WRT54G: How to disable wireless upon reset

Question

Hello everyone. I have a two-part question as follows:
Part 1: has anyone ever had a problem with a WRT54G router "forgetting" its settings and reverting to the defaults even though you did not press the Reset button? I have had two different people tell me that they configured wireless security but then after several weeks/months the security settings "vanished" and their wireless network was open with no encryption. Is it possible that a brownout or extended blackout could cause this?
Part 2: due to the possibility of this happening, does anyone know how to configure this device so that if it IS reset (i.e. pressing the reset button or anything else that causes a reset), the wireless radio will be disabled until a user MANUALLY logs in via a wired connection and turns it on, or presses the easy setup button? This would prevent a LOT of security problems where people just don't know any better and plug up the router without configuring the security properly. I think linksys should build this option into their firmware: disable the wireless radio until it is manually turned on by either logging into the configuration page or pressing the easy setup button on the front.
I assume that to accomplish part 2, I need a third-party firmware for the router. Any recommendations on which firmware would leave the wireless off by default when reset?
I would be purchasing a new WRT54G for this application, and it would probably be version 8.
Would another router model be better than the WRT54G?
This is for a small business, and I can't take the risk that the wireless network should become unsecured without anyone's knowledge, maybe due to power outage/brownout/firmware bug/etc...
Thank you so much in advance for any advice!

Answer 1

1)  Routers seem to be sensitive to electrical surges and noise.  Electrical surges and noise are common with power outages, and can also be caused by such things as large motors starting up, or malfunctioning electrical equipment.   Electrical surges and noise can cause routers to loose their settings.
You should keep your router plugged into a high quality surge suppressor with EMI/RFI filtering, such as the Belkin SurgeMaster Gold Series. A surge suppressor alone is not enough because surge suppression does not start until the voltage exceeds 330 volts.  You must have the EMI/RFI filtering.   Alternatively, most UPS devices have both surge suppression and EMI/RFI filtering.
If your router has forgotten its settings, then you should also download and install (or re-install) the latest firmware.  After the firmware upgrade, you must reset the router to factory defaults, then setup the router again from scratch.  If you saved a router configuration file, DO NOT use it.
If the above does not prevent your router from "forgetting" its settings, then the router is malfunctioning, and it should be replaced. A router that forgets its settings is not secure.
2)  I do not know of any way to cause the wireless portion of the router to be turned off when the router resets.   In my opinion, this is a security problem, and I agree that it should be fixed.
3)  Rather than getting a new wireless router, you should consider getting a wired router and a WAP (wireless access point).  The advantage of this setup is that you can unplug the WAP when your business is closed.  This would guarantee that, should the wireless security ever fail, at least it would fail during business hours, and you would be likely to notice it.
Alternatively, you could just shut down the wireless router when your business is closed.
If you decide to stay with a wireless router, you should also consider the WRT54GL.  This router has a good record of reliability and is a favorite of those who want to use 3rd party firmware, such as DD-WRT.
Hope this helps.