Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 0:22 Post subject: Asus RT-N16 "upgraded" with TRX file - bricked?
So I apparently have made a mistake and, via the DD-WRT upgrade screen, have uploaded the .trx file (ftp://ftp.dd-wrt.com/betas/2016/02-05-2016-r29048/broadcom_K3X/dd-wrt.v24-29048_NEWD-2_K3.x_mega_RT-N16.trx)
Now the router will power up but it basically doesn't appear to do anything.
I'm not sure where to go from here. I guess this is "bricked" but I am pretty sure there is some recovery option. I am wondering if I need to exercise a tftp with a .bin file? Is the .trx the right file to upload?
Unplug the power, hold the reset button it while plugging the power back in.
When the power led stars flashing, you can let go of the reset button.
Open up your browser at 192.168.1.1 and upload stock firmware in the cfe mini web browser. _________________ I am far from a guru, I'm barely a novice.
Holding restore button this time around seems to at least have gotten me a ping, but nothing comes up at 192.168.1.1 in the browser. It just says "Connecting" and never seems to actually finish.
I'm able to connect via TFTP, though:
Code:
tftp 192.168.1.1
tftp> ?
tftp-hpa 5.2
Commands may be abbreviated. Commands are:
connect connect to remote tftp
mode set file transfer mode
put send file
get receive file
quit exit tftp
verbose toggle verbose mode
trace toggle packet tracing
literal toggle literal mode, ignore ':' in file name
status show current status
binary set mode to octet
ascii set mode to netascii
rexmt set per-packet transmission timeout
timeout set total retransmission timeout
? print help information
help print help information
tftp> connect
(to) 192.168.1.1
tftp> status
Connected to 192.168.1.1.
Mode: netascii Verbose: off Tracing: off Literal: off
Rexmt-interval: 5 seconds, Max-timeout: 25 seconds
Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 11564 Location: Wherever the wind blows- North America
Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 13:06 Post subject:
Its REALLY hard to brick one of these...here are my notes on recovery...follow them to the letter and you'll be ok.
redhawk
Code:
To get K3.x working on the RT-N16 unit....use the Asus Recovery Utility for initial flash.
Hold reset button while plugging in unit...wait for power button to blink. This is recovery mode.
MUST USE build 21530 for this to work....can not be any other build.
Once K3.x is installed:
Do NOT issue "erase nvram" command from CLI...this unit only has 64K of nvram...the CLI thinks it has 128K and the firmware thinks its 256k...this means doing an "erase nvram" removed other parts of the flash chip (likely firmware partition "dd-wrt" or "linux")
Note: build 21530 seems to have wireless issues...it broadcasts the ssid...but you can't connect to it...however, if in repeater bridge mode, you can contact it through the host AP at the router's IP address.
IF the router won't provide a Power LED after updating to the K3.x file...then there is a problem with the flash chip and it needs to be cleared (except the CFE).
mtd erase nvram
mtd erase ddwrt
mtd erase linux
This will clear the flash chip...now start the process again with the K2.6 build in step 1.
_________________ The only stupid question....is the unasked one.
Now I need to find the "up to date" docs for how to install DD-WRT on the RT-N16...
redhawk0's instructions above are pretty recent.
Also see the 'new build' forum threads, plus those in the RT-N16 wiki Links section for recent build info. _________________ #NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD#Repeater issues#DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo#
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
To get K3.x working on the RT-N16 unit....use the Asus Recovery Utility for initial flash.
Hold reset button while plugging in unit...wait for power button to blink. This is recovery mode.
MUST USE build 21530 for this to work....can not be any other build.
This is the point where failure occured. I had used the recovery utility to restore an ASUS firmware previously to get the thing back in order. That worked fine.
I used the recovery utility to install 14929. That worked fine.
I then attempted to use the DD-WRT gui to install 21530 and it LOOKED like it worked, but then the router became unresponsive and I could not ping it on 192.168.1.1. So it seems like that update failed. I tried the entire process again using Firefox instead of Chrome to upload 21530 and had the same result.
If you think this is abnormal or you think there is anything I should do in between flashing 14929 and 21530, please let me know.
I am wondering if this router is actually having hardware issues?
I have personally never had good luck using the "Reset To Defaults" option when flashing, which is why I used to always GUI reset before and after, but select "Don't Reset" during the flash. That said, I don't have this router.
thoraxe wrote:
I am wondering if this router is actually having hardware issues?
How old is it, and how much has it been in use? I've repaired many older routers with failing capacitors, which had no visible sign of failure. _________________ #NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD#Repeater issues#DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo#
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
I have personally never had good luck using the "Reset To Defaults" option when flashing, which is why I used to always GUI reset before and after, but select "Don't Reset" during the flash. That said, I don't have this router.
thoraxe wrote:
I am wondering if this router is actually having hardware issues?
How old is it, and how much has it been in use? I've repaired many older routers with failing capacitors, which had no visible sign of failure.
Several years. Sat on a desk all the time in a pretty well conditioned office here at home. Typical home use. I had some lab servers and weirdo VLAN setup configured for a while but that's all been decommissioned for almost a year.
I'll try with "Don't Reset" but it will probably be next week. Heading out of town tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion(s).
I can't seem to get past dd-wrt.v24-14929_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini_RT-N16.trx
Once I try to upload 21530 using the DD-WRT GUI the router always dies. Whether I use "don't reset" or "reset" the result is the same. I upload the firmware with Firefox and it continues all the way through to the "upgrade successful" screen. At that point, the router never seems to come back. I've tried waiting several minutes after the upgrade, and a few other "tricks", to no avail.
The router just never seems to want to take dd-wrt.v24-21530_NEWD-2_K3.x_big.bin
