you want thicker gravy, you can increase the proportion of onion and tomato.
Goes very well as a side dish for roti, naan etc.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Recipe: Chicken Biryani by Vignesh
Last year on our vacation to San Diego, one of our friends surprised us with an awesome chicken biryani. We were all so impressed, we've been bugging him for the recipe. OK, now it is online for all of you to go impress your friends with :-)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Ingredients:
- Briyani Rice - 1 Kg
- Chicken / Mutton - 1 Kg
- Oil - approx 250ml
- Yogurt - approx 150 to 200ml
- Green Chillies - 30 to 35 (Depends on the size of chillies)
- Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
- Mint - 25 gms
- Corinder - 25gms + 25gms (final)
- Ginger - 100gms
- Garlic - 75gms
- Spices - Use either Garam Masala powder (2 tsp) or use indiviudal ones...
- Onion - 250gms
- Tomato - 250 gms
- Lime - 1
Directions:
- Soak Rice in water when u start cooking - add one/two lime juice in water to soak the rice.
- Heat the oil, add the garam masala/spices
- Then add the cut onions (cut onion in length wise, not into small pieces), keep seasoning onion in the pan for some time until it gets cooked.
- Add the Ginger & Garlic paste. Season this paste until the smell wears off.
- Add finely chopped Mint and coriender leaves and season it well.
- Add Green Chillis (without chopping) + Tomatos - dont season tomatos, immediatly add chicken after adding tomato. - mix for some time in high temperature.
- Add Yogrt + Red Chilli powder. Mix well. Add Salt to taste
- Keep in Medium heat - Cook chicken for 20 mins to 30 mins.
- Take a break, get coffee, vote for American Idol or something.
- Meanwhile heat water until it boils, then add the rice. Please dont cook the rice in this water. This is just to remove the starch from rice, so once you see the bubbles coming up after adding rice in boiling water, just remove it and drain the starch.
- Keep it aside until the chicken gets cooked.
- Keep it aside until the chicken gets cooked.
===> Back again..
- Just check up on the taste of gravy, (you can add some more salt / chilli powder, if you need. After adding let it cook it for some more time)
- After Chicken is cooked, you can see the gravy in that.. Add the half cooked rice in that, mix well. Close it with tight lid or aluminium foil, keep it in preheated Oven/Microwave for 20 to 30 mins.
Thats it.. Ready to serve!!