DD-WRT on a Netgear WNR-2000v2

I stopped by a Goodwill store the other day on a whim. I happened upon a Netgear WNR-2000v2. A quick search on the phone showed it was DD-WRT compatible. And it was only 99 cents! Not really. It was $1.99. Which is pretty much free in my book. 

Once I got it home and plugged in, though, nada. Then I looked at the power supply. 9V 200mA. For a device that requires 12V 1A. Huh. So was that why it was at Goodwill? Sucks if someone just mixed up a plug. I wonder where the 9V device ended up? After the smoke got out. I was able to scavenge the exact power supply I needed from another $2, 4 port wired router I found a few months ago at another thrift shop. And that's how I got a $4 router. Perfect!

Anyway, there are some tricks with the flashing of the router. It took me a bunch of tries, and I managed to brick it a couple of times. Here is what ended up working along with some notes about what caused my problems.

Important links:

• DD-WRT page for WNR-2000v2: http://www.DD-WRT.com/site/support/router-database
• DD-WRT WNR-2000v2 wiki: http://www.DD-WRT.com/wiki/index.php/Netgear_WNR2000V2
• peacock thread for Broadcom based routers: http://www.DD-WRT.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=51486
• DD-WRT forum post about WNR-2000v2: http://www.DD-WRT.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=72269&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
• DD-WRT forum post for unbricking WNR-2000v2: http://www.DD-WRT.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=81013
• One of my posts on unbricking other routers. See step 5, in particular: http://chickenlinux.blogspot.com/2014/09/revert-DD-WRT-to-other-firmware-on.html
• Older DD-WRT firmware images: http://dd-wrt.com/site/support/other-downloads?path=others%2Feko%2FBrainSlayer-V24-preSP2%2F

Based on the DD-WRT WNR-2000v2 wiki, the router has limited RAM, so you have to pay attention to the size of the firmware image you are installing. You will need images that are LESS THAN 3.4 MB. NOTE: The main DD-WRT WNR-2000v2 page has a link to a file that is too large for this router. You will brick it. It is easy enough to recover, but it's not necessarily for the faint of heart.

The wiki page has a corrected, yet older link for the .chk firmware required for the initial flash. You have to find the subsequent .bin image. I used the same build as the .chk for reliability with the initial flashing. The latest firmware from r18777 is here: 18774.chk and 18774.bin. The wiki states that 18777 is the last that won't brick the router.

The process for updating the firmware is as follows:

1. Connect to the router with a network cable and make sure your computer is set up with the right network address.
2. Update the router with the .chk version of the DD-WRT firmware using the standard web interface.
3. Let the router sit for 5 minutes after it appears it to have finished.
4. Do a 30-30-30 reset (hold the reset button for 30 seconds while the router is on, turn off the router for 30 seconds while still holding the reset button, power on the router and continue holding the reset button for 30 seconds).
5. Power the router off and on (I always have to do this twice to get it to boot up, no matter the firmware).
6. Set your computer's network address to 192.168.1.x (x needs to be some number higher than 1).
7. Point your browser to 192.168.1.1
8. You will need to set up an admin user (name and password).
9. Configure your router.

If something goes wrong, and your router is bricked, follow the steps here and here to get it unbricked. I had to do this a few times. I haven't tried it on Windows, but it's a trivial process with Linux.

Resurrection

After ages and ages of dust gathering, I think I might start this blog back up.

I have been bitten by the dork bug again after a very long stretch of not really doing anything. Part of that has to do with a long stretch traveling for work and only being focused on whatever project I was on. I have some time at home, finally, and I have found myself obsessing over little side projects.

My current focus is lower power computing. I bought a RaspberryPi at the beginning of the year, and it hasn't been doing much until now. I currently use it as a music player in my home office. More will come, but I'm not sure what it will become. I also have an old netbook that wants an update, and that sent me to the net. I stumbled on a post about CrunchBang Linux. It. Is. Awesome. I tested it out by installing it on an old (~7 years) laptop that we had lying around. I have tried some other distros on it, but it was so slow that it kept getting shelved. I put CrunchBang on it a couple of days ago, and it runs like a champ. It is running so well, in fact, that I have decided to start using it instead of buying a newer compact notebook. I know, right?

I plan on writing up more about what I have done with that laptop's configuration in a future post. I will also be adding my experiences with CrunchBang on my netbook once I get it backed up so it can be rebuilt. Hopefully, I find something more for my RPi besides being an MP3 player. I will include anything that comes along there as well.

Until then...