Installation

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Revision as of 00:49, 17 November 2006 by RobinDaugherty (Talk | contribs)
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Installing DD-WRT on a router in most cases is almost as simple as installing a program onto your computer. Installing programs on a router, known as firmware, are achieved by a method called flashing. This article helps you determine which installation process is for you on your supported router, as well as giving router suggestions and information about flashing each one. For a list of devices working with DD-WRT, please see supported devices.

Contents

Downloading DD-WRT

  • Download the latest stable release [1]
  • Read the changelog and all other information files on the download pages. They contain important information!
  • Ensure you are using the correct version of the firmware.
    • Updating through the Web GUI means you need to use the _generic version, as mentioned briefly in the hwsupport.txt file.
    • Use the _mini version when upgrading from original Linksys firmware!
  • If you downloaded a .zip file, then extract the archive.
  • Confirm good download by comparing the MD5 hash fingerprint of the firmware you downloaded with published Hashes.

Flashing

Precautions for Flashing

Follow all instruction precisely, or you may run into trouble! Incorrect flashing procedure can brick your router!

  • Do NOT use a wireless connection to upload firmware. Use a wired connection. It is recommended that you disable any wireless adapters on your system to ensure that none are used for the transfer.
  • Do NOT flash/backup your firmware over an SSL (https) connection. Make sure you are using http.
  • Disable your anti-virus-software, as a false-positive virus detection could interrupt the upload.
  • You will not have Internet access through the router during the process of replacing the firmware. We recommend you save this webpage and the webpages on how to Recover from a Bad Flash to your hard drive (use File->Save As, *NOT* a bookmark). This will allow you to review the information offline in the event that something goes wrong.

Flashing with Web GUI

Reset to Factory Defaults

If you know the IP address, username, and password of your router:

  1. Follow the instructions in the next section to log in to the Web GUI.
  2. Click the "Administration" tab.
  3. Click the "Factory Defaults" sub-tab.
  4. Select "Yes".
  5. Click the "Save Settings" button.
  6. A new page will open, click "continue".

If you do not know the know the IP address, username, or password of your router, you will need to use the reset button. Be careful when using this method! Apparently if you have OpenWRT already on your router the reset button may not function as it is assumed here and may actually brick your router! Research the functionality of your current firmware to be safe.

  1. Press and hold the reset button on the back of the router for 30 seconds.

Logging In to the Web GUI

To use the Web interface, you will need to have Javascript enabled with any security restrictions disabled. If the Linksys firmware is currently installed, do not use Firefox as certain versions of the Linksys firmware is known to have problems with Firefox.

  1. Type in the IP address of the router (default 192.168.1.1) into the address bar of your browser.
  2. You will be prompted for username and password.
    • For DD-WRT versions starting with 2006-Feb-28, the default username is root. Prior versions have a blank username by default.
    • For Linksys firmware, the username is admin.
    • For DD-WRT and Linksys firmware, the default password is admin.

Upload The Firmware

It is VERY important that you not interrupt the setup while the router is being flashed and rebooted. Do not turn off the computer, close the web browser, or turn off the router during this process! I usually just take a step back, and turn my head away so I don't breathe on it for these crucial 2 minutes.
  1. You should be in the Web GUI of the router. Go there now.
  2. Click the "Administration" tab
  3. Click the "Firmware Upgrade" sub-tab.
  4. (Only applicable when DD-WRT is already installed.) Click the "No reset" radio button (works for me, but please double check if "Firmware Defaults" would be better!).
  5. Click the "Browse" button and select the DD-WRT .bin file you downloaded and confirmed.
  6. Click the "Upgrade" button.
  7. The router will take a few minutes to upload the file and flash the firmware. During this time, the power light will flash.
  8. A new page will open, wait about 5 minutes before clicking "Continue".
  9. If flashed successfully you will now be at the DD-WRT web interface.

Reset to Factory Defaults AGAIN

Do this only after you have confirmed that the firmware upgrade is working. For V23 SP2: Please do a hard reset: While holding down the button, plug in the power cord. Hold the reset button for 30 seconds. Previous versions: Press and hold the reset button on the back of the router for 30 seconds.

Flashing with TFTP

Flashing with TFTP must not be seen as the standard procedure for flashing: only use it when you are specifically told to do so (for example in the specific instructions for flashing your brand or type of device). Normally, the GUI flashing method should be used: it should be perfectly adequate for any standard situation. See that section for more information.

Note for users not using the original Linksys firmware: you cannot use tftp! Change your firmware to the official Linksys firmware, and then continue below.

Flashing with Command Line

This is available on routers that have DD-WRT installed and SSH enabled.

1) telnet or ssh into WRT

2) download dd-wrt.v2*_generic.bin with wget or scp to /tmp

3) (optional, but advised) compare MD5 checksum of the original and the downloaded file

4) write

write /tmp/dd-wrt.v2*_generic.bin linux

5) wait...

