Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 20:46 Post subject: TEW-673GRU GPL Available from Trendnet
Any interest in this router with DD-WRT on it? Trendnet told me they have the GPL available for TEW-673GRU since both WNDR3700 share the same chipset in WNPU & GIG PCI Controller? _________________ Best Regards,
Tipstir
I just got one of these. It has the following firmware signalture
AP94-AR7161-RT-080619-01.
So it should be similar to the Linksys WRT400N in terms of the SoC and radio.
The GPL download is quite detailed, and includes binary firmwares and source code for the LCD screen controls and such. It also includes almost everything required to build an image from what I was able to gather.
In the tarball there is mention of
fw_query - "The Procedure of DLINK's FW query" along with references to DIR-615. So I'm guessing the firmware format is similar to that one.
I will dig a bit more into it, but it looks like a relatively easy port considering most of the code/binaries are provided.
Should be easy to debug images with a a serial console since its running u-boot in theory.
I guess nobody really is interested in this port, but there may not need to be any interest. Since the hardware is exactly the same as the DIR-825, I have converted it to that router with only a firmware update via the web interface. The OEM firmware is running 100% correctly and I now have a DIR-825.
Key is to change the firmware file signature at the end of the DIR-825 firmware to match this routers signature. Then it upgrades with no issues. You obviously lose the screen, which just displays the logo now.
EDIT: fixed wrong model number.
Last edited by zivan56 on Sat Apr 09, 2011 10:47; edited 1 time in total
I guess nobody really is interested in this port, but there may not need to be any interest. Since the hardware is exactly the same as the DIR-615, I have converted it to that router with only a firmware update via the web interface. The OEM firmware is running 100% correctly and I now have a DIR-615.
Key is to change the firmware file signature at the end of the DIR-615 firmware to match this routers signature. Then it upgrades with no issues. You obviously lose the screen, which just displays the logo now.
Which version of DIR-615 has a 7161 SOC and a RTL8366SR gigabit switch? _________________ Kernel panic: Aiee, killing interrupt handler!
Just use the regular upgrade interface (no need to do recovery mode).
This will semi-convert it (missing images and some content). But enough to upgrade to the latest D-Link firmware (2.05NA).
The problem now is the DD-WRT firmware for it will not upload in recovery mode even with the same modification. It just stalls while uploading and needs a reboot. It doesn't work through the web interface either (rejects it).
I'm guessing because the signature needs to be at 0x600000 but there is data there and the signature is further back? I am also guessing a micro or other smaller firmware would work.
I don't think it is such a good idea to load the DIR-825 firmware onto this router without knowing the flash layout.
It is quite possible that Brainslayer can add support for this router, even without having the hardware, if he is given bootlogs showing mtd partitions together with a dump of the partitions.
DIR-825 has its ART partition (important radio parameters) around 6.5MB into the flash and if you don't know where the TEW-673GRU has them then you are risking bricking the router or end up with a non-functional radio.
It is better that you give Brainslayer the info that he needs so he can add proper support for the router.
I wouldn't recommend any other user to load the file you uploaded to megaupload. _________________ Kernel panic: Aiee, killing interrupt handler!
The OEM firmware is virtually identical and the flash size is identical. All MAC address, and even the router login password worked fine without resetting the nvram.
Its got the same firmware signature (minus the two 00 prefixes), same PCB, and is virtually identical in every way except RAM.
I've converted another TrendNet router in the past (tew-432brp), and they always usually are D-Link firmware based (at least the Atheros based ones).
The firmware I linked to will only update the core files, it wont touch recovery partition or any other ones.
Even without DD-WRT, its a huge step up from the barebones configuration available in the default firwmare.
How would I get this information? Is there a web based way to execute arbitrary commands on it? Definitely not willing to do any soldering.
Well, you are lucky that flash layout is identical and that the CAL (ART) partition is in the same place,
this is something you normally check before deciding if you should dare to load another OEM firmware onto the router. :wink:
I don't see why you can't load dd-wrt onto it, have you tried the factory-to-ddwrt conversion file for DIR-825?
You ought to be able to load that one from the Trendnet OEM firmware gui in the same way as you load the DIR-825 OEM firmware.
This is a one time convert, future updates is then done with the dd-wrt file "dir825-firmware.bin"
The factory-to-ddwrt_TW file does not contain any country information in front of the router string but you probably have to change the last byte from 00 to 01. _________________ Kernel panic: Aiee, killing interrupt handler!
I wasn't too worried, as the options were so limited in the Trendnet router that I didn't care if it went in the garbage bin.
Yes I have tried that, but the "recovery" method used (Step 6 of http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/DIR-825) does not accept either the "conversion" DD-WRT firmware or one modified to have a signature at 0x600000. Interestingly enough, that screen has the same verion numbers and dates as the DIR-825.
However, it seems that this is customized for the Trendnet router.
The way it is customized is that it reverts to the IP of 192.168.10.1 (default Trendnet IP) instead of 192.168.0.1.
So I can use the non-recovery mode to upgrade? Recovery mode isn't required but a recommended method to upgrade to DD-WRT on the DIR?
It says it has 64 MB of ram in the DD-WRT interface? Is this just programmed in as a fixed value or does it actually detect that much?
dd-wrt does afaik an automatic ram detection.
The FCC photos of the TEW-673GRU shows 2 pcs of 32MByte ram chips, one on each side of the PCB.
Check yours ! _________________ Kernel panic: Aiee, killing interrupt handler!