[Notaclue12]

I was also trying to figure out how to open a similar rebranded router with the 1 screw.
I'll try this and see if It opens or breaks the case into a million pieces.

[SSCC]

Thanks for the help. I used force to open the box, and it worked .
It seems that my box is assembled with 4 plastic "things" that are glued near the corners.

[SSCC]

I've got a WL-341 v2.
My board looks nearly exactly like the one in page 4, except for two things:
WL-342 got an extra antenna.
There is a switch in my router, right up in the left corner (if you look at Gravers pic.) The switch is mounted in a way that it would be reachable if you drill a hole in the plastic box beside the WAN-port.

I'm running dd-wrt now, thanks to all the kind people in this thread.

I've got one problem:
Even if signal strength is ok (I'm monitoring with inSSIDer) I lose wireless connection all the time. As soon as I move close to the router everything is ok. I've compared signal strength with a Netgear WNDR3300 (using just one radio on it). The netgear has no problem working with the same strength of signal.

To increase the signal strength in dd-wrt is of no use.

Maybe one solution is to mount an antenna in the same place where Wl-342 has a third one. Can someone tell me where its soldered, I think it's in the bottom right corner (Gravers pic.)?

Thank you for all the help that you've already provided!

[rush]

HI , I've got a sitecom WL-341 v2 as SSCC and I'm staring to open it!! Can anyone tell me if the photos of the device in this thread are sufficient to make a serial connection or anyone can link me a simple simple guide? thanks

[rush]

YEAH! I'm done thanks to all expecially to SSCC and graver , follow this link http://www.scienceprog.com/simple-ttl-to-rs232-adapter/ if you want to build a TTL-rs232 converter manually. The pin on the router board are:

° ?
° ?
° RX
° TX
° GND
° VCC (5v)

Bye

[ERamseth]

So just to be clear, at this time you need a serial connection to flash this device ?

[mshneour]

Hello.

I am attempting to perform a flash of DD-WRT firmware to a Rosewill RNX-EasyN4 router, the hardware for which is (according to FCC records) identical to that for the Senao/Engenius ESR-9752. As this thread appears to be the most comprehensive regarding flashing DD-WRT to the Senao ESR-9752 and its brethren), I am hoping that someone here may be able to provide me some guidance.

----------

My first question regards the proper pinout for the serial header on the router motherboard. I have attached photos of the RNX-EasyN4 router motherboard, which should look the same as that for the Senao and the Sitecom routers discussed in this thread. (Some people may notice that the Rosewill only has one RAM chip installed. It is, in fact, a 32MB chip, whereas my understanding is that the Senao uses two 16MB RAM chips. So, the installed RAM on both devices is the same -- 32MB.)

On another thread it was suggested that the proper pinout is as follows (using the pin numbering in my photos): Pin3=RX, Pin4=TX, Pin5=GND, Pin6=PWR (3.3V TTL). Is this correct?

A couple of related questions:

(1) Is it likely that the firmware posted in the DD-WRT database for the Senao ESR-9752 will work on the Rosewill RNX-EasyN4, without modification? The discussion on this thread regarding the Sitecom router suggests that it will not, given that Brainslayer has provided some custom firmware builds for the Sitecom. That is curious, as apparently the hardware is identical for the Senao and Sitecom routers.

(2) Does Brainslayer intend for users of the DD-WRT firmware for the Senao ESR-9752 to pay for activation? It seems odd that the Senao unit would be considered a "professional" platform requiring activation, but that is what is posted in the DD-WRT router database.

----------

My other challenge is performing the serial flashing procedure itself. Can anyone with experience with serial flashing of the Senao or Sitecom routers provide me some guidance?

Using the pinout suggested above (Pin3=RX, Pin4=TX, Pin5=GND and Pin6=PWR), I have attempted to perform the serial flash in the following way.

