[glass.onion]

I've had the same DD-WRT config for the most part of a year now but recently one of my device download rates has dropped off dramatically. Is there a refresh or something like I have heard 'DHCP renew' that needs to be done every so often to avoid such a problem?

I can, but really would only re-install the OS of the device in question as a last resort.

[eibgrad]

If by "device" you mean a device behind the router (NOT the router itself), it sounds like an issue w/ that device, esp. if it's the only one experiencing problems.

As far as DHCP renewal, same thing; are we talking about the router or the device behind the router? A DHCP renewal on the router, in and of itself, is only going to help to the extent it might cause a resetting of the WAN, esp. if the renewal results in a change of the public IP. But even that assumes the old public IP was having issues, which seems highly unlikely.

Beware, these cheap consumer routers are like the Windows 95 computers of the 90's. Given enough time, they can work themselves into a bad state, making it prudent to reinstall from scratch. The router is particularly susceptible to this problem if you engage in dirty upgrades (a very bad habit imo).