Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 22:01 Post subject: R6300v2 firmware file is incorrect.
Router: NetgerR6300v2 (not the CH version)
Firmware Netgear 1.0.4.24_10.0.87
I previously installed dd-wrt on this router, and was running the r37012 build from BS. I was having problems with assigning a bridge to a VAP and then logging in. After reading that were some problems with VAPs in later builds, I thought I might try a Kong build. Being unsure whether I could flash a Kong build over a BS build, I thought I would return to stock Netgear and then flash a Kong build.
I restored to Netgear firmware, which is the build indicated above. This is an updated firmware from the one that originally came with the router. I attempted to flash dd-wrt.K3_R6300V2.chk. This failed with the error message "The firmware is incorrect" or something to that effect. I then tried the factory-to-dd-wrt.chk file, which I ahd originally used toflash dd-wrt, and that too failed with the same error message.
Any ideas on flashing dd-wrt to the R6300v2 with this firmware installed?
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 7:33 Post subject: Re: R6300v2 firmware file is incorrect.
mikecoan wrote:
Router: NetgerR6300v2 (not the CH version)
Firmware Netgear 1.0.4.24_10.0.87
I previously installed dd-wrt on this router, and was running the r37012 build from BS. I was having problems with assigning a bridge to a VAP and then logging in. After reading that were some problems with VAPs in later builds, I thought I might try a Kong build. Being unsure whether I could flash a Kong build over a BS build, I thought I would return to stock Netgear and then flash a Kong build.
I restored to Netgear firmware, which is the build indicated above. This is an updated firmware from the one that originally came with the router. I attempted to flash dd-wrt.K3_R6300V2.chk. This failed with the error message "The firmware is incorrect" or something to that effect. I then tried the factory-to-dd-wrt.chk file, which I ahd originally used toflash dd-wrt, and that too failed with the same error message.
Any ideas on flashing dd-wrt to the R6300v2 with this firmware installed?
You might try an earlier build from Kong's repo http://www.desipro.de/ddwrt/K3-AC-Arm/OLD/ as be sure to clear nvram before and after then install his updated version however look into the forum for any issues that you may have encountered on the previous bridging attempts, and install a version that works most likely someone will have some details on an earlier build number? Good luck
Thank you for the quick replies @m0eb@ and native_tx.
@m0eb@, attempting to flash a netgear firmware fails with the exact same error "This firmware file is incorrect. Please get the firmware file again and check the version" This happens whether it is an upgrade or a downgrade.
native_tx Since I am on Netgear firmware I cannot activate ssh or telnet, so I am not sure if restoring to factory defaults is the same as nvram erase. There is a thread about unlocking telnet on Netgear routers, and I will try that.
OP,
You should take a close look at your exact router and 1) determine if it is a carrier version; 2) The "CH" is not the only indicator of carrier routers; 3) What color is the stripe on your router; 4) if it is s carrier modem then you are dependent on getting it "transitioned" to the builds from NetGear that will allow the transition, not every NG FW will allow that.
hth
Sam
_________________ multi-tier router stack
wrt 3200's for speed & cpu power, NG R6300v2's for WiFi AP's,
wrt 1200v2 for one of my secure subnets.
wrt54GLs for ad'l 3rd tier machines.
Thank you for the quick replies @m0eb@ and native_tx.
@m0eb@, attempting to flash a netgear firmware fails with the exact same error "This firmware file is incorrect. Please get the firmware file again and check the version" This happens whether it is an upgrade or a downgrade.
native_tx Since I am on Netgear firmware I cannot activate ssh or telnet, so I am not sure if restoring to factory defaults is the same as nvram erase. There is a thread about unlocking telnet on Netgear routers, and I will try that.
There have been reports of people being unable to flash their Netgear routers with other firmware after flashing the latest.
You should be able to telnet to it using telnetenable. Google it. _________________ I am far from a guru, I'm barely a novice.
Thank you for your reply Sam1789. Your comment that the CH is not the only indicator of a carrier router might be the key.
The router has a blue stripe unlike the yellow stripe on an original issue R6300v2. I had already come across the first link you posted. I saw that it had a blue stripe, but no CH. I didn't know what to think, so I flashed the dd-wrt firmware for the non CH router. That worked and I went on from there.
From dd-wrt I flashed firmware from the Netgear site. Perhaps now I have a mismatch between my router and the firmware.
Your second link, which I had looked at before but not read in detail is interesting, because it explains why when I try a tftp transfer it times out, even though I can ping 192.168.1.1.
Your reply gives me a new angle to explore.
