DD-WRT works very well on the E1200v2, it's very solid.
However, there is one little bug (or maybe feature?).
Just after DD-WRT has been installed and you need to access the router for the very first time, the wired connection will not work. Odd.
Luckily, the wireless connection (ssid: DD-WRT) will work. Use the wireless connection to make the username and the password for the unit, then reboot the unit. After that, the wired and the wireless connections will both work fine.
Sadly, there are no wireless drivers with OpenWRT. Thus, DD-WRT would be the very best to use on this little router. I have it working as a router bridge, and it's doing very well.
Tuesday 5 July 2016
Saturday 2 July 2016
Unbricking a TP-Link Archer C7 Version 1.1 router
For those who like to play around with routers, we all know of the dangers of 'bricking' the router.
This can happen for many reasons, far more reasons than with your basic computer. Routers are nothing more than very, very cheap (and sometimes) very badly made computers. They are designed to do a very simple function -- routing packets.
When something has gone wrong, like that new version of DD-WRT or OpenWRT doing something which it should not do, your router could get bricked. Ouch. That can be painful.
Luckily, the TP-Link Archer C7 Version 1.x was well enough engineered for idiots like me. Yes, if you brick your Archer C7 Version 1.x, you can put the TP-Link firmware back on it.
When you have determined that you have bricked your router (like when it is not responding anymore and doing a 30/30/30 reset does nothing), then you would need to do the following:
Firstly, what you will need to do is to set up a TFTP server on your computer. Since I use Lubuntu, I installed atftpd. Secondly, you will need to put a static IP number on your ethernet card. It must be 192.168.0.66 (netmask: 255.255.255.0, no need for a gateway setting).
From the tcpdump I did (sudo tcpdump -i eth0 -- it's a good idea to run this so you can see what is happening), I saw the following:
15:18:51.119586 IP 192.168.0.66.40064 > 192.168.0.86.tftp: 35 WRQ "ArcherC7v1_tp_recovery.bin" octet
There you can see that the very well designed Archer C7 is looking for a TFTP server on 192.168.0.66 (the Archer C7 is on 192.168.0.86). To activate this on the Archer C7, press the reset button quickly while the unit is booting up. Make sure ufw or iptables aren't in paranoid mode, otherwise access to the router will be blocked.
And you will need to rename the Archer C7 firmware to 'ArcherCPv1_tp_recovery.bin'. On your atftpd server, you will need to place the ArcherCPv1_tp_recovery.bin in the right place -- and I wasn't sure where the right place is, so I put it in both /tftpboot and in /srv/tftp/. Make sure that the file permissions are in order.
On your tcpdump you should see the Archer C7 take the file and then reinstall the firmware. Afterwards, you should be able to boot back into the TP-Link firmware and you'll be ready again to brick your router.
We all learn from our mistakes -- and that's why I keep making them.
This can happen for many reasons, far more reasons than with your basic computer. Routers are nothing more than very, very cheap (and sometimes) very badly made computers. They are designed to do a very simple function -- routing packets.
When something has gone wrong, like that new version of DD-WRT or OpenWRT doing something which it should not do, your router could get bricked. Ouch. That can be painful.
Luckily, the TP-Link Archer C7 Version 1.x was well enough engineered for idiots like me. Yes, if you brick your Archer C7 Version 1.x, you can put the TP-Link firmware back on it.
When you have determined that you have bricked your router (like when it is not responding anymore and doing a 30/30/30 reset does nothing), then you would need to do the following:
Firstly, what you will need to do is to set up a TFTP server on your computer. Since I use Lubuntu, I installed atftpd. Secondly, you will need to put a static IP number on your ethernet card. It must be 192.168.0.66 (netmask: 255.255.255.0, no need for a gateway setting).
From the tcpdump I did (sudo tcpdump -i eth0 -- it's a good idea to run this so you can see what is happening), I saw the following:
15:18:51.119586 IP 192.168.0.66.40064 > 192.168.0.86.tftp: 35 WRQ "ArcherC7v1_tp_recovery.bin" octet
There you can see that the very well designed Archer C7 is looking for a TFTP server on 192.168.0.66 (the Archer C7 is on 192.168.0.86). To activate this on the Archer C7, press the reset button quickly while the unit is booting up. Make sure ufw or iptables aren't in paranoid mode, otherwise access to the router will be blocked.
And you will need to rename the Archer C7 firmware to 'ArcherCPv1_tp_recovery.bin'. On your atftpd server, you will need to place the ArcherCPv1_tp_recovery.bin in the right place -- and I wasn't sure where the right place is, so I put it in both /tftpboot and in /srv/tftp/. Make sure that the file permissions are in order.
On your tcpdump you should see the Archer C7 take the file and then reinstall the firmware. Afterwards, you should be able to boot back into the TP-Link firmware and you'll be ready again to brick your router.
We all learn from our mistakes -- and that's why I keep making them.
TP-Link Archer C7 Version 1.1 on DD-WRT
The TP-Link Archer C7 Version 1.1 is a quality router. It makes use of Atheros chips which have proven themselves often enough in many quality routers.
However, there is one little problem with the Archer C7 Version 1.x. The 5GHz wireless mini-pci card which it comes with does not have support for open source drivers. This is very sad, as the unit
is very good. The chip in question is the Qualcomm Atheros QCA9880-AR1A. As far as I know, there will never be any support for this chip (unless some type of miracle happens).
Installing OpenWRT/Lede is fairly straight forward on Archer C7 1.1. However, the 5GHz card will not work. It will boot up just fine, but don't expect the see the 5GHz card working.
With DD-WRT there is a bigger problem -- DD-WRT won't even boot if the 5GHz card is still in the slot. If you want to use DD-WRT with this router, then you will need to take the 5GHz card out of the slot.
And keep in mind, if you are using the TP-Link firmware, the unit will not boot if the 5GHz pci-mini card is not in its slot.
There are alternatives to the QCA9880-AR1A card, but those alternatives aren't that cheap.
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