[deadeye09]

I tried installing DDWRT on my WRT 1900 AC (V1, I believe as it doesn't have V2 marked anywhere on it) and I flashed it with factory-to-ddwrt.bin ("DD-WRT Factory image") found here: https://dd-wrt.com/support/router-database/?model=WRT1900ACS_v1
But when it rebooted, it looks like it I can no longer get an IP from the router nor connect. When I try to 30-30-30 reset the router, it looks like the reset button doesn't even have any effect (power light no longer flashes). I just get the link light on port 1 (that's connected to my PC) lighting up along with the power light flashing now. Did I just brick my router beyond repair?

[deadeye09]

Found a post that said I could try:

Power Cycle the router three times.
Using the router’s power switch – turn OFF then turn back ON.
Wait 2 seconds then turn OFF.
Turn back ON.
Wait 2 seconds then turn OFF.
Turn back ON.
Router should have booted into the opposite partition.

But I still can't seem to connect (get an IP from the router or hit 192.168.1.1) and the power light just keeps on flashing.

[WENED]

I too thought I had bricked my V1 (I have three of them) a few times, so here are some of my thoughts on the matter.

1- What file (Build #) did you use?
If going from stock to dd-wrt you must use "factory to dd-wrt"
If you were using a recent build, They only will load into partition 1. Therefore you must use an older build (r35898 or similar) which is about 32k or so. Then you can update to a more recent build by ensuring that it will load into partition 1 (see numerous posts about this)

2 - A quick way to verify your router as a V1 (as far as I know) is if it has a fan, it's a V1.

3 - The power on/off trick works but it is tricky as I have had to do it a few times to get it timed right. I usually wait for the power light to come on then power off, doing this at least three/four times.
Don't depend on the 2 second system. It's kind of a trial and error thing.

The few times I did seem to brick the router were caused by me not using the correct file, ie. trying to update with a 3200 file instead of a 1900. The 1900 is quite forgiving because it has two partitions and bricking one still allows access to the other.

Patience is a virtue and a necessity with upgrading, so don't despair.

[Malachi]

He said he flashed the file for the wrt1900acs. Not the wrt1900ac. That’s probably the reason why.

[WENED]

[gallo]

if you don't have a USB to ttl cable you should get one. should be a requirement. SpuriousOffspring and the term wrt1900acv1 will output a plethora of information. give it a shot and read up

[deadeye09]

Yeah, I used the wrong file. I searched WRT 1900ac and the ACS was the only one to come up.

I was able to get back up and running by pressing and holding the reset button while connecting and disconnecting the power supply plug several times in rapid succession.

So I'm back up and running, and I found the correct latest build for the AC (ftp://ftp.dd-wrt.com/betas/2019/07-29-2019-r40452/linksys-wrt1900ac/), but now I have a new problem. Whenever I flash it with the factory-to-ddwrt.bin file, it just keeps coming up with the Linksys stock firmware. I need to do more research and find out what I'm missing.

[Malachi]

[WENED]

[Malachi]

I don’t have any of the wrt routers. Pm me what you want added to it and I can do it or better yet pm spurriousoffspring.

[deadeye09]

So, I eventually got DDWRT installed on my WRT1900AC V1 and I'm just going to document here what I had to do in case someone else has the same issues as me. I got the stock firmware restored by using the power/reset combo mentioned above, then I downloaded and flashed the earliest stock firmware I could find (1.1.7.160582 at https://drivers.softpedia.com/get/Router-Switch-Access-Point/Linksys/Linksys-WRT1900AC-Router-Firmware-117160582.shtml). I don't know if this will really help, but I kept having issues with 1.1.10, so if you still can't do it with 1.1.10 (currently the latest), then downgrade.

I couldn't use any of the recent versions of factory-to-ddwrt.bin because I kept getting a "JCGI return: 413 - Request Entity Too Large" error and from what I've read, that just means that the bin file is too large. The most recent one that I could get it to accept was from January of 2017 (ftp://ftp.dd-wrt.com/betas/2017/02-01-2017-r31221/linksys-wrt1900ac/). When I flashed it with that version, I was up and running! I then grabbed the latest beta (at the time it happened to be ftp://ftp.dd-wrt.com/betas/2019/07-29-2019-r40452/linksys-wrt1900ac/ but you can find the latest by navigating through ftp://ftp.dd-wrt.com/betas/), flashed with ddwrt-linksys-wrt1900ac-webflash.bin and I was off to the races!

I just wish I had known all of this two days ago and just skipped using the router database and just went straight to ftp://ftp.dd-wrt.com/betas/.
The long and short of it is, use a smaller/older version of factory-to-ddwrt.bin so that it will upload, and got to ftp://ftp.dd-wrt.com/betas/ (not the database) to grab the files.

Hope this helps someone.

[WENED]

Deadeye09,
I am so glad you finally succeeded in getting your 1900 working. As I pointed out earlier it requires patience after a misstep.

Your experience is not the first as many others have gone through the same headache, including myself.

As for your info I have only a few comments;
I have never had a problem with the current stock firmware 1.1.10.* and have reverted to such a number of times. This however is applicable to the V1 only. Notations throughout the posts indicate going to an older stock firmware to enable updating, but I believe this is only for other than the V1.

As you have discovered the file size is a problem where it will only load onto partition 1. You were successful in getting up to a recent version because your first install of dd-wrt went to partition 2 and later when you loaded the recent build it automatically went to partition 1. Now if you try to install another newer build it will fail because it will go to partition 2. What you will now have to do is issue a command "ubootenv set boot_part 2" to fool the system and make it load the new update to partition 1. Last night I updated all my 1900's and 1200 without incident using this procedure.

It is good that you documented all this and I do hope that one of the moderators take head and create a new sticky with all this info so others may not go through the mess.

[Malachi]

I’m the only active moderator here. Type up what you want and I will make it a sticky or send me what you want added to the current sticky.

[deadeye09]

[Malachi]

The holding reset during the on/off 3 times doesn’t make a difference. The router boots to the other partition once there is a failure to boot from the current partition 3 times, so the reset button is just unnecessary.