6) reboot

7) (optional, but advised) via web interface, restore factory defaults

8) For V23 SP2: If certain features don't work please do a hard reset. Hard Reset: By plugging in the router and holding down the reset button for 30 seconds all at the same time. Do not use config files from older firmware versions. You must start from the beginning.

Configuration Notes

  • Do not use config files from older firmware versions. You must start from the beginning.
  • It is strongly advised that you enable the "Boot Wait" option under the "Administration" tab. This will help you recover in the future should you flash your router improperly. If you use v23 or higher the "Boot Wait" option is enabled by default.

Something go wrong?

  • If your router fails to reboot (power light doesn't stop flashing, no web interface, etc) you will need to Recover from a Bad Flash. Additional help can be found by doing a forum search.

[Comment: I've encountered ver.6 WRT54G (SN:CDFD*) & WRT54GS (SN:CGN9*) in which vxworks_prep_v03.bin is rejected by the "web gui" upgrade, with little/no relevant docs available. Where I have found reference to the problem, there are no sollutions. A perfect example is Sureshot's question, and TheScorpion's answer: "The upgrade fails because you aren't uploading a file that the GS will recognize as a valid firmware file."

TheScorpion's tutorial (and others) are indeed relevant to WRT54G, however the units we are experiencing this problem with are newer than the documentation. Ours have newer/modified firmware. Mine is firmware v1.50.9. A distinction is not being made between the G & GS units, by many of the docs Google has shown me.

The Real Answer: Bitsum's tutorial recommends and provides G & GS specific versions of the vxworks_prep_v03.bin. --Whatrevolution 12:58, 13 Oct 2006 (CEST)]

Flashing the WRT54Gv4/WRT54GL

Only DD-WRT versions 23 or higher will support the WRT54Gv4. Neither device supports flashing the std or voip versions of DD-WRT from the original Linksys firmware (Linksys limited the maximum firmware size to 3 MBytes). Therefore, only the MINI version of DD-WRT can be flashed initially. Once DD-WRT mini is installed, you can upgrade to std or voip versions. When using the Web GUI, use the *_generic.bin types when upgrading. If the Web GUI is unavailable, use tftp in combination with the special *_wrt54g.bin files. Remember to reset to factory defaults before and after every flashing.

WRT54G v4 Installation Tutorial

[Comment added 23/09/06 by Embyte]

Attention: I want to remember the important of the initial explicit reset to factory defaults. I've not done it and I had httpd crash costantly on my WRT54GL 1.1 with v23-SP2. I resolved as suggested to Ullapra (thank-you).

[Comment added 26/06/06 by Elvey]]

Firefox works fine when flashing and using this router. I've flashed and set up 2 WRT54GL's, with Firefox, and had no problems. I've no idea what incompatibilities others are talking about (mentioned below).

[Comment added 14/11/06 by billsal436]]

I also had trouble flashing WRT54GL 1.1 with v23-SP2 with Firefox 1.5.0.8 on XP Pro. Was able to do the mini version fine but the full version failed twice. Painful to say but M$ IE 6 did it no problem.

[Comment added 10/08/06 by blkadder]]

I'd like to second the trouble-free Firefox experience. I used Firefox 1.5.0.4 on a SUSE 10.1 machine with no problem.

[Comment added 04/09/06 by Orv]]

I ran into no problems while flashing dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin onto my WRT54GL v. 1.1. I used Firefox 1.5.0.6 under Windows XP with no problems.

[Comment added 24/06/06 by msc_buff]] I ran into serious port forward problems with my GL v1.1. I reread the flash procedure here and used the '30 second reset' with the button instead of the WebGUI and it fixed my problem. Not sure what the difference between a soft reset and a hard reset is but I will stick with what worked for me.

[Comment added 22/09/06 by ITBeast]] I successfully flashed a WRT54GL Ver 1.1 loaded w/stock Linksys firmware with DD-WRT standard version (V23sp2)using the Installation Tutorial above. The only slight difference from my experience than the tutorial was I did not see any success or fail message, It came up with a "continue" button and when clicked got a blank screen in the IE browser. Rebooted the PC to clear the old IP out of PC's DNS and upon completed reboot was able to login to the new DD-WRT screen. The only other devation was I bypassed the "Mini" version and went straight to the "Standard" (by accident) with No problems.

