Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2021 15:10 Post subject: Stumped with TPLINK wr710n
Hi everyone, this is my first post in the forum but I’m not a first time user of dd-wrt (long ago flashed a linksys unit). Anyway, the reason of this post is to ask about the TP-Link WR710N.
I got it for free, found it in an old office and thought I could use it with ddwrt because of the vpn capabilities. I’ve read the main post related to it in the forum and know that support has been dropped and also that it’s a very limited model and not recommended, and also know that it can be upgraded to some extent, however this one surprised me.
It’s not a US model, also not EU model but a Chinese one with the V2 identifier and factory firmware. Well, from reading around it should have a 2MB flash but it turns out that after opening the case this one has a 16MB flash and a 64MB RAM chips. How? I have no idea but it does, I checked the part numbers on each chip several times to make sure and they are indeed as described.
So my question is “How should I go about it?”. What kind of firmware I could use to flash it and take advantage of the increased memory?. I tried flashing some of the stock firmwares from other countries and got error 18000 saying that it doesn’t match (the web interface is totally in Chinese), and because of that I’ve bought an USB-serial interface In preparation to flash it that way.
I’ll appreciate any input you guys could provide and will also be glad to provide more details if necessary, the unit is sitting on my desk fully disassembled until I have enough info to begin.
I don't know where you got your information, but the models listed in the OpenWRT wiki show only one 4MB flash, the rest are 8MB.
The OpenWRT wiki should have information for serial. This could be fun...
That’s exactly where I got all the information from and felt there was no point, however I also mentioned that I opened the case and found out about the increased memory. I’m sharing some pictures of it:
Joined: 08 May 2018 Posts: 14221 Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2021 0:00 Post subject:
Looks "too clean" to be a repair or DIY upgrade, but it could've been a hardware modification nonetheless. The only thing I can see is maybe building a custom 16MB OpenWRT image for it. This would take a custom build for DD-WRT as well, not an easy task, either way you go about it. That is, if you want to *fully* utilize the flash chip. Otherwise, you should be able to flash the image I linked earlier. Caveat Emptor, YMMV, and all that jazz. You have been warned. _________________ "Life is but a fleeting moment, a vapor that vanishes quickly; All is vanity"
Contribute To DD-WRT Pogo - A minimal level of ability is expected and needed... DD-WRT Releases 2023 (PolitePol)
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Linux User #377467 counter.li.org / linuxcounter.net
Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2021 6:01 Post subject: Re: Stumped with TPLINK wr710n
r0ckst4r wrote:
Hi everyone, this is my first post in the forum but I’m not a first time user of dd-wrt (long ago flashed a linksys unit). Anyway, the reason of this post is to ask about the TP-Link WR710N.
I got it for free, found it in an old office and thought I could use it with ddwrt because of the vpn capabilities. I’ve read the main post related to it in the forum and know that support has been dropped and also that it’s a very limited model and not recommended, and also know that it can be upgraded to some extent, however this one surprised me.
It’s not a US model, also not EU model but a Chinese one with the V2 identifier and factory firmware. Well, from reading around it should have a 2MB flash but it turns out that after opening the case this one has a 16MB flash and a 64MB RAM chips. How? I have no idea but it does, I checked the part numbers on each chip several times to make sure and they are indeed as described.
So my question is “How should I go about it?”. What kind of firmware I could use to flash it and take advantage of the increased memory?. I tried flashing some of the stock firmwares from other countries and got error 18000 saying that it doesn’t match (the web interface is totally in Chinese), and because of that I’ve bought an USB-serial interface In preparation to flash it that way.
I’ll appreciate any input you guys could provide and will also be glad to provide more details if necessary, the unit is sitting on my desk fully disassembled until I have enough info to begin.
Joined: 08 May 2018 Posts: 14221 Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2021 17:58 Post subject:
Please, you refuse to run the current DD-WRT version over a misconception. Your advice is noted, but I wouldn't follow it due to security patches involved. _________________ "Life is but a fleeting moment, a vapor that vanishes quickly; All is vanity"
Contribute To DD-WRT Pogo - A minimal level of ability is expected and needed... DD-WRT Releases 2023 (PolitePol)
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Linux User #377467 counter.li.org / linuxcounter.net
Thanks everyone, I do believe it has to be a factory configuration, the people at the place I found it in has no real clue about upgrades, they barely know how to use the stock one. I must also mention that the firmware in it is stock from tplink.
I’ll check those websites and see if I can find any image to flash. At this point I’m wondering if it’s actually worth it to find a 16MB image or the 4MB will be enough? Knowing that each image is compiled for that specific router and its hardware what would the pros of having the 16MB image be?. I don’t think there will be any increased capabilities, right?
Kernel-panic69, I’m sorry but I don’t fully understand your last comment, could you please explain a little more?
Thanks everyone, I do believe it has to be a factory configuration, the people at the place I found it in has no real clue about upgrades, they barely know how to use the stock one. I must also mention that the firmware in it is stock from tplink.
I’ll check those websites and see if I can find any image to flash. At this point I’m wondering if it’s actually worth it to find a 16MB image or the 4MB will be enough? Knowing that each image is compiled for that specific router and its hardware what would the pros of having the 16MB image be?. I don’t think there will be any increased capabilities, right?
Kernel-panic69, I’m sorry but I don’t fully understand your last comment, could you please explain a little more?
Regards.
warning:Your router will lose wifi if you flash 4m
if still trying, you need to load 4m is 4 time rom because the wifi partition needs to be at the end
warning:Your router will lose wifi if you flash 4m
if still trying, you need to load 4m is 4 time rom because the wifi partition needs to be at the end
While I appreciate your input, there’s no way something can be lost when put in a bigger “box”. I’d agree if moving from a bigger flash to a smaller one but in my case there should be only a lot of space unused in the bigger flash. Which takes me back to my previous question: Will there be any benefit after getting/compiling the especial firmware to use the whole 16MB flash?
