- Initial Problem - Could not login to router
Either the router arrived with a non-default password or I was confused and so I could not get easy access into it before the upgrade.
It was well known G604T Version A.1 hardware and has its MAC addresses on the product label so its fairly safe without using the RUC - but I could not save its current environment/settings.
- Reset Problem - Factory Reset but it Bricked (died)
Attempting a Factory Reset with the button to get access and clean for the install appeared to brick the router. That might be a fragmented environment problem. Certainly it went and hid on 10.8.8.8 which is where the bootloader goes when its upset.
- Getting it back - Use TI Upgrade Utility.
Recovering the router with TI Upgrade remains straightforward. You just need a TI Upgrade package altered to contain the RT firmware and with the correct filename and MTD (memory partition) values in its configuration file. (For the uninitiated DarkWolf in Italy regularly produces a ZIP with that already done for you. He also leaves the firmware itself in the pristine state it leaves the Chief's hands!)
- Disconnect the PC from the Internet.
- Connect it to the router to be upgraded via an ethernet cable.
- Turn off or disable the PC's firewall. (Without this I find TI Upgrade has trouble seeing the router wake up and shout for help!).
- Set the PC to use a static IP in the same subnet as (ie. close to) that of the router. With a bricked router at 10.8.8.8, 10.8.8.1 is a good choice. For a working router on 192.168.1.1 use 192.168.1.2. The two devices have to be in the same subnet (ie. with similar IPs) or they will ignore each other.
- Run TI Upgrade.
I needed to run the upgrade in "Corrupted Image Mode". Try it by IP first, and use corrupted image if the router can't be found. This will also tell you the router's IP, check its what you thought it was.
If the router starts on 10.8.8.8 the TI Upgrade will lose sight of the router between uploading the new configuration data and uploading the firmware (or something like this, or it just gets confused). Certainly the first attempt will claim to have failed or hang (and may have only partly worked). A bricked router will now have moved to 192.168.1.1, the RouterTech setting. - Factory Reset the router on the assumption the environment did update correctly.
- If the router was previously bricked then change the PC (back) to a static IP in the normal range, 192.168.1.2 is a good choice.
- If your router was not bricked then the upgrade above will have probably worked in one go and the router should be reachable via a browser.
You should only need this step if the router was bricked at the start and hiding on 10.8.8.8
- Run TI Upgrade
I still needed to run the upgrade in "Corrupted Image Mode". Try it by IP first, and use corrupted image if the router can't be found.
TI Upgrade should work smoothly this time and do a full upgrade in one go. - Factory Reset the router so its running matching exactly what you've installed.
- Browse to 192.168.1.1 and it should be easy to login to the router and configure it.
- Odd settings - Fix MAC addresses
Although the router initially ran fine I shortly noticed that it had no environment setting for the Wireless MAC address and was (half?) using weird a default. Closer inspection showed that the LAN MAC was also different from the label on the outside of the device.
Using the Run Command option it was easy to use setenv to put the correct values into the environment and reboot.
Its not clear to me why the maca and mac_ap were odd or missing. Presumably a side effect of the bricking & recovery.
There is other assistance possible with the Router Repair Tool, but TI Upgrade has always been especially compatible with the D-Link routers.