whiskywhiskee
DD-WRT Novice
Joined: 19 Jul 2017
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 1:01 Post subject: Flashing Virgin Netgear 3500L V1. Need Some Confirmations. |
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I have a Netgear WNR3500L that I believe to be V1 as the device gives no indication anywhere that it is V2. It's a virgin router with the stock firmware (although it has been updated since being purchased). Before I pull the trigger, I would like to know if I could have some questions addressed/confirmed.
I attempted to download the .chk and .bin files from the links at the bottom of the wiki page for the router (https://dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Netgear_WNR3500L), but I receive a, "550 Failed to change directory" message. The Peacock thread states that the current recommended build is 14929.
So I've downloaded both the dd-wrt.v24-14929_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini-WNR3500L.chk and the dd-wrt.v24-14929_NEWD-2_K2.6_big.bin files for flashing from here (ftp://ftp.dd-wrt.com/betas/2010/08-12-10-r14929/broadcom_K26/).
But the wiki page for the WNR3500L mentions at the bottom of the Which Firmware section, | Quote: | | Outdated, needs to be removed. |
So I just want to make sure of some things since I'm not sure what specific information is out of date:
First, the wiki page states that the WNR3500L can run "Big" builds. The router has 8 MB of flash memory and the dd-wrt.v24-14929_NEWD-2_K2.6_big.bin has a file size of 6988 KB (6.988 MB). But the Peacock thread states in Note 4,
| Quote: | If you have 8mb of flash, you can use any generic build you wish. (Subject to k26 or nv60/64 specific builds that your specific router might need), unless the build is larger than the 8mb flash size. (Some recent mega builds have been) .
Maximum firmware size
To be on a safe side, please check the size of new firmware file before flashing it to your router. Flashing too large firmware file can brick your router. (Netgear Routers often cannot flash standard builds because of the extra partition they have on the flash chip.)
2MB flash chip / normal cfe (256k) : 1769472 bytes
2MB flash chip / compressed cfe (128k): 1900544 bytes
4MB flash chip (not Netgear): 3801088 bytes
4MB flash chip Netgear routers: 3735552 bytes
8MB flash chip: 7995392 bytes |
So it seems that the router can support the "Big" .bin file, but the part about how some Netgear flash chips have an extra partition concerns me. How can I determine if my router will in fact support a "Big" build? Or should just flash the dd-wrt.v24-14929_NEWD-2_K2.6_std_usb_ftp.bin build at 4888 KB to be on the safe side?
Also under Point 4, it states, | Quote: | | HOWEVER, especially with a newer router, please note that you can never flash a router with a build that predates the support for that router. Some very new router have just been supported (e2500, e3200 etc.). You cannot flash any build that was created before support was added for that router. So with newer router, you need to search to find out what build was the first one that could be used on that router, and make sure you ONLY FLASH builds that are that build or newer. Using 14929 will brick a newer router model that was not supported when 14929 was released. |
The supported devices page (https://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices#Netgear) shows min usable DD-WRT version as K26, build 12966, 20090923.
So can I use build 12966 as reference to satisfy this condition? That is, did build 14929 come after 12966? I'm sorry if this is a dumb question. I just want to be sure I'm doing this correctly.
And lastly, if it is correct to use the files mentioned above to flash the router (dd-wrt.v24-14929_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini-WNR3500L.chk and the dd-wrt.v24-14929_NEWD-2_K2.6_big.bin OR dd-wrt.v24-14929_NEWD-2_K2.6_std_usb_ftp.bin), can the router later be flashed with a Kong version of DD-WRT? I did see some .chk and .bin files at the www.myopenrouter.com website for this router, but wasn't sure about using those.
Thanks very much for your help. |
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