[Comment added 23/09/06 by Ullapra] After flashing my WRT54GL to v23 SP2 I was unable to access the web administration page at first. It turned out that the httpd process was crashing every time I tried to access it. I found this workaround in the forums and it fixed the issue:

nvram set language=english 
nvram commit 
reboot

After the reboot my httpd was back and running. I suspect that the initial error was caused because I hadn't explicitly reset to factory defaults (I assumed that the just-out-of-the-box router would already be at default). The original thread is HTTP device admin not responding

[Comment added 10/10/06 by DKMort] Successful after some worries of having bricked the router. I first tried to upgrade straight out of the box to the alchemy std firmware (I wasn't thinking straight on the distro. I'm just getting into this, and want to try both before I decide which one I'm gonna use). Anyway, I didn't do any factory reset on it before hand. It said upgrade failed. After looking at this wiki, I realized that I probably needed to first use the mini or micro firmware, then go to the std. So I downloaded dd-wrt v23 SP2 mini & flashed. Again, no firmware update beforehand (I hadn't read the wiki carefully enough). After flashing, it said successful, but when I tried to access the web gui, I just got a blank white page. At this point I thought I bricked my router. After looking at this wiki more carefully, I saw all of the recommendations to reset the firmware on the device. So I did a factory-reset with the button on the back. Ta-da! That fixed it, and I was able to get into the web gui (which I might add, looks pretty nice). From there I followed the tutorial concerning the proper upgrade procedure to take it from the mini to the standard firmware (including all factory resets both from the gui & using the button on the unit). Everything worked fine. However after finally flashing it with the generic standard firmware, then a factory reset from the web gui, then a reset using the back button, it did exhibit a strange behavior. The power LED just blinked & blinked for like 10 minutes. Finally I just pressed the reset button again, and it stopped blinking, and I was able to get into it. I don't know whether this is by design. Anyway, it makes me a little bit nervous to do these resets, but so far, so good. Now to actually use this thing!

Flashing the WRT54GSv4

The WRT54GSv4 does not support flashing the std or voip version of DD-WRT from the original Linksys firmware, because they limited the maximum firmware size to 3 MByte (as noted below). Use only the mini version of DD-WRT for the WRT54GSv4 on the initial flash load. Failure to due so may cause the upgrade to abort. Afterwards you can upgrade to the std or voip versions of the firmware through the web-interface of DD-WRT. Interestingly after flashing 4 WRTGSv4 routers with the "v4mini" flash rom, I had to use the file for WRT54GS without v4 for upgrading to std / voip, else the update would abort with "Upgrade are failed". Remember to reset to factory defaults before and after every flashing. *NOTE* At least this true of the most current (27.10.05-dd-wrt.v23.beta2) rom.

[Comment added 11/01/06 by bigbloke of cownet.org] Today I purchased a 'GS V4 not having read this note previously. It flashed V23 standard perfectly first time from the specific file (dd-wrt.v23_wrt54gsv4.bin) therefore there may be some additional factors influencing this) - I hope this is useful feedback

[Comment added 12/01/06 by Mart] I just purchased a GS V4 too. After reading bigbloke's note, i decided to try skip the warning and directly flash V23 VPN from the (dd-wrt.v23_vpn_generic.bin) file without any problems too. I simply followed the "right way to flash" instructions step by step. Looks like the warning mentioned above does not apply with this version.

[Comment added 18/01/06 by Macks] I can second the above, just flashed a GSv4 from Linksys original and used dd-wrt.v23_vpn_wrt54gsv4.bin without problems, directly without going via the mini.

[Comment added 22/01/06 by JD] I can confirm the statement from Macks. Two days ago I bought also a 'GS v4' and I flashed it with the v23 standard without problems (directly without going via the mini)

[Comment added 19/02/06 by markusk] and i did it that way as well and after that got the weirdest behaviour of a router i've ever seen, mainly giving something like unstable wan-connection by going with high traffic over the router (be it via bittorrent, icq-filetransfers and similar).. unfortunately reflashing with mini and then a "big" one didn't help at all..

[Comment added 28/02/06 by mfb] Like Macks I flashed my 'GS v4' with v23 vpn direct, without mini first - working fine, no problems.

[Comment added 05/03/06 by PhoneBoy] On my WRT54GSv3, I found that the device wouldn't take ANY firmware unless I reset it using the button rather than just factory reset from the web interface. Word of warning.

[Comment added 10/03/06 by JoE] At the time of this writing, the current version of Mozilla Firefox will cause your installation to fail when trying to upgrade firmware (dd-wrt.v23_mini_wrt54g.bin, dd-wrt.v23_generic.bin, dd-wrt.v23_wrt54g.bin) using the web interface. I used the current version of Internet Explorer with no problems. Additionally, if your power button keeps flashing and/or you cannot reach/ping 192.168.1.1 after a reset, unplug and plug in the power cord real quick. Wait a few seconds and then everything is hunky dory.

[Comment added 09/04/06 by zonk] I also can confirm the above statements of flashing two fresh bought WRT54GS v4 routers using the vpn version (v23) instead of the mini version. I used Firefox 1.5 and Opera 7.5 without any failed message. Both routers run stable.

[Comment added 04/06/06 by Yusuf Motiwala] I too can confirm that it can be upgraded directly to standard version. Even after reading this, I experimented upgrading my WRT54GSv4 directly with v23 SP1 standard image without any problem. May be stated limitation is firmware version dependent. At the time of upgrade, my linksys stock firmware version was 1.5.2.

