Flashing DD-WRT onto Asus RT-N66U

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adamchal
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Joined: 31 May 2009
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 13:21    Post subject: Reply with quote
So, have others applied a fix for the 64Kb NVRAM before using any dd-wrt firmware versions? I see that a bunch of the dd-wrt firmware versions have a 32Kb NVRAM and 64Kb NVRAM versions. I've been trying to install the 32Kb NVRAM versions, but have had absolutely no success.
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gatorback
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 13:34    Post subject: Reply with quote
As I understand it, the 'fix' needs to be in the dd-wrt firmware. My understanding of the NVRAM allocation is weak at best.
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adamchal
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Joined: 31 May 2009
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:50    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, I was able to install the firmware from http://www.lostrealm.ca/tower/node/79 successfully, but after that I tried to install dd-wrt.v24-19342_NEWD-2_K2.6_mega (no luck) and then tried dd-wrt.v24-19342_NEWD-2_K2.6_mega-nv64k with no luck either.

This is getting really frustrating. I've installed dd-wrt on Linksys devices tons of times with no problems. What is happening here?
shibby20
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Joined: 08 Jan 2010
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:45    Post subject: hmm Reply with quote
tomato already supported 64K mod for this router Smile

Model Asus RT-N66U
Chipset Broadcom BCM5300 chip rev 1 pkg 0
CPU Freq 600MHz
Flash Size 32MB

Time Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:44:43 +0200
Uptime 2 days, 02:41:14
CPU Load (1 / 5 / 15 mins) 0.18 / 0.12 / 0.09
Total / Free Memory 249.74 MB / 230.18 MB (92.17%)
Total / Free NVRAM: 64.00 KB / 37.84 KB (59.13%)

Best Regards Smile
madman999
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 11 Jun 2012
Posts: 1042

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 19:17    Post subject: Reply with quote
so what is the state of DD-WRT on the RT-N66U?

what is the latest build and version to work?

Who has it working well?

from what I gather, because of the 32K/64K NVRAM issue, you should not use anything bigger than STD_USB_NAS?

Is the 5GHZ radio working?

this seems like an important command that should not be skipped

http://192.168.1.1/do.htm?cmd=nvram+commit
adamchal
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 31 May 2009
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 19:23    Post subject: Reply with quote
shibby20: Wow, I actually got Tomato to work just fine. Can't believe it. No problems at all, just installed it like any other firmware, cleared the NVRAM, and it works perfectly. The only problem is, I have a ton of scripts that are based on dd-wrt and I really don't feel like porting them to Tomato, since a few things are different. Also, I like dd-wrt, and feel like complaining a little about that. Smile Also, with the v100 of Tomato, the 64K NVRAM issue doesn't seem to be an issue at all. It looks like I can address 64K of the NVRAM with Tomato.

madman999: I have spent the better part of a weekend trying to get about a dozen versions of dd-wrt to work on the RT-N66U. I've flashed the thing maybe 100 times now and I probably have basically destroyed that poor flash disk. I have no idea how some folks got it working, but I've been completely out of luck.

Still hoping for the best, but not really confident about that outlook.
gatorback
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Location: Fountain of Youth

PostPosted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 13:23    Post subject: Request for Comments Reply with quote
@adamchal: given your recent experience. Would you recommend Tomatoe or Merlin's AsusWRT? A few comments regarding the pros and cons would be appreciated.

Links and \ or checksums to recommend firmware would be helpful to ensure that future users are certain that they are using your recommendation.

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madman999
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 11 Jun 2012
Posts: 1042

PostPosted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 18:07    Post subject: Reply with quote
Anyone just using the Broadcom generic K26 STD_USB_NAS?
RMerlin
DD-WRT User


Joined: 05 Mar 2012
Posts: 273

PostPosted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 19:00    Post subject: Re: Request for Comments Reply with quote
gatorback wrote:
@adamchal: given your recent experience. Would you recommend Tomatoe or Merlin's AsusWRT? A few comments regarding the pros and cons would be appreciated.

Links and \ or checksums to recommend firmware would be helpful to ensure that future users are certain that they are using your recommendation.


My personal (perhaps biased?) view:

Asuswrt-Merlin is meant to be a tweaked Asuswrt. It will retain the same UI, same functionality, but it will add stability fixes, tweaks (like the ability to put a name field next to DHCP reservations), and a few extras features (like SSH or the forecoming OpenVPN).

Asuswrt-Merlin will allow you to use Asus's AiCloud services (which should be launched very soon) once a version with these new features enabled is released.

Tomato is a different design, with a somewhat different featureset. Its main advantage over Asuswrt IMHO is its QoS functionality, and better traffic management.

