D-Link DIR-600vB / 300vB

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Revision as of 05:48, 6 November 2009 (edit)
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(Installation Instructions - add step-by-step guide of exactly what I did, because I like things simple!)
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Revision as of 23:50, 12 November 2009 (edit) (undo)
Nickj (Talk | contribs)
(Background - add info about pros and cons. I'm not a dd-wrt expert, just trying to summarize my experiences of buying this hardware & what was good & bad.)
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__TOC__ __TOC__
-=Background=+=Hardware=
It is important to note, DIR-300 Rev A1 and Rev B1 are completely different hardware, different SoC, different procedure. So, if you have the old DIR-300 router, its install procedure is already well documented elsewhere. Rev B1 is based on Ralink RT3050 SoC and from all accounts, including Dlink's FCC test report, the PCBA is exactly the same as in the DIR-600. It is important to note, DIR-300 Rev A1 and Rev B1 are completely different hardware, different SoC, different procedure. So, if you have the old DIR-300 router, its install procedure is already well documented elsewhere. Rev B1 is based on Ralink RT3050 SoC and from all accounts, including Dlink's FCC test report, the PCBA is exactly the same as in the DIR-600.
[[Image:Dlink-DIR300revb.JPG]] [[Image:Dlink-DIR300revb.JPG]]
-According to Ralink's website, the chip has a ROM built-in and this means there is no boot code to crash or mistakenly erase. The ROM contains a bootloader and emergency room web page to recover flash firmware. The factory default IP for this router is 192.168.0.1.+You can tell which Rev of the hardware this router is from the box (it will say "H/W Ver: B1 F/W Ver 2.00" for example on the bottom of the box, underneath the barcode). A similar sticker with the hardware version and firmware version is also stuck on the bottom of the router itself. This means it's quick and easy to check the hardware revision before buying or borrowing it.
 + 
 +The factory default IP for this router is 192.168.0.1, user is "admin", password is blank.
 + 
 +==Pros of this hardware==
 +* 4 MB board, so no need to use "micro" DD-WRT builds.
 +* Fairly inexpensive.
 +* Fairly new hardware (released in 2009?), so it's widely available for purchase new.
 +* Reasonably fast CPU clock speed.
 +* Easy to install DD-WRT on this hardware (just flash through the web interface as per below, and you're done).
 +* According to Ralink's website, the chip has a ROM built-in and this means there is no boot code to crash or mistakenly erase. The ROM contains a bootloader and emergency room web page to recover flash firmware. Translation: You're unlikey to brick it.
 + 
 +==Cons of this hardware==
 +* This ralink hardware does not support [[Client Bridge]] wireless mode. ( [http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=60015 reference] ). It does however support [[Repeater Bridge]] mode, which is similar, but a bit more complicated to set up.
 +* No USB port, so cannot be a NAS for a USB drive, or a print server for a USB printer.
=Installation Instructions= =Installation Instructions=

Revision as of 23:50, 12 November 2009


Contents


Hardware

It is important to note, DIR-300 Rev A1 and Rev B1 are completely different hardware, different SoC, different procedure. So, if you have the old DIR-300 router, its install procedure is already well documented elsewhere. Rev B1 is based on Ralink RT3050 SoC and from all accounts, including Dlink's FCC test report, the PCBA is exactly the same as in the DIR-600. Image:Dlink-DIR300revb.JPG

You can tell which Rev of the hardware this router is from the box (it will say "H/W Ver: B1 F/W Ver 2.00" for example on the bottom of the box, underneath the barcode). A similar sticker with the hardware version and firmware version is also stuck on the bottom of the router itself. This means it's quick and easy to check the hardware revision before buying or borrowing it.

The factory default IP for this router is 192.168.0.1, user is "admin", password is blank.

Pros of this hardware

  • 4 MB board, so no need to use "micro" DD-WRT builds.
  • Fairly inexpensive.
  • Fairly new hardware (released in 2009?), so it's widely available for purchase new.
  • Reasonably fast CPU clock speed.
  • Easy to install DD-WRT on this hardware (just flash through the web interface as per below, and you're done).
  • According to Ralink's website, the chip has a ROM built-in and this means there is no boot code to crash or mistakenly erase. The ROM contains a bootloader and emergency room web page to recover flash firmware. Translation: You're unlikey to brick it.

Cons of this hardware

  • This ralink hardware does not support Client Bridge wireless mode. ( reference ). It does however support Repeater Bridge mode, which is similar, but a bit more complicated to set up.
  • No USB port, so cannot be a NAS for a USB drive, or a print server for a USB printer.