I am using a 5V-3.3V USB-to-serial adapter made by FTDI Chip (http://www.ftdichip.com/Products/EvaluationKits/TTL-232R-3V3-WE.htm), and connecting three cables to the serial header on the router motherboard: TX-to-RX, RX-to-TX and GND-GND. I have not connected the power pin, as was recommended in an excellent post on serial flashing of a Netgear router (http://www.myopenrouter.com/article/10341/Recover-Your-WGR614L-Using-a-Serial-Console-Windows/).

I connected the USB-to-serial cable, as mentioned above. (I used the driver auto-installed by Windows 7, as recommended by FTDI Chip.) I also connected an Ethernet cable between my computer and one of the router's LAN ports. I set my Ethernet network adapter to 192.168.99.2, 255.255.255.0 subnet mask, and 192.168.99.9 for gateway and DNS. (The 192.168.99.9 address was stated by another DD-WRT poster to be the proper "bootloader" address for the Senao ESR-9752 and its brethren.)

I then tried using several TFTP tools (TFTP2.exe, TFTP32.exe, Solar Winds TFTP server and Putty) to effect the serial flash of the DD-WRT firmware ("firmware.bin")for the Senao ESR-9752. I have not been able to receive a proper response from the router.

Am I doing something wrong? I should mention that I tried several other IP subnets (192.168.0.x and 192.168.1.x) with no better luck. I am using a Windows 7 64-bit machine to do the flashing. I have heard that several of the more recent Windows releases may not allow enough time for the TFTP flash to be initiated after re-powering the router. I don't know whether or not this is true. Has anyone used Windows Vista or 7 for serial flashing? If these OS's are not optimal, can CYGWIN (or other Linux emulator) be used to perform the serial flash?

Assistance anyone may be able to provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[mshneour]

Well, I finally got DD-WRT flashed to my Rosewill RNX-EasyN4 router!

As the Senao/Engenius ESR-9752 router is virtually identical to the Rosewill RNX-EasyN4, I thought my experience in successfully flashing the RNX-EasyN4 would be helpful to some of the forum participants in this thread. (Unlike the Sitecom WL-342, the RNX-EasyN4 is virtually identical to the Senao/Engenius ESR-9752, with 32MB of Flash, albeit contained in a single 32MB RAM chip, as opposed to the two 16MB RAM chips apparently used in the Senao unit. So, for the RNX-EasyN4, I successfully used the firmware written for the Senao unit.)

The keys to my success here were several...

(1) Serial Port Pinout. The serial port pinout on the motherboard is (referencing my photos above): Pin3=RX, Pin4=TX, Pin5=GND and Pin6=PWR.

(2) Wiring Header to Serial Port. I first soldered a 6-pin header block to the serial port. (I used one made by "Molex," the company which developed the ubiquitous Molex power connector found on every computer power supply cable on the planet. Theirs is a more robustly-made version of the more common "breakaway" header blocks.) Then I wired the TX, RX and GND conductors from my USB-serial adapter cable to Pins 3, 4 and 5, respectively on the serial header block. (Note that the TX conductor was wired to Pin 3, and the RX connector was wired to Pin 4, on the serial header. So, the connections were: TX-RX, RX-TX and GND-GND. The PWR pin was not used. Note: Apparently, some serial cables are configured such that a TX-TX and RX-RX connection must be made.) I should also mention that I used a USB-serial adapter cable made by FTDIChip, along with their published drivers. The particular model I used was a USB-serial cable, with a built-in 5V to 3.3V (TTL) converter. Again, I don’t know that this type of cable is absolutely necessary, but others on these forums have stated that to use a standard 5V-5V USB-serial cable can fry the delicate electronics on the router motherboard.

(3) Serial Console. I set up the USB-serial adapter cable to use a transfer rate of 57600 kbps, with 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity and no flow control. The 57600 kbps transfer rate was key -- my serial adapter cable did not work at any other speed. (Certain other cables run at 115200 kbps.) I set these parameters using the Putty console program. (A tip: once you have made the proper serial port settings, save them as the default. That way, if you need to close and re-open the program, Putty will remember your settings, thereby saving you precious minutes and brain cells.)

