Solution to stabilize my BEFW11S4 V4 wireless router

Updated July 2009: I upgraded the firmware of this router back to 1.52.02, and it's now working stably with WPA-PSK (TKIP) enabled.

1. I have been had a headache with my Linksys BEFW11S4 V4 wireless router. It couldn't work reliably when the wireless function is enabled and I'm not alone with its problem. Click here for others' experience of the problem.
   
2. The symptom of the problem is: Router locks up (doesn't respond to ping and web interface inaccessible) in a few hours after the wireless function is turned on. The only way to reset it is to unplug its power.
3. First I tried to disable UPNP in the router as suggested by some at the above link. But the problem is still there. I didn't disable UPNP on my networked computers though.
   
4. Solution: I downgraded the firmware of my BEFW11S4 V4 to 1.45.3 and since then everything worked fine. I think the only thing lost is WPA but I don't use it anyway. The 1.45.3 firmware can be downloaded at this address.

SPDIF passthrough with my Turtle Beach Riviera

1. Setup: Optical S/PDIF output of my Turtle Beach Riviera is connected to the input of my AV receiver
   
   
2. Motivation: I tried to route digital audio stream to my home theater but I could only get PCM 48kHz on my AV receiver
   
   
3. Useful reference for S/PDIF out on Riviera: Riviera - Frequently Asked Questions
   
   
4. Previous problems: AC3Filter showed "SPDIF output is not supported" and SPDIF passthrough is disabled. Therefore only PCM output is obtained while input is AC3 or DTS. SPDIF input is NOT supported by the default directsound renderer of Riviera? More about Audio Renderer.
   
   
5. SPDIF passthrough while playing back AC3/DTS encoded media files
• Download and install the latest K-Lite Mega Codec Pack
  
  
• I installed K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 2.20 which includes AC3Filter version 1.45b and Media player classic version 6.4.9.0
  
  
• Important: Set the Directshow Audio renderer of Media player classic in Options->Playback->Output to Turtle Beach Riviera Wave as shown in the following picture (click to enlarge)
  
  
• Modify the SPDIF tab of AC3Filter properties as shown in the following picture (click to enlarge)
  
  
  
• In the above case the auido stream is encoded by DTS and passed to my AV receiver without changes via SPDIF. My AV receiver confirmed it's decoding DTS not PCM stream during play back.
  
  
6. SPDIF passthrough while watching live TV with MediaPortal on my WinTV-HVR-1600
• Install the drivers and applications for WinTV-HVR-1600 and verify they work (but no SPDIF passthrough)
  
  
• Download and install the latest version of MediaPortal (the open source media center)
  
  
• Run MediaPortal Setup and modify the settings as shown in the following picture
  
  
• Run MediaPortal My TV and tune to a HD channel
  
  
• The output of AC3Filter is now SPDIF, which can be verified in GraphEdit (see below for details)
  
  
  
7. Test SPDIF passthrough with GraphEdit on my WinTV-HVR-1600
   
• Download DirectX 9 GraphEdit and register proppage.dll by running "regsvr32 proppage.dll" under CMD.
  
  
• Build a directshow filter graph in GraphEdit as shown in one of the following pictures. Click here for a guide to GraphEdit.
  a) The simplest but working filter graph
  b) The remote graph obtained by GraphEdit while running MediaPortal My TV
  
  
• Right click "Microsoft ATSC Network Provider" and click "Filter properties". Under "Tune Request" tab, enter the channel info on the right (WRAL HD as shown in the following picture). Then validate and submit.
  
  
• Play the graph and test live HDTV with SPDIF passthrough

Color coding for power cord (AC wiring)

Color coding for power cord (one phase)

Service	US	Europe	UK
Line 115v/240v	Black	Brown	Brown
Neutral/Common	White	Blue	Blue
Ground	Green	Green/Yellow	Green/Yellow

Cingular GPRS settings for my Motorola phone

1. Web session setting: (case sensitive)
   Name: Cingular
   Homepage: http://device.home
   Service Type 1: WAP
   Gateway IP 1: 66.209.11.61
   Port 1: 9201 (or 9203=secure)
   Domain 1:
   Service Type 2: WAP
   Gateway IP 2: 66.209.11.32
   Port 2: 9201
   Domain 2:
   DNS 1:
   DNS 2:
   Timeout: 15 minutes
   CSD No.1:
   User Name 1:
   Password 1:
   Speed (Bps): 9600
   Line Type 1: Modem
   CSD No. 2:
   User Name 2:
   Password 2:
   Speed (Bps) 2: 9600
   Line Type 2: ISDN
   GPRS APN: wap.cingular
   User Name: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
   Password: CINGULAR1
   
   
2. Server Info for MMS message
   Server Name: http://mmsc.cingular.com
   
   
3. Other settings
   Access point: ISP.CINGULAR
   User name: ISPDA@CINGULARGPRS.COM
   Password: CINGULAR1
   
   
4. Cingular messaging email address
   
   • number@txt.att.net (SMS)
     
   • number@mms.mycingular.com (MMS)
   • Here's a link to a list of messaging gateways for other wireless carriers (such as Sprint and Verizon): SMS gateways - Wikipedia,...
     
   
   
5. Where's Server Info (MMS)
   
   • Press the Menu Key
   • Scroll to and select Messages
   • Press the Menu Key
   • Scroll to and select Message Setup
   • Scroll to and select MMS Message Setup
   • Scroll to and select Server Info
     
     
6. Where's web session
   On the phone:
   
   • Press the Menu Key
   • Scroll to and select WebAccess
   • Scroll to and select Web Sessions
   • Scroll to new entry and press select
   • Name this entry Cingular
   • Scroll to and select Edit
   On P2K Advanced Editor:
   
   • Phone Services->Web Sessions