From DD-WRT Wiki

To find other WRT54* model wiki pages see here.

[edit] Hardware Specifications

• NOTE: (26 Sep 2009) Non-removable molded antennas may have been used in the past a year or two
• Overclocking is supported in DD-WRT
• Use `cat /proc/cpuinfo` to verify BogoMIPS. Default output:

system type             : Broadcom BCM947XX
processor               : 0
cpu model               : BCM3302 V0.8
BogoMIPS                : 199.47
[...]

[edit] FAQ

 **NOTE**: See Where do I download firmware? for build info and download links.
 **NOTE**: Check the Peacock announcement for recommended builds, and also research build threads.

Q: Why can't I directly upgrade from a stock Linksys firmware to DD-WRT versions other than MICRO or MINI?

A: Stock Linksys firmware on the WRT54GLv1.x won't accept firmware over 3MB, or it will show the error: "Upgrade are failed!" [sic]. The micro or mini versions of DD-WRT must be flashed BEFORE flashing the standard, voip, or vpn versions. Hard reset the router to restore firmware defaults BEFORE AND AFTER upgrading, even to micro or mini DD-WRT builds.

Q: Is there a limit to how many times routers can be flashed with firmware?

A: Flash memory does have a lifespan, like an SD card or USB flash drive, and depends upon NAND vs. NOR flash, but at least 100,000 write cycles is common. This is why limiting JFFS and script writes is recommended.

[edit] Build Size

DD_WRT boot log MTD partition layout:

Creating 5 MTD partitions on "Physically mapped flash":
0x00000000-0x00040000 : "cfe"
0x00040000-0x003f0000 : "linux"
0x00124c00-0x003d0000 : "rootfs"
mtd: partition "rootfs" doesn't start on an erase block boundary -- force read-only
0x003f0000-0x00400000 : "nvram"
0x003d0000-0x003f0000 : "ddwrt"

Thus the linux partition size limit is 0x3F0000-0x40000 = 3866624 bytes = 3776 KB

[edit] Installation

 **WARNING**:  DO NOT try to flash dd-wrt.v24_mega_generic.bin on this router, as they are ~8MB. You WILL brick it.
 **NOTE**:  Before starting, read the build size info and Peacock announcement linked above.
(Deprecated) Recommended: check the MD5 HASH of the firmware after downloading - a bad hash can mean a bad firmware download (and flashing a bad firmware can brick your device). See Hashes & Checksums.

[edit] Prerequisites

1. Download the 08-12-10-r14929 dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin or dd-wrt.v24_mini_generic.bin from the broadcom folder for initial flash.
   • The trailed build (dd-wrt.v24_mini_wrt54g.bin) is NOT required except for TFTP upgrades (see below).

[edit] Procedure

1. Connect client PC via wired Ethernet LAN port on the back of the router.
• It is recommended that you set a static IP of 192.168.1.10 on your PC.
2. Do a hard reset
3. Open a browser then login to the Linksys GUI at http://192.168.1.1
• Default username / password is (none) / admin
4. Click on Administration, then Firmware Upgrade.



5. Click the Browse button, then select the previously downloaded dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin or dd-wrt.v24_mini_generic.bin
• Click Open
6. Click the Upgrade button.
• The firmware update starts and the router restarts. The firmware update process takes about two to five minutes.

 **CAUTION**: After you start the firmware update, do not try to go online, turn off the router, close your browser, interrupt the process, or do anything else to the router until it finishes restarting.

• After ~3 minutes, the WLAN light will turn on.
7. When the router has finished completely rebooting, enter http://192.168.1.1 in the navigation bar of your browser.
• You will be greeted by the DD-WRT change password screen.
8. Enter the desired password twice; you may change the username, but the default username is root.
9. Click "Change Password"
• You will be greeted by the DD-WRT System Info page
10. From there, you can navigate through all the tabs and configure as desired, clicking "Save" on each tab until you are finished.
• You will be required to login with set username / root and password.
11. Once you are finished with configuration go to Services -> Services or Administration -> Management tab and click "Reboot Router".

[edit] Upgrade DD-WRT

Compare different build versions' features here. If larger versions' features aren't needed, the amount of available flash space for jffs will be increased by using the smallest version with the needed features.
 **WARNING**:  DO NOT try to flash dd-wrt.v24_mega_generic.bin on this router, as they are ~8MB. You WILL brick it.
 **NOTE**:  Before starting, read the build size info and Peacock announcement linked above.