Installation Instructions

To install dd-wrt on either a D-Link DIR-300 Revision B1 or a D-Link DIR-600 Revision B1, you need to flash it directly from the router's web admin page (yes, that is correct... from D-Links web interface admin) --update firmware option-- and flash first the file named:

dlink-revb-factory-webflash.bin

For DIR-300 Rev B

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/others/eko/BrainSlayer-V24-preSP2/09-24-09-r12966/dlink-dir300-revb/dlink-revb-factory-webflash.bin

For DIR-600 Rev B

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/others/eko/BrainSlayer-V24-preSP2/09-24-09-r12966/dlink-dir600b/dlink-revb-factory-webflash.bin


After that is done, the router will reboot to dd-wrt, and the IP address will have changed to 192.168.1.1. There is no need to do any reset. Proceed to flash the latest file via the DD-WRT web interface --Firmware Upgrade--:


For DIR-300 Rev B

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/others/eko/BrainSlayer-V24-preSP2/09-24-09-r12966/dlink-dir300-revb

For DIR-600 Rev B

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/others/eko/BrainSlayer-V24-preSP2/09-24-09-r12966/dlink-dir600b

Beware that as of today this is valid information, but directories will change as a more development releases are posted or --even better-- a stable one is produced. So make sure to first check in downloads to see if there is a stable release:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/stable/dd-wrt.v24 SP1/Consumer/Dlink

As of today there is no stable release for these routers.

For latest development release, check

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/others/eko/BrainSlayer-V24-preS

then the latest date and your router model.

Above instructions in step-by-step format

  1. Download the latest firmware from: http://dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database , and enter model as DIR600. There will be two files, "dlink-revb-factory-webflash.bin" and "dir600-revb-ddwrt-webflash.bin". Download both.
  2. Connect to the DIR600 using an ethernet cable.
  3. Open http://192.168.0.1/ in web browser, which should open the DIR600's administrative page from the standard D-link firmware.
    1. The D-link's default login details are user "admin", password is blank, and type the captcha from the image.
    2. Maintenance -> Firmware Update
    3. Click "browse" button -> select the "dlink-revb-factory-webflash.bin" file -> click "Upload" button.
    4. Wait 2 or 3 minutes for DIR-600 to flash and do the update. (it should have finished when your browser tries to connect after the reboot, and probably fails because the IP address has changed).
  4. Open http://192.168.1.1/ in web browser. Will probably have to update your IP address (if using static IP) to this subnet to be able to connect.
    1. Administration tab -> "Firmware Upgrade" button
    2. click "browse" button -> select the "dir600-revb-ddwrt-webflash.bin" file -> click "Upgrade" button.
    3. Wait ~ 2 minutes for DIR-600 to flash and do the update. Your browser will reload and let you know when it is done.
  5. You're finished!

Alternate Install Method

This procedure can also be used to return the DLINK to factory firmware. Just download the latest version from Dlink (version 2.01 at time of this writing) and flash it with this procedure.

Setup your PC with static IP on 192.168.0.0 subnet. Make sure the PC has the following two files:

dlink-revb-factory-webflash.bin

dir300-revb-ddwrt-webflash.bin

Open your web browser and get it ready to connect to 192.168.0.1.

--User Emergency Room Web Interface--

Press and HOLD the reset button on the router and connect power. Hold the reset button for about 3~5 seconds, then release. Connect the browser to 192.168.0.1. The Emergency Room Updating Firmware screen should display. Browse to and upload the first image file, the 'factory' one. When you see the message "IMAGE UPLOAD SUCCESS", the flash will begin to be erased and re-written. Wait until the power LED turns to solid 'Yellow'. At this point, the initial dd-wrt image has been written to flash, the device has rebooted and is running. Change the IP address of your PC to the 192.168.1.0 subnet. Use your browser to connect to the router at 192.168.1.1. The DD-WRT screen should load. If not, you did something wrong. Go back and try again.

--Upgrade with the new firmware--

Using the dd-wrt web interface perform Firmware Upgrade with the file dir300-revb-ddwrt-webflash.bin. It takes about 1 and a half minutes to upload and write the flash. It is probably a good idea to reboot after updating. That's it.

--Resetting the Router--

If you forget the username or password, or if the configuration becomes really messed up, you can always clear all the non-volitile parameters by doing a 'factory reset'. To do this, with the router already fully booted, press and hold the reset button for 5~6 seconds and release. The router will boot back up and answer to 192.168.1.1 just as if it had just been flashed.