Malachi: Thank you for your response. I saw a fairly informative post about teletable. It indicated that for the R6300v2 it had worked with the Windows 10 version of telnetable2. I have Windows 10 in a virtual machine on my linux desktop, but my laptop runs linux.
Now I am unsure of what to do, as the router has a blue strip like the CH version, but never had a CH in tyhe firmware version when I first got it. I see that Kong has a .chk file for the CH version, so I may attempt to flash that from the Netgear Webui. If it is incorrect it will probabl give me the same error message "The firmware file is incorrect.
If I am able to telnet into the router, would I just issue a nvram erase, or is there a way to flash firmware via telnet. I will Google that when I get a chance.
Thank you for your reply Sam1789. Your comment that the CH is not the only indicator of a carrier router might be the key.
The router has a blue stripe unlike the yellow stripe on an original issue R6300v2. I had already come across the first link you posted. I saw that it had a blue stripe, but no CH. I didn't know what to think, so I flashed the dd-wrt firmware for the non CH router. That worked and I went on from there.
From dd-wrt I flashed firmware from the Netgear site. Perhaps now I have a mismatch between my router and the firmware.
Your second link, which I had looked at before but not read in detail is interesting, because it explains why when I try a tftp transfer it times out, even though I can ping 192.168.1.1.
Your reply gives me a new angle to explore.
mikecoan,
Glad that was helpful. Where did you get the r6300v2? There had been a number of the non-CH carrier routers for sale on Amazon. Not sure if they are still being sold - those things tend to come available in groups when the carriers replace customer rental equipment and then when the batches are sold out they disappear..
Some of the sellers were selling units with the FW already replaced as part of the refurbishing that they did. Those came with with a NG FW which was more compatible with that wiki and were easier to convert to dd-wrt. Some sold by other sellers require you to change to an older NG FW and after that install a newer NG FW before looking at doing the conversion over to dd-wrt. Take a look in Amazon (US) for those Q/A's. Look thru the questions from customers and answers. There were two Q-A sets that gave good information on how to handle getting these routers working and compatible with dd-wrt. And check the NG firmware # that will indicate if it is likely that you can easily go to dd-wrt. NG seems to have gone to some effort to make converting carrier routers.
Converting them is a 2 step process AFTER the NG FW has been changed to a non-carrier NG FW version.
Mine came from a refurbisher who had already done the FW change so that I could use Kong's FW from that wiki. Make sure you start with the first of the non-CH Kong file and then go directly after reboot etc to the second Kong file which will actually get dd-wrt Kong's dd-wrt build installed & running.
But after that DO NOT move directly on to newer builds. Work with it and test before trying to move on up to newer builds. Malachi suggested to me that I look at staying with Kong builds which I've done. And even then I'd suggest staying with a moderately older build from before the end of June. The newer builds particularly the BS builds seem to have some "curiosities" still.
Sam _________________ multi-tier router stack
wrt 3200's for speed & cpu power, NG R6300v2's for WiFi AP's,
wrt 1200v2 for one of my secure subnets.
wrt54GLs for ad'l 3rd tier machines.
Thank you for the quick replies @m0eb@ and native_tx.
@m0eb@, attempting to flash a netgear firmware fails with the exact same error "This firmware file is incorrect. Please get the firmware file again and check the version" This happens whether it is an upgrade or a downgrade.
Do you have the old (original) firmware? If yes - or if you can download it - the NMRP flash utility of Netgear is a blessing. I have used it multiple times to go back to original stock.
If nothing else works, try this (Netgear Routers only)
https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1139019#1139019
Pages 2, 4 and 5 of the guide are relevant to NMRP Flash
Note: You need to start this at the correct time and have a lot of patience while the firmware loads.
Thanks for all your help. The problem has been resolved by flashing Kong's build for a R6300v2 CH router.
I purchased a refurbished R6300v2 from Amazon. It seems the refurbisher made some adjustments to the firmware and when logging into the router there was no CH at the end of the firmware version. This puzzled me because I had a router with a blue strip, not the standard yellow stripe. I assumed it was not a CH router and installed the standard BS build of dd-wrt. This worked fine and I was able to upgrade fine.
I ran into problems bridging to a VAP, so I thought I would switch to a Kong version to see if it made a difference. After restoring to Netgear firmware from the Netgear site, I had a functioning router with Netgear firmware. As detailed in my first ppst, I was unable to flash dd-wrt or any other Netgear build.
Thanks to all the help I received here, I was able to figure out I had a CH router and to flash Kong's CH build. The router is now running dd-wrt v24-sp2 (08/15/14). This is probably sufficient for what I want to do. I will think about upgrading later on. Thanks again to all.