[edit] Prerequisites

1. Download the desired dd-wrt.v24_*_generic.bin from the current release's broadcom folder.

[edit] Procedure

1. Connect your computer to your router with an Ethernet cable.
2. Open a web browser and enter http://192.168.1.1 (or whatever IP you set in the webUI) into the navigation bar.
• A login pop-up may display, depending on how you previously configured DD-WRT. If not, proceed to step 4.
3. Enter the router admin user name and password.
• The default user name is root. The password is the one you previously specified when changing the default password. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
4. Select Administration -> Firmware Upgrade.
• A login pop-up displays.
5. Enter the router admin user name and password.
• The default user name is root. The password is the one you previously specified when changing the default password. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
6. Select Administration -> Firmware Upgrade.
7. Select do not reset option next to "After flashing".
8. Click Browse, then locate and select the previously downloaded dd-wrt.v24_*_generic.bin file.
9. Click the Upgrade button.
• The firmware update starts and the router restarts. The firmware update process takes about two to five minutes.

 **CAUTION**: After you start the firmware update, do not try to go online, turn off the router, or do anything else to the router until it finishes restarting.

• Wait again for the process to complete and the lights to return to normal (3-5 minutes)
10. When the router has finished completely rebooting, it should return you to the webUI or offer a "Click to proceed" button.
• You will be greeted by the DD-WRT webUI.

 **NOTE**:  Your web browser may hang, display unable to open page, etc. in the process of flashing or upgrading DD-WRT. This is NORMAL. Close the browser and open a new window or open a new tab and close the old tab and enter your router's IP address in the navigation bar and re-login if applicable.

11. If you run into any issues, power cycle again, then hard reset after boot, set a password then re-configure DD-WRT from scratch.

[edit] TFTP Upgrade

To upgrade via TFTP, use the dd-wrt.v24_mini_wrt54g.bin, which has a header with hardware info.

[edit] Recovery

For a router that it stuck with a flashing power light with no GUI access, but responds (with TTL=100) to pings, TFTP of the Linksys firmware is required (NOT DD-WRT!) to rescue it. This occurs most commonly from NOT using a MICRO or MINI build for initial flash. Instructions on restoring with TFTP are here.

[edit] Running NEWD2 and/or K26 on the GL model

 **WARNING**:  This is ONLY for those that can recover using JTAG, and is an unnecessary hack for people who want to try the k26 driver.
 **NOTE**:  If this goes wrong...you MUST use JTAG to recover...you've been warned...you are altering the CFE of the router.
 **NOTE**:  The WRT54GL router must already have dd-wrt installed before you begin this process.

1. First start by backing up your current CFE.BIN file and keep it in a safe place
2. Enable ssh services in the dd-wrt configuration at 192.168.1.1. This is REQUIRED for WinSCP to work (step9)
3. Next you will need to download the "new" CFE for the WRT54GL model located here.
   • This is an altered CFE.BIN from a WRT54G-TM
4. Obtain a Hex Editor like xvi32 or HxD
5. Edit your et0macaddr (located at 10CAh) to match your router's MAC address (ex. currently 00:14:BF:00:00:01)
6. Edit your new cfe il0macaddr (located at 1154h) to your router's MAC address plus one (ex. currently 00:14:BF:00:00:02)
7. Save your edited file and call it K26-CFE.BIN
8. Hard reset your GL router using the 30/30/30 method
   
9. Using WinSCP upload the modified CFE (named K26-CFE.BIN) to the routers /tmp directory.
10. Log into your router and issue the following commands on the command line:

     mtd unlock cfe
     mtd write K26-CFE.BIN cfe

    • When completed, it should reboot. If it doesn't, manually reboot it.
11. Verify you have the new cfe by backing up the CFE again.
12. Verify the original K26-CFE.BIN file and this new cfe.bin file are identical (you can use the "comp" command in windows to compare them)
13. Once the new CFE.BIN file is verified on the unit, hard reset again and let it boot, then load a NEWD2_mini.bin or K26_mini.bin build (or any other "generic" NEWD2 or K26 build under 3.7M).

[edit] Links

• Linksys WRT54G, WRT54GL and WRT54GS - OpenWRT Wiki
• Linksys WRT54GL Wireless-G BroadBand Router Firmware 4.30.16 -TechSpot
• Linksys WRT54GL v1.1 Router Firmware 4.30.18 (build 6)
• Linksys WRT54G/GL Official Firmware Revisions - Linksysinfo.Org