Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 0:30 Post subject: Netgear WNR834Bv2 - is it supported?
I've dug around here, searched the wiki and the forums, and haven't been able to come up with anything that references v2 specifically of the WNR834B. I have seen some mention of work on the WNR834B v1, and was wondering whether it would be reasonably safe to try DD-WRT on my shiny new v2.
While I generally live by the motto "if it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is", this is a brand spanking new and fairly expensive piece of hardware, so I'd like to avoid perma-bricking it if possible. If you guys think DD-WRT stands a good chance of working - or recoverably bricking at worst - please let me know. Of course, if you think that whatever changes v2 entails might result in a paperweight, I'd appreciate a warning :)
Also, while I'm sure the DD-WRT devs are probably aware of this, I figured I'd point out that the WNR834B v2 (along with many other Netgear routers) firmware source and toolchain are available under the LGPL license here on Netgear's site. I don't know how useful it is to you guys as I don't know squat about writing firmware, but thought it might help.
hmmm, I guess i'm going to have to wait until someone else gets a hold of one then and can open it up... it's got warranty stickers over two of the screws, and upon a little gentle experimentation they're the kind where the metallic foil peels off from the back leaving the word "VOID" where it was originally stuck. Additionally, the screws are T-5 torx, which I don't readily have a screwdriver for (the smallest I have is T-10), although that problem could be alleviated were it not for the warranty stickers.
I'm still contemplating returning the router for another model (possibly Netgear, possibly another), so I don't want to do anything that would eliminate my return capability.
If I were to return it, can anyone suggest any good draft-N routers that DD-WRT is known to work with that aren't too hard on the pocketbook (I'm looking around the $100-130 price point)?
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 9:55 Post subject: Well..
Believe It Or Not.. I Heard V2 Is Actually A Downgrade (Hardware Wise) From V1 To Make The Router More Efficient.. Or So I Heard...
Anywayz... Go Ahead And Try DD-WRT.. Its A Great Product! If Netgear Would Upgrade The Firmware Once And Awhile I'd Still Be Using It.. But For Now, DD-WRT Is The Answer.
Caution: I Mentioned This Before.. And Its Probably Fixed.. But I Had Difficulty With Certain Firmware Updates. As Of Now, I'm Using v24 Beta (07/04/07) mini But I Plan To Update Soon.. This Weekend No-one Will Be Using The Network So Its A Perfect Time To Update Firmware.. Get Everything Back Up And Running As Normal.
Be Sure To Use The Beta Firmware.. v23 Wasn't Quite Compatible For Me..
And Lets Say.. The Firmware Isn't Compatible.. You Could Always Reflash Netgear Firmware!
After You Get The Firmware Loaded.. Make Sure All Your Devices Can Connect And Internet Works.. If Everything Is Good.. Spend An Hour Customizing Your "New" Router! One Thing I Did Right Off The Bat Was Turn On QoS, Gave My Xmit Power A Little Boost (Not Too Much.. You Could Get Brain Cancer D: ) Disable Frame Burst, Disable CTS Protection Mode, And Disable Afterburner.
If I were to return it, can anyone suggest any good draft-N routers that DD-WRT is known to work with that aren't too hard on the pocketbook (I'm looking around the $100-130 price point)?
Any feedback regarding this? I've still got a few days in which I can return this pretty much no-questions-asked, and would like to do so if there's something better out there.
Sorry to bump this, but it seems to have fallen to the third page* and I've only got until Saturday according to my receipt to return the WNR834Bv2, so if someone can recommend a good draft-N router that's compatible with DD-WRT for <$130 before then, I'd appreciate it!
I think buying a router that's known to play well with DD-WRT is a better solution than attempting to get DD-WRT to work on an uknown router and risk bricking it or at best wind up with something that's not as flexible as a DD-WRT'ed router ;)
* from my experience on other forums, posts past the second page rarely - if ever - get read... please enlighten me if that's not applicable here
Tuesday is my last day to return the WNR834B, so if someone could recommend a replacement draft-N router for <$130 before then -- one that's DD-WRT compatible -- I'd appreciate it
The radio was changed from cardbus to onboard intensi-fi, and a third antenna was added. V2 still uses a BCM4704 processor, BCM5325 switch, and has the same flash and ram capacity.
On a side note, Sveasoft warns"WARNING!!! Netgear has crippled the latest WNR834B models and rendered them incapable from recovering from a flash failure. A flash failure of any firmware (Netgear's or ours) WILL PERMANENTLY BRICK YOUR ROUTER!!! Flash at your own risk." I wonder if they're talking about v2 or later versions of v1.
The goods for Eko (not my picture):
edit: Incidentally, I noticed Netgear moved to a new format with a new extension (.chk) for their v2 firmware files. I'm unable to open it as an archive or extract the contained .bin like I was with the v1's .img files.
Last edited by quiqsilver on Mon Jan 14, 2008 13:24; edited 2 times in total
Picked up one of these today to play with. Tftp doesnt run at boot, so I intentionally bricked it. After bricking, tftp does load and I can up any firmware i want to it, but nothing will run except authentic netgear. When i up auth firmware the power light turns solid orange and it starts loading up. For other firmware the power light just blinks green, stays solid green, or turns off as soon as the up finishes. Tftp no longer functions until i reboot it, and it stops responding to ping.