[Comment added 05/07/06 by Kizane] DD-WRT v23 IE7 Beta 2 Error! I noticed some weird error while managing a WRT54GSv4 with DD-WRT V23 via IE7b2. For some reason, it cuts off the top of the area where all the settings are. I opened the control panel with Firefox 1.5.0.4, and it has no errors. IE7b2 Screenshot

[Comment added 05/07/06 by Kizane] Solution to above comment. Note that I upgraded to DD-WRT v23 SP1 Final (via Firefox 1.5.0.4 with zero problems!) and the problem has vanished!


[Comment added 07/08/06 by Wayland] I found it best to start with factory settings before flashing WRT54GL for the first time

Flashing the WRT54G(S) Version 5

Flash Your Version 5 WRT54G

Flashing the Buffalo WHR-G54S, WHR-HP-G54 and WZR-RS-G54

Normally, most companies let you upload firmware directly from the user interface. Buffalo unfortunately encrypts their firmware, and they'll only accept encrypted firmware in their web interface. So the easiest way to replace the firmware turns out to be the same way you would "de-brick" a router with corrupt firmware.

Namely, all the broadcom routers enter a special mode in the first few seconds after power is applied that allows a tftp transfer to directly program the flash rom with new firmware. So what you need to do is get everything ready to go, power up the router, and then send it the new firmware quickly.

It turns out to be easier then it sounds.

Gotchas: The special mode uses the default IP address of the router. So if you've changed the ip address of the router since you got it you need to set everything up on the old IP address not the new one. You also need to do this with a wired connection, not a wireless connection. This means that you need to give yourself a static IP address on the wired network (i.e. set your computer to use 192.168.11.2 instead of using DHCP).


Use only v23 SP1 final or later. Older releases may cause trouble!

  1. For thoroughness, reset to factory defaults by holding the reset button while plugging in the router. Hold for at least 30 seconds. Unplug the router.
  2. Connect your computer directly to one of the LAN ports on the router. (You can use a regular cable or crossover).
  3. Because the Buffalo starts up with 192.168.11.1(or 192.168.12.1 for WZR-RS-G54), your computer's IP needs to be in the 192.168.11.0/24 subnet (e.g. 192.168.11.2, mask 255.255.255.0 or 192.168.12.2, mask 255.255.255.0 for WZR-RS-G54). You will have to set a static IP. A static IP is critical for the tftp procedure to work; a dynamic IP won't work even if the dynamic IP is currently set in the proper subnet. For Windows XP, the following screen shots should help. After selecting "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)," click on the Properties button to open the next screen. Then enter the info as shown and click 'OK'. Leave Default Gateway blank.Image:LAN_Properties_-_XP.jpg
  4. Open a command window. Go to Start->Run->"cmd".
  5. Change your directory to the folder containing the firmware image. (Ex. cd "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop" (if you saved the .bin file to the Desktop)
  6. Type tftp -i 192.168.11.1 PUT (file name of firmware image) like: tftp -i 192.168.11.1 PUT dd-wrt.v23_generic.bin. (For WZR-RS-G54 use 192.168.12.1 as the router IP.) Do not press enter yet.
  7. Grab the power cable to the router (should be unplugged), now, hit Enter to start the TFTP transfer and immediately connect the power to the Buffalo.
  8. All port LEDs will illuminate.
  9. The LED on the LAN port will flash rapidly for about 6 seconds. The command will complete with a success printout, like Transfer successful: 3502080 bytes in 5 seconds, 700416 bytes/s
  10. The router will reboot and then boot DD-WRT, wait until the bridge/diagnostic light turns off.
  11. At this point, the router is ready to use. There is no need to reboot it (unplug/plug), although this is a safe precaution.
  12. The router will be now be accessible on 192.168.1.1 netmask 255.255.255.0. You will need to change your IP to this range to access it for configuration. (For the WB2-G54, the router is still accessible at 192.168.11.1).
  13. The username is 'root' and the password is 'admin'.

