Linksys EA6500 V1
From DD-WRT Wiki
DISCLAIMER |
Contents |
Overview
Specificationsref | |
---|---|
Release date / price | 28 August 2012 / $199 |
CPU | Broadcom BCM4706 |
CPU Speed | 600 MHz |
Flash ROM | 128 MiB (Samsung K9F1G08U0D) |
RAM | 128 MiB (Hynix H5PS5162GFR-Y5C × 2) |
Radios | 2.4 GHz bgn: Broadcom BCM4331
5 GHz an+ac: Broadcom BCM4360 |
WLAN Protocal | a/b/g/n/ac |
WLAN Max Speed | 450 Mbps + 1300 Mbps (1750 Mbps) |
Antenna Location | Internal |
Bands | 3x3:3 MIMO x 2 |
Switch | 4xGigE LAN, 1xGigE WAN
Broadcom BCM53125 |
USB | 2 x USB 2.0 |
Power | 12VDC, 3A
Barrel type connector |
Stock bootloader | CFE 1.0.37 BCM947XX |
Stock firmware kernel | Linux 2.6.22 |
Default SSID/IP/passwd | CiscoXXXXX
192.168.1.1, <blank>:admin |
OUI | C8:D7:19 |
WARNING
HARDWARE VERSION: V1 AND V2 |
READ! |
BETA |
FILE INTEGRITY |
Known issues
- GigE doesn't work at full speeds --EA6500v1 20:35, 21 July 2017 (CEST)
Pre-installation
Read the following before attempting to install:
- Peacock thread
- General installation page (you can just read over the installation steps, specific DOs and DON'Ts for the EA6500V1 will be all over this page)
- General recovery from a bad flash
OEM Firmware files
Linksys Original FW | ||
---|---|---|
Version | Download | Checksum Hashes |
1.1.27 | Link | MD5: CCFBEA9CE39524E35ED2AB4A1683BF86
SHA-256: E2A95AA4133C5B5F28D92FE0543CB5486301BCD83A23BF354A74E3B7FCD5162C |
1.1.28 | Link | MD5:5C8723F9E158A08617B8953BBA9D1D4F
SHA-256: E100D438BBB535B8A4827E26BD7522615B195A80DE8F758D89466C554C976F54 |
1.1.29 | Link | MD5: 8E0BBB275331A60D48E45AD2AF0E02AB
SHA-256: 90E3E68E1C61850F20C50E551816D47D484D7FEB46890F5BC0A0E0DAB3E3BA0B |
First-install recommended firmware files
Recommended DD-WRT FW for first-install | ||
---|---|---|
Version | Download | Checksum Hash |
fractal r22524 | Link 1 | MD5: 4116608B9A1D2616FCF3551C9AF0837C
SHA-256: 64CF74E346549805A3AD13943FB3C15B0F3931A992EB9B60CE6543085AD21552 |
bs r23082 | Link 1 | MD5: 80FB817C2DAA19BF120F2E86A52171E5
SHA-256: FE295CC120722D77A95A80E9C55C81E2ECF37047567AA1FAB0AE2862573D3FB8 |
Build from the source
↳ Building_From_Source#Building_DD-WRT_from_Source
Install/Upgrade DD-WRT
Prerequisites
- Ethernet cable connected to your EA6500 V1
- Static IP set on your computer
- OEM FW file if you need to downgrade or revert back
- One of the recommended DD-WRT firmware files for the initial flash
- Appropriate recovery tools (TFTP, JTAG etc.)
- Making sure you have the V1 router
Find your hardware version
Before installing, check whether or not your EA6500 is indeed a V1 and not a V2. There are two ways to do this:
Check your stock/OEM firmware version
EA6500 | ||
---|---|---|
V1 | V2 | |
Firmware version | ≤1.1.29 | ≥1.1.34 |
Reference | CHANGELOG | CHANGELOG |
Check the sticker at the bottom of your router
These are what the stickers should say for the two versions:
EA6500 | |||
---|---|---|---|
V1 | V2 | Notes | |
Model No. | EA6500 V1 | EA6500 V2 | |
FCC ID | Q87-EA6500 | Q87-EA6500V2 | |
IC ID | 3839A-EA6500 | 3839A-EA6500V2 | |
Rating* | 12V ⎓ 3A | 12V ⎓ 3.5A | not definitive |
Top right logo* | CISCO | LINKSYS | not definitive |
Installing from stock firmware
This section is currently in the middle of a major revamping. |
- Go to your router's web interface (usually @192.168.1.1) and log in through the Linksys web page (default password is admin)
- Head over to
Connectivity
underRouter Settings
on the left panel and choose one of the recommended DD-WRT files under firmware upgrade (bigger DD-WRT files may work too) - Click
Start
andYes
on the consequent dialog to begin the install process. Once done, your router will restart and the total process should take less than 5-10 minutes - Head over to
192.168.1.1
and you will be greeted with the Username and Password change page on the DD-WRT firmware (the password you choose here will be the password for telnet too) - Done! Check the post-installation section for some useful tips
This section is currently in the middle of a major revamping. |
Post-install to-do (highly recommended)
- Backup your CFE (bootloader) in case you brick your router. You can do this via the web interface, telnet/SSH or JTAG
- Upgrade to a newer version of DD-WRT after your initial install. Be sure to Reset to Default settings before doing so. Upgrade instructions are mentioned below
- At the time of writing this page, r32170 was the latest firmware that was stable --EA6500v1 20:16, 21 July 2017 (CEST)
Upgrade from the web interface
- Go to
Administration
>Firmware Upgrade
- Select
Reset to Default settings
from the drop down menu and select the firmware you wish to upgrade (or downgrade) and click Upgrade - Wait a few minutes, do not turn off or reboot/reset the router until done
- You should be greeted with a Username and password change page that appears after your first-install
Upgrade from the CLI
