Sveasoft is a company that develops alternative firmware for consumer grade Wi-Fi routers. Owners of routers install the firmware onto their router instead of the manufacturer's official firmware. Sveasoft's firmware adds about three dozen features normally only found in more expensive routers. Currently, the firmware supports the Linksys WRT54G, WRT54GS, and WAP54G routers.

The most popular Sveasoft firmware upgrade is for the WRT54G and WRT54GS. The new firmware adds quality of service (QoS) bandwidth management, a wireless repeater, a wireless client mode device, an SPI firewall, a virtual private network (VPN) server, the ability to increase the Wi-Fi power level by up to 900%, and other features.

Sveasoft allows users to download old, released versions of the firmware for free, but the company charges a US $20/year subscription fee for access to the latest beta version. The WRT54G router runs a version of Linux, which is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Since Sveasoft based its firmware on GPL projects such as Linux and busybox, the beta firmware is also licensed under the GPL.

Sveasoft tags firmware binaries with a unique identifier. If a subscriber redistributes the firmware, their subscription is terminated and they lose access to future firmware. Since mid-2004, some people have claimed that these practices violate the GPL. Peter Brown, the Free Software Foundation's compliance officer, stated that he did not see a problem with Sveasoft's subscription system.

In threads on both Slashdot [1] and Broadbandreports [2], some people have accused Sveasoft of violating the GPL as well as other questionable business practices. When a person going by the name of "TheIndividual" began redistributing Sveasoft firmware, the company sent a DMCA takedown letter to Google [3] in an effort to prevent the download site from appearing in search results.

External links

• Sveasoft - official site
• Linksys - manufacturer of the WRT54G, WRT54GS, and WAP54G routers
• Linksysinfo.org - semi-official download site for released (old) versions of Sveasoft firmware
• TheIndividual's Slashdot journal - links to unauthorized firmware downloads
• Flash/audio showing configuration of a Linksys WRT54G with Sveasoft firmware to share your broadband connection as a free Hotspot.