TFTP instructions for Linux or OS X

  1. Obviously, be sure to observe the aforementioned procedures:
    • Disable your wireless adapter so that the tftp connection is not through a wireless connection.
    • Connect directly to the router using a wired connection (i.e. ethernet cable).
    • Download a copy of these instructions so that they are available to you during the procedure.
    • If working with the WZR-RS-G54 router, then be sure to replace all instances of 192.168.11.1 with 192.168.12.1
    • Most importantly, review all of these procedures before attempting them.
  2. Change to the directory that you downloaded the dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin file into. At least in Mac OS X, tftp fails to resolve either absolute or relative paths. It is simply better to cd to the directory that contains the dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin file before launching the tftp app so no path resolution has to happen.
  3. Execute the tftp command and change the mode to binary.
  4. Execute the connect 192.168.11.1 command. Even though the router is still powered down tftp doesn't actually "connect" when you execute the connect command. Instead, it merely store the address away.
  5. Execute the trace command so you get feedback.
  6. Execute the rexmt 1 command so tftp will retry to send the file if you don't get the timing perfect.
  7. Then, get ready but don't execute the following command: PUT dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin.. You don't want to hit return yet, because you're going to do this when the timing is right.
  8. Now that you are ready, here we go:
    1. Unplug the power cord and then plug it back in to reboot the router.
    2. When the router is plugged back into power, all of the LEDs on the ethernet ports will turn on.
    3. Once the LEDs turn off on all ports except the connected port, hit enter on the connect command, then immediatly paste (crtl+v) the PUT command into the terminal and hit enter.
    4. The terminal will return with the number of bytes sent and the time that the transfer took in seconds.


You may be able to execute multiple commands using && operator. Also, be sure to remember to use 192.168.12.1 for the WZR-RS-G54 router and to change to the directory that you downloaded the 'dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin' file into before proceeding the this firmware update. Finally, here is a recap of all the commands:

$ cd /path/to/dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin/directory
$ tftp
tftp> binary
tftp> trace
tftp> rexmt 1
tftp> connect 192.168.11.1
tftp> put dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin

Note for Gentoo Users (or if tftp on your distro fails)

It appears that only one of the currently (11/2/06) available Gentoo packages will flash current releases of this router.

  1. Emerge atftp (or install from http://packages.debian.org/stable/net/atftp)
  2. Follow the steps above but skip the "binary" and "rexmt 1" commands
  3. The "put" command seems to work even if entered right before you plug in the router

An alternative tftp command for Linux (use either this one or the sequence above, but not both):

tftp 192.168.11.1 -m binary -c put dd-wrt.v23_generic.bin 

Note: OS X's built-in tftp comman does not support this one command shot


  1. Type in the last line (don't hit enter yet!), power on the router, wait for the LED's to turn off, then hit <ENTER>.
  • The 'status' command is a bit misleading in this sense. The router should actually be powered off at this point.

Limitations/Notes

  • Once you flash to DD-WRT on the Buffalo WHR-G54S/WHR-HP-G54/WZR-RS-G54 and you, for whatever reason, want to flash back to the Buffalo firmware, look in the downloads section of dd-wrt.com in the "buffalo factory revert" folder for unencrypted firmware that will load from the DD-WRT gui. The WHR-HP-G54 image is the German version. Download the English version from Buffalo's site. Flash the German version and use that to flash the English version.
  • A hidden LED behind the front panel will blink. It slightly lights up the bridge icon. This LED is not used in the Buffalo firmware, but in DD-WRT it will flash on for 2 seconds, then off for 2 seconds.
  • In firmware v23 SP1, the router will restart with IP 192.168.1.1/255.255.255.0
  • It is not necessary to use the two-step flash process as with some WRT54Gs. The Buffalo will accept the entire generic image in one shot.
  • For subsequent upgrades/downgrades of DD-WRT, use the web interface of DD-WRT. See Steps to Flash Through Web GUI.

Additional to WHR-HP-G54 - Changing boardflags

Since v23 SP2, this is no longer necessary. See WHR-HP-G54#Built-in_amplifier for details.

  • Telnet to router. Telnet is a network command environment. Open a telnet session in windows by typing telnet 192.168.1.1 in a command window.
  • The username is 'root', password 'admin'
  • Enter the following commands
nvram show | grep boardflags 
boardflags=0x1758

~ #
  • if you have 0x1758, change it to 0x2758
  • Use this code:
nvram set boardflags=0x2758 
nvram commit 
reboot 
  • This setting appears to turn on a feature on the HP receive side, dramatically increasing receive capability.
  • This feature is not saved with the GUI Backup, so must be redone after every instance of going to default.

Troubleshooting

  • If you experience problems a switch between the Buffalo and your PC may help.
  • If you experience problems, you may need to erase NVRAM by starting a Telnet session and entering one (or both?) of the following Options:
  • Option 1 :
mtd erase nvram
cd /tmp
wget http://openwrt.inf.fh-brs.de/~nbd/nvram-clean.sh
chmod a+x /tmp/nvram-clean.sh
/tmp/nvram-clean.sh
nvram commit
  • Search for posts in the forum containing "WHR-G54S" and the problem you are having.
    • If you have bricked the router, go to the forums. search for "WHR-G54S bricked". There are enough debricking threads, you don't need to start your own.

Flashing Other Buffalo Devices

Flash Your Buffalo WBR-G54, WLA-G54, ... also includes WBR2-G54, WBR2-G54S

Flashing the Belkin F5D7230-4 v3xxx and Lower

As this belkin router comes in several versions, this firmware build will only work for belkin router models up to v4000. Version 4000 and higher appear to be based on the TI chipset found in the WRT54GC. v1000, and v1111, have 4mb flash roms while v1444 has only a 2mb flash. You must tftp flash the router with the 2mb micro firmware. If you have a 4mb model, you can reflash the router with the full version generic firmware from within the routers web interface once you've followed this procedure. Unless you need the extra features, it is best to stick with the micro firmware since it is known to work better with this router.