Performance-wise, they should both be quite similar these days (aside maybe from Asuswrt's beamforming that might help with wifi coverage).

They both have very good customization features, as they both support Optware.

Tell you what, just give them both a try Smile They are both very easy to flash, just need to make sure you wipe your nvram between firmware switches.
adamchal
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 31 May 2009
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 22:37    Post subject: Reply with quote
RMerlin, that's a great comparison. Just to re-iterate: Tomato (and dd-wrt) are much more sophisticated and provide a common set of functionality across many different devices. Asuswrt-Merlin is based on the original Asus firmware and provides a few specific improvements.

For me, I wouldn't consider Asuswrt-Merlin simply because I have a bunch of different dd-wrt devices providing OpenVPN and other services at many locations. So, a consistent interface and system is key (for me). I've used dd-wrt for many many years and I've gotten used to it. The only real problems I've had with dd-wrt tend to be around wireless connectivity and reliability. On almost all of the dd-wrt devices I have, I disable wireless and use another generic wireless access point(s) and only rely on the dd-wrt devices to provide VPN, QoS, DHCP, etc.

Tomato is very close to dd-wrt, but it has a few nuances that are a little frustrating to deal with when you have a lot of scripts and configs built for a dd-wrt system.

The key thing is, what works well with your device? So far, dd-wrt has been a complete disappointment with my RT-N66U's. I haven't been able to get it installed. I have no idea how others are able to get it installed. And, I'm very wary about the wireless performance and reliablity with dd-wrt once it is able to be installed on this device. At this point, I'm going to begin converting my configs to Tomato and see how it performs.

I'm running this version of Tomato successfully on a RT-N66U:
http://goo.gl/KBdl6
bfbd5a4913f9079bfa3a9ecbb10401c3 (md5)

Just flash it using the recovery mode, then clear your NVRAM, reboot, and it should work for you. The steps in this guide are very good-except for the dd-wrt firmware, none of which worked for me.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Asus_RT-N66U
AndyPanerai
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 01 Sep 2012
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 20:59    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'am running DD-WRT now 1 week on my RT-N66U but i' am not happy with it Sad sometimes my devices are not getting a IP (DHCP) and most of the time my WIFI is not working correctly and my devices are not getting IP or can't connect Sad

So i want to go back to stock firmware and then i want to install the Asus-WRTMerlin.

But how can i go back to stock firmware ??? Please can somebody tell me.

Thanks.
RMerlin
DD-WRT User


Joined: 05 Mar 2012
Posts: 273

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 21:05    Post subject: Reply with quote
AndyPanerai wrote:
I'am running DD-WRT now 1 week on my RT-N66U but i' am not happy with it Sad sometimes my devices are not getting a IP (DHCP) and most of the time my WIFI is not working correctly and my devices are not getting IP or can't connect Sad

So i want to go back to stock firmware and then i want to install the Asus-WRTMerlin.

But how can i go back to stock firmware ??? Please can somebody tell me.

Thanks.


Have you tried doing it the same way you went to DD-WRT, i.e. booting the router in Recovery Mode, then using either the Firmware Recovery tool from Asus's CD or the web-based CFE interface?
AndyPanerai
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 01 Sep 2012
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 21:22    Post subject: Reply with quote
RMerlin wrote:
AndyPanerai wrote:
I'am running DD-WRT now 1 week on my RT-N66U but i' am not happy with it Sad sometimes my devices are not getting a IP (DHCP) and most of the time my WIFI is not working correctly and my devices are not getting IP or can't connect Sad

So i want to go back to stock firmware and then i want to install the Asus-WRTMerlin.

But how can i go back to stock firmware ??? Please can somebody tell me.

Thanks.


Have you tried doing it the same way you went to DD-WRT, i.e. booting the router in Recovery Mode, then using either the Firmware Recovery tool from Asus's CD or the web-based CFE interface?


Nope Smile i will try that Smile do i have do some nvram clearing after that ? Or will it work if i boot into recovery then flash stock firmware and boot the router again. does it have stock then ?

Thanks
AndyPanerai
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 01 Sep 2012
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 21:58    Post subject: Reply with quote
Working Smile got the stock firmware back Smile
adamchal
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 31 May 2009
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 22:55    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've been running with Tomato now for about 24 hours and so far so good. Wireless is strong and reliable. VPN connection is very good.

It's a shame that dd-wrt on this device isn't up to par.

@AndyPanerai, I would definitely throw Tomato on there and see what you think. I was reluctant at first, but now I'm really happy with it. It's very similar to dd-wrt.
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