- NB: wget was broken for HTTP/HTTPS links at the time of writing this page for busybox v1.26.x, use FTP links and verify MD5 before upgrading
- NB: According to the peacock thread, EA series routers should never be hard reset (the infamous 30-30-30). Doing so can erase the CFE (bootloader) and brick your router. I haven't found anything on the peacock thread to suggest the EA6500V1 is not affected by it, and the EA6500 thread seems too saturated to search about it. Update this remark if you have a source to say otherwise/that the EA6500 V1 is indeed not affected by 30-30-30/erase NVRAM
- I personally have not had issues with either doing a 30-30-30 or erasing the NVRAM via the CLI which conflicts with the peacock thread. Your mileage will vary and doing so is a risk you have to consider. I suggest keeping hard resort/erasing NVRAM as a last resort and if possible try a TFTP instead --EA6500v1 23:28, 21 July 2017 (CEST)
- SSH/Telnet into your router
- Change directory from ~ to /tmp by either of these two:
cd ..
cd /tmp
- Download firmware by:
- wget <ftp/http/https link to your desired firmware file>
- Wait for download to complete (no progress bar) and check the MD5 hash of the file by:
- md5sum <filename>
- Upgrade firmware by:
- write <filename> linux
- Do not turn off or reboot/reset the router until done
- [WARNING; READ NOTES ABOVE] Erase NVRAM by:
- erase nvram
- Reboot:
- reboot
Restoring to OEM firmware
Follow the instructions to upgrade either via the DD-WRT web interface or the CLI, and use one of the OEM firmware files (select Reset to Default settings
before clicking Upgrade
)
Troubleshooting
Downgrading to an older firmware
Follow the same steps for an upgrade via the web interface or CLI
Bootloops/Bricks/Recovery
This is the section of this page that may be outdated or may not have the best solution. With that being said, reading more on this topic is always safer and you should be checking the following before proceeding with the instructions mentioned in this section to make sure these instructions still apply to the EA6500 V1:
Recovering via SSH/telnet (soft brick)
A soft brick is when DD-WRT is functioning and when LAN/WAN connection may be fully functional, but you cannot access the web interface and cannot fix whatever you broke or revert back to a non-buggy firmware.
In this case you can either telnet/SSH into your router over a wired connection preferably after setting up a static IP, appropriate gateway IP and subnet mask.
telnet is enabled by default, and SSH may need to enabled separately. Follow the instructions to upgrade from CLI and use a stable firmware that has worked for you or is known to be functional
If telnet is broken/disabled and SSH isn't an option either, then do a 30-30-30/hard reset to clear the NVRAM variable that might have broken your setup. This may not work if the firmware is buggy and broken to begin with. And do keep in mind that EA series routers should not be hard reset as mentioned here.
If a hard reset does nothing or seems to risky, try to TFTP the smallest OEM firmware (1.1.27)
Recovering via TFTP (hard brick; bootloops)
This should never be used as a first step if you've bricked your router.
Follow note 6 to find out if your router is even TFTP'able, and note 11 to TFTP.
I personally have TFTP'ed twice when I was stuck in bootloops and it was possible for me with the OEM FW 1.1.27. Everything else seems too large to be TFTP'ed in that short window you get before the next boot starts. You mileage may vary. --EA6500v1 02:01, 22 July 2017 (CEST)
If you cannot TFTP, then head over to the JTAG section
Recovering via JTAG/serial (hard brick; corrupt CFE)
This section is currently device non-specific and I haven't found anything of much use yet. --EA6500v1 02:01, 22 July 2017 (CEST)
Useful commands, links and scripts
Enable Cisco/Linksys LED
- Go to
Administration
>Commands
and type the following in the text area:- gpio disable 2
- Press
Run Commands
and then pressSave Startup
and the light will turn and stay on on every time it boots up!
Decrease NVRAM size
Text area within the web interface that is no longer being used can sometimes retain code and occupy space on the NVRAM. Doing the following will allow you to safely decrease the size of your NVRAM:
- Go to
Administration
>Commands
and type the following in the text area:- nvram show | grep =$ | wc -l
- for line in `nvram show | grep =$ `; do var=${line%*=}; nvram unset $var; done
- Press
Run Commands
and then pressSave Startup
and this will run the command at boot up
Contribute!
If you would like to contribute to this particular page, then feel free to do so or leave a comment on the EA6500 megathread
References
- Peacock thread: https://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=51486
- EA6500 megathread: https://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=162802
- Broadcom sub: https://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=1