  1. Download the latest micro firmware (dd-wrt.v23_micro_generic as of this writing)
  2. Reset router to factory defaults. Unplug the router.
  3. Connect your computer directly to one of the LAN ports on the router.
  4. The router starts up with IP address 192.168.2.1. Set your computers IP address manually to the following setting: IP Address: 192.168.2.2, Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0, Default Gateway: leave blank. For more help with this step, study the instructions for the Buffalo router located above.
  5. Go to Start->Run->"cmd" and press Enter.
  6. Change your directory to the folder containing the firmware image. Ex. cd "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop"
  7. Type tftp -i 192.168.2.1 PUT (file name of firmware image) For example: tftp -i 192.168.2.1 PUT dd-wrt.v23_micro_generic.bin. Do not press enter yet.
  8. Connect the power to the Belkin.
  9. All port LEDs will illuminate.
  10. After a few seconds, all LEDs except the one you are connected to will turn off. Wait exactly one second and hit enter to execute the command. If you get a timeout error just try again. (Also try running tftp right before powering up.) If you continue to have trouble with this step check out the alternative method below.
  11. The LED on the LAN port will flash rapidly for a while after which the power button will flash rapidly for a while. Be patient and wait for the power light to stop flashing. Wait a couple more seconds.
  12. Power cycle the router. (unplug the power, wait a few seconds, plug it back in).
  13. Set your IP address back to automatic (DHCP), or set it to something begining with 192.168.1.
  14. The router is now accessible at http://192.168.1.1/
  15. The username is 'root' and the password is 'admin'
  16. Enjoy your dd-wrt router

Alternative for Flashing F5D7230-4

If you don't enjoy spending hours, powering your Belkin router up and down. You can can try this procedure that worked for my v1444:

  1. Follow steps listed in the method above until you finish the part where you set your computer's IP to 192.168.2.2
  2. Goto www.linksys.com and goto their download page. (You may want to do this first before you reset to the factory defaults in case resetting screws up your internet connection.)
  3. Download the firmware for BEFW11S4 - EtherFast Wireless AP + Cable/DSL Router w/4-Port Switch.
  4. Extract the tftp.exe program from the zip file.
  5. Start tftp program and set server to: 192.168.2.1 and for the file part, put the location of your "dd-wrt.v23_micro_generic.bin" file.
  6. Set retries to 20.
  7. Powerup router.
  8. Click upgrade and then hit the reset button on your router. If program doesn't catch the Belkin's tftp window, just hit reset again. The Tftp program will let you know when it is upgrading and succeeds.

This method caught the Belkin narrow tftp window on retry #11 vs. my 0 catches after 40 some tries using the power up and down method. Not sure if this will work on other version of the F5D7230-4. From what I have seen with my router, a successful installation will change the LEDs on the Belkin. WLAN LED does not work. Power LED will work and connected WAN LED will blink green. Good luck.

After more than 50 unsuccessful attempts to flash my v1444 router I finally flashed my router using the alternative method described above, but only after using a hub or switch to connect the computer and the Belkin unit. All of my attempts with a direct connection between the router and the computer resulted in a timeout, but by using a hub or switch I had success on the first try. When trying to flash with a direct connection from the computer to the Belkin, it will never work. The connection fails when the router is unpluged or reset. By the time the connection is re-established, the Belkin is too far along in the boot process to accept the upgrade. So if you are having difficulty, like I did for so long, try the above method with a hub or switch connecting one of the lan ports of the router to the computer.

Flashing the Asus WL500G (Original) or Mitsubishi R100 Gateway

--Stmok 18:28, 16 Nov 2006 (CET)
Please note: The Mitsubishi R100 is a rebadged ASUS WL500G that is only available in Australia. As such, you can use the ASUS tools on the Mitsubishi product. The R100s are usually found at lower prices compared to the ASUS product. They also come with a 3 yr warranty. Obviously, flashing with a third-party firmware voids this warranty. (You have been warned!)

(a) What do you need?

  • A PC directly connect to one of the LAN ports of the router, via Ethernet Cable. (Unfortunately, it has to be a Windows based PC. I was unable to upload the firmware via tftp command. Maybe you'll have better luck with Linux).
  • These two files: wl500g-clear-nvram.trx (filesize: 1,585,152 bytes) and wl500g-recover.trx (filesize: 3,690,496 bytes)
  • ASUS Firmware Restoration Tool. This is found on the CD that comes with the router OR ASUS Support website here. Its hidden in Utilities section and named ASUS WL-500b/g wireless router utility program in English. Version 1.3.8.0 (for the English version). The file is called Eng_1380.zip (Use unzip app to decompress).
  • A Mitsubishi R100 OR ASUS WL500G router.
  • DD-WRT v23 SP2 firmware. (Well duh!) :)


(b) What to do?

