Step 2) Flash it with DD-WRT or Tomato firmware

Step 3) Profit

Waking up to find my trusty Linksys WRT54GL router dead wasn't pleasant. Despite being an old router (5 years) it is still considered one of the highest rated routers on Newegg. The idea of purchasing my third WRT54GL didn't sit well with me. Thankfully there is a new hotness it town known as the Asus RT-N16 that supports wireless-n networking (unlike my old friend). 

For a bit more than the price of a new WRT58GL ($49.99 vs $88.99) you can get a significantly faster router that still supports the best (yet still free) router firmwares around - DD-WRT and Tomato.