PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING DISCLAIMERS AND WARNINGS BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER.
DISCLAIMERS AND WARNINGS
1. Changing your router's firmware is a VERY RISKY process, and will VOID YOUR WARRANTY. Do NOT try this process if you do not have a functional alternative router, and working JTAG.
2. Changing your router's bootloader is an EXTREMELY RISKY STEP. If you do not have functional JTAG pins and cable, you WILL have a disaster if the process goes wrong - your router would be TRASHED BEYOND RECOVERY. Do NOT try this process if you do not have a functional alternative router, and working JTAG.
3. Changing your router's firmware from Linksys/Openwag200 to RouterTech is a one-way process. You would thereafter only be able to return to the Linksys/Openwag200 firmware if ALL of the following conditions are satisfied:
- You have functional JTAG pins on the router, and a functional JTAG cable
- You have a good Linksys/Openwag200 "wholeimage" firmware (all 4mb of it)
- You have 20 hours to spare, to flash the "wholeimage" firmware via JTAG
4. The process described below worked in our tests. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL WORK FOR YOU. THERE IS EVERY CHANCE THAT IT WILL NOT WORK FOR YOU, AND THAT YOUR ROUTER WILL BE TRASHED AS A RESULT. IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO THROW YOUR ROUTER IN THE BIN, THEN YOU SHOULD STOP RIGHT NOW.
5. ROUTERTECH ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED AS A RESULT OF ANY ATTEMPT OR PURPORTED ATTEMPT TO FOLLOW ANY OF THE STEPS DESCRIBED BELOW. YOU TAKE ANY OF THESE STEPS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN PERIL AND RISK. IF YOUR ROUTER GETS TRASHED, THEN DO NOT COME TO OUR FORUM TO COMPLAIN.
6. IF ANY OF THESE TERMS IS UNACCEPTABLE TO YOU, THEN STOP RIGHT NOW, AND GO AND DO SOMETHING SAFE (e.g., reading Wikipedia, or watching Snow White).
7. If (and only if) you are willing to take ALL the risks described above, then read on.
PREPARATORY:
1. Get a Windows PC/laptop - preferably running Windows XP. Most of the router tools require XP in order to function properly
2. Make sure that your PC's ethernet card is configured to use a static IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.50)
3. Get the Wireless Environment Builder (W.E.B.), and install it. You will need this to get wireless working
4. Get the PCTool (v2.4), and install it. You will need this to install the RouterTech firmware
5. Get the RouterTech 1350A wireless firmware v2.95 (or v2.96 when released). The PSP bootloader image that is attached to this tutorial has the correct environment variables for RouterTech 1350A wireless firmwares v2.95 and v2.96.
6. Get working JTAG. You will need this to recover your router if things go wrong.
7. Upgrade your firmware to the latest Openwag200 firmware (this is to allow telnet/ssh access). In our tests, we used Openwag200 v1.3.
8. Enable telnet/ssh access in the Openwag200 firmware (see http://openwag200.sourceforge.net/?p=spfeatures#ssh)
9. Get a custom-built pspboot bootloader that appropriately supports the WAG200G (psbl_4M_16M_AMD_AR7WRD_1350A_1.4.0.10.bin - one is attached to this tutorial).
The UPGRADE Process:
Although seemingly convoluted, this process is actually quite straightforward, and it should be a "once and for all" process. Thereafter, you should never need to do any of this again.
1. Transfer the bootloader image psbl_4M_16M_AMD_AR7WRD_1350A_1.4.0.10.bin to the router's /var/ directory via SCP (e.g., using WinSCP)
2. Connect to your router via telnet/ssh
3. Change to the /var/ directory - with "cd /var"
4. Take a backup of your current environment
Code: Select all
cat /proc/ticfg/env > env_backup.txt
6. From the telnet/ssh command prompt, run this command (to install the bootloader)
Code: Select all
dd if=psbl_4M_16M_AMD_AR7WRD_1350A_1.4.0.10.bin of=/dev/mtdblock/2
8. Reboot the router
9. Wait for about 8 seconds, and click "Retrieve/Assign IP Address" on the PCTool window
10. Set the PCTool's "Media Type" to "FLASH"
11. Upgrade to RouterTech 1350A firmware:
- Highlight "Firmware (Single/Kernel/FS image)"
- Click on "Send file"
- Select the RouterTech 1350A firmware image that you want to upgrade to (e.g., RouterTech_3.7.1B_1350A_20110103_2.95_AR7WRD_psbl_firmware.upgrade.img)
- Click on "Open"
- Wait until the erase/write process is complete (this will take a few minutes)
- If the PCTool hangs during this process (if it doesn't notify you within around 5 minutes that it has finished, then it has probably hung), then close it down, and go through steps 7 through 11 again
13. Wait for about 3 minutes (the next few steps (14 to 19) are only for getting wireless working correctly for the first time)
14. Login to the router's web interface on 192.168.1.1 (the username is "Admin" and the password also "Admin")
15. Go to the "Wireless" menu, and enable the wireless AP in the setup sub-menu. At this point the wireless driver will not work, and needs to be sorted out with the Wireless Environment Builder (W.E.B.).
16. Save your wireless configuration ("System->Save All")
17. Start the W.E.B., and click on "Get details from router" to retrieve the router's "TNETW ID"
18. Supply the W.E.B. with your router's wireless MAC address (see the back of the router) or just accept the default that is there already.
19. Let the W.E.B. sort out the wireless functionality for you (i.e., answer "Yes" when it asks you whether you want it to send the wireless environment that it has just built to the router for you).
20. At this stage, the W.E.B. will reboot the router for you. After the router has booted up again, connect to the router's web interface again, and configure the firmware for your ISP, etc.
21. Save all changes ("System->Save All")
22. Click on "Reboot Router"
After all these steps, the router is ready for all standard pspboot 1350A wireless firmwares for all time. You should only ever need to upgrade from henceforth using the web interface.
LEDs:
At this point, the LEDs will not all be right. This situation can be slightly improved by taking these steps
* Connect to the router with telnet/ssh
* Run these commands (this only ever needs to be done once)
A. If you upgraded to RouterTech firmware v2.95:
Code: Select all
setenv led_conf led.dg834gv3
setenv RT_cmd_leds 'Led status 1 && Led pwr 1 && Led pppoe 2 && echo "Led pppoe 2" >> /tmp/onconnectWAN'
/sbin/reboot
B. If you upgraded to RouterTech firmware v2.96 or higher:
Code: Select all
setenv led_conf led.wag200g
setenv RT_cmd_leds "Led status 1 && Led pwr 1"
/sbin/reboot