  • This procedure was developed using the Mitsubishi R100 router with the Standard variant of DD-WRT. It should be identical with the ASUS WL500G (Original).
    1. Set the PC to have a static IP of 192.168.1.10, while the gateway entry is 192.168.1.1
    2. Before you plug the power connector in, press and hold the Restore or Reset button on the back.
    3. While holding the reset button, plug the power connector in.
    4. This causes it to go into Restore mode. This is indicated by the PWR LED flashing at regular intervals.
    5. Now use the ASUS Firmware Restoration Tool and upload wl500g-clear-nvram.trx. Wait until upload is complete and it reboots. This is usually takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
    6. Once done, unplug the power connector. Wait for 30 seconds or so.
    7. Repeat steps 2 to 6, but upload wl500g-recover.trx instead.
    8. Now plug the power connector back into the router.
      • Try to ping the router from your PC. If it responds, then you are ready to upload DD-WRT firmware. Proceed to step 9.
      • If not, then repeat steps 2 to 7 until it does.
      • If that fails, set the router in Restore mode (as mentioned in step 2 to 4), but install DD-WRT firmware. Then wipe it off by repeating steps 2 to 8. You must have it such that the router MUST respond to ping in Restore mode!
    9. Install DD-WRT v23 SP2 ASUS firmware using the ASUS Firmware Restoration Tool. (The firmware file is called dd-wrt.v23_asus.trx).
    10. Once done, wait for a few minutes until it reboots. This can be seen by the AIR LED flashing at regular periods.
    11. Now try pinging the router with DD-WRT firmware installed.
      • If it responds, continue to step 12.
      • If it does NOT respond to pings, repeat steps 2 to 11. Repeat until it responds with DD-WRT installed.
    12. Login in via web browser by entering http://192.168.1.1 and the default login is root, with the password admin
    13. Enjoy your R100 or WL500G with DD-WRT v23 SP2! :D


Note: This process requires a bit of patience and persistance. The WL500G and the rebadged R100 are stubborn routers that need a bit of encouragement. Eventually, you will be successful with installing DD-WRT onto them.

Flashing the Asus WL500G Deluxe

  • Remove the power connector of the WL500G.
  • While holding the reset button, plug the power connector back in.
  • When the power led flashes, release the reset button. The router now is in recovery mode.
  • Wait for your pc to get an ip address (if dhcp is configured)
  • Use the ASUS recovery utility to upload the DD-WRT trx file.

You can get the utilities here, or you can browse the Asus site to download the latest version.

In case you have multiple network interfaces and are unable to find you router, disable all but the one that is connected to your router.

After the upgrade the router reboots and you should be able to access the web interface

SSD: For my new WL-500g Deluxe, the recovery utility would appear to successfully upload the firmware (v23), but then I could not get it to boot... even after waiting several minutes and power cycling. The unit would also be unresponsive to ping requests. I could always successfully reload the original Asus firmware. TFTP methods were unsuccessful altogether, as TFTP never seemed to establish contact with the router. Finally, I was able to boot DD-WRT by first flashing with OpenWRT (White Russian rc4), then using OpenWRT's firmware upload page to flash with DD-WRT.

MopIC: I had very similar problem like SSD. Unfortunately, flashing in OpenWRT RC4 or any other software through Asus Restoration tool didn't help at all.
My router is Asus WL-500G PCB R2.40.
It acted as if it was constantly rebooting.
The solution came from wl500.info website.
http://wl700g.info/showthread.php?t=1606

I had to do the following:
1. Set my ip address on PC's interface to 192.168.1.10 (dhcp on asus didn't work)
2. Unplug power cord from wl-500g.
3. Press and hold restore button and then insert power cord back into router.

  When the PWR light starts flashing, release Restore button.
Now your wl-500g is in restore mode.

4. Run Asus Firmware Restoration (can be found on asus website or included cd)
5. Choose wl500g-clear-nvram.trx file and upload it to the router. Wait 2-3 minutes after.
6. Unplug power and again enter Restore mode (steps 2 and 3)
7. Choose wl500g-recover.trx file and also upload it to your router. Wait 2-3 minutes
8. Unplug power and again enter Restore mode (steps 2 and 3)
9. Choose the firmware you wish to flash and upload. Wait 2-3 minutes. Reboot

  I used DD-WRT v23 SP2 2006-1307 for Asus

10. Now it should be ok - enter http://192.168.1.1 and check if it is ok :-)
Hope it helps... for me it was couple hours to fix it...


LFR : Upgrade was done out of the box with .trx file & worked straight, no need for recovery mode
MrO : Does this also work on the WL-500g Premium? TTSherpa : Yes it does. No problen going back an forth the original FW & dd-wrt
DJ : While upgrading from SP1 to SP2, web GUI didn't work with .trx file. Renaming it to .bin worked.


    • posted by Evan Carrol sept 28, done with with WL-500gP **

I just wanted to drop in my advice, I did this whole thing WITHOUT the asus proprietary utils. I used linux TFTP. I had to use the aformentioned utils at http://wl700g.info/showthread.php?t=1606, the only different thing I did was use TFTP. I went in the same order as the above but only gave my router 10 seconds between reboots.

start. 1) flash - tftp wl500g-clear-nvram.trx 2) 10 seconds unplug, 3) flash - tftp wl500g-recover.trx 4) 10 seconds unplug, 5) flash- tftp dd-wrt.v23_asus.trx 6) 10 seconds unplug done.

Flashing the Asus WL500G Premium

  • Same as Deluxe.
  • Recover from bad flash via Asus Firmware Restoration.
    • Brick recovery can involve shorting pins. Easy enough if one's hands don't shake, but you void the warranty.

dd-wrtv23 SP2 ok so far ...

Flashing the MN-700

  • See MN-700 Page -- summary of steps include:
    • Similar to Asus Deluxe.
    • First perform MN-700 hack to enable Linux based firmware to be installed.
    • Install dd-wrt firmware using Asus Recovery Utility in recovery mode
    • Clear filter_services variables if necessary (SP2 and earlier)

v23 SP2 and earlier work but require filter_service nvram variables to be cleared and reset button does not work.
Full support in SVN 3949+ (you can get SVN 3953 here)

Flashing the Siemens SE505

BrainSlayer said: "DD-WRT v23 (starting from 27/10/05 version) does now officially support the Siemens Gigaset SE505 router. That means you can use the very latest features like WPA2 on this unit too. Due the limited ram of this unit, you cannot use all features at the same time, but from the base it is much better than the original firmware for this Router"


For flashing the Siemens Gigaset SE505, you have to use the dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin with boot tftp on 192.168.2.1 since the Siemens default settings do not fit to the Linksys/dd-wrt ones you have additionally to check your configuration details after flashing.

(From BrainSlayer's note in hwsupport.txt)


In changelog.txt, the last entry about the SE505 mentions, that the version2 was bricked:

15.11.2005:
0000161 No gzip in 14.11.2005 ?????
0000167 ipkg broken in V23b 14-11-05
0000168 DD-wrt v23 B2 141105 SE505 v2 bricked
...

Could someone give more info about the issue or tell us if dd-wrt has been installed succesfully on any version 2 device?


01.mai.2006. I successfully flashed a se505 v2(S30853-S1006-R107-3) with the v23_micro sp1_4.25.06 only the browser buttons on "administration|management" are not working. WDS with WEP is running well at the moment with 2 other WRT54 V23. Other things not tested yet.with v23sp1_04.28.06 buttons on basic-setup are not working - so no adjustment on ip possible. ddt3 at gmx dot net.


02.mai.2006. Even with v23sp1_2006 micro - 0501 buttons on "administration|management" are still not working. WPA as a AP seems not to work on my se505v2. With wrt54gl V23 it works for reference with my notebook yakumo quicklan USB54 XP-generic-setup. If you flash a new fw with tftp somtimes it apears as 192.168.0.your setup and sometimes as 192.168.1.1 an 192.168.2.1. So change your IP to a suitable subnet and search with ping. ddt3 at gmx dot net.


08.mai.2006. Firmware: DD-WRT v23 SP1-RC1 (05/07/06) micro with se505 v2(S30853-S1006-R107-3) works fine now. all the problems from 1+2.mai2006 are solved so far i see in this short time. ddt3 at gmx dot net.


09.mai.2006. update: wpa-psk and wpa2-psk ist not working with my constelation. i flashed back to the orig. siemens_de_3.02.03 fw. with this wpa-psk is running well with orig. xp setup and with yakumo setup - so seems to be a fw problem ddt3 at gmx dot net.


12.mai.2006. after updating to "dd-wrt.v23 SP1/RC2/micro" wpa-psk and wpa2-psk works with my pc! ddt3 at gmx dot net.


18.mai.2006 with DD-WRT v23 SP1 Final (05/16/06) micro (generic) it works also fine. If the se505v2 dont accept the new parameter after press the save button try to switch off the siemens for a moment and restart your browser (be sure to close all your browser windows).ddt3 at gmx dot net.


9.june.2006 will the SE515 be supported?


17.july.2006 dd-wrt.v23_micro_generic_sp2.bin (11.07.2006) works also fine and stable on se505v2 now for 3 days with pppoe in use. but it never shows full speed rate. 36 Mbps is max shown despite the wds oposite station shows 54 Mbps. to see the lease time expire count down I had to swich off "DNSMasq for DHCP" .ddt3.


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