(4) Acquiring the Flash Screen. Once connected to the serial console on the router with Putty running, I disconnected the router power supply, and then reconnected it. Immediately upon reconnecting the power to the router, I starting pressing the "2" key repeatedly. (Sometimes, this step needed to be repeated in order to get the console to communicate the "2" to the router at the right time.) The "2" option is the one on the RNX-EasyN4 (or Senao ESR-9752) router board which allows for firmware ("system code") to be sent to the Flash chip via TFTP. If the "2" option is sent in time to the serial port, then the following screen comes up on the console:

2: System Load Linux Kernel then write to Flash via TFTP.
Warning!! Erase Linux in Flash then burn new one. Are you sure?(Y/N)

As you might expect, I then hit "Y" and then Enter.

(5) Configuring and Starting TFTP. Prior to proceeding with the console, I configured and started the TFTP server. First, I plugged an Ethernet cable into one of the router's LAN ports, and the other end into the network adapter on my computer. Next, I set the network adapter to an IP address of 192.168.99.2. (I could have used any number in the 192.168.99.xx subnet, other than .8 or .9. The reason will be clear in a moment.) I set the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0, and left the gateway and DNS addresses blank. After that, I configured and started the TFTP server. I used the Solar Winds TFTP server, which is both free and very simple in layout. Before starting, I turned off the WiFi radio on my computer. (I also suspended antivirus and firewall, although I am not certain that that was necessary.) Upon starting the TFTP server, I confirmed that it was "bound" to the network adapter's IP address (192.168.99.2). I set the "root" for the server as "C:\," and placed a copy of the console firmware (firmware.bin) in the C:\ root directory. Then I started the TFTP server by hitting “Start” on the General screen of the program.

(6) Here Comes the Flash. Going back to the console, the following appeared on the screen:

Please Input new ones /or Ctrl-C to discard
Input device IP (192.168.99.9) ==:

The prompt is asking for the IP address of the router. And that (as the prompt itself indicates) is "192.168.99.9". So I typed that address after the : prompt, and then hit Enter.

The following then appeared on the screen:

Input server IP (192.168.99.8 ) ==:

The prompt here is asking for the IP address of the TFTP server. I had already bound the TFTP server to my computer network adapter's IP address (explained above), and that became the IP address of the server. So, I typed that address (192.168.99.2) after the : prompt, and then hit Enter.

Next, the following appeared on the console screen:

Input Linux Kernel filename (uImageESR-9752-rosewill) ==:

This is an easy one. The firmware (at least in this case) is "firmware.bin." As it had already been placed in the defined root directory for the TFTP server, all the prompt is asking for here is the name of the firmware. So, I typed "firmware.bin" after the : prompt, and then hit Enter.

(7) Voila! Success! After hitting the final Enter in the console window, things started to happen. The flash process took only about three minutes, but to ensure that I did not end the flash session too soon, I set a timer for five minutes. After that, I confirmed the existence of DD-WRT on the router by hitting Enter a couple of times in the console window, and received the following prompt:

DD-WRT v24-sp2 std (c) 2009 NewMedia-NET GmbH
Release: 03/24/10 (SVN revision: 14144)

DD-WRT login:

Remembering that the DD-WRT default username and password are "root" and "admin," respectively, I entered these parameters, and got the following screen:

==========================================================

____ ___ __ ______ _____ ____ _ _
| _ \| _ \ \ \ / / _ \_ _| __ _|___ \| || |
|| | || ||____\ \ /\ / /| |_) || | \ \ / / __) | || |_
||_| ||_||_____\ V V / | _ < | | \ V / / __/|__ _|
|___/|___/ \_/\_/ |_| \_\|_| \_/ |_____| |_|

DD-WRT v24-sp2
http://www.dd-wrt.com

==========================================================
Jan 1 00:00:20 login[1079]: root login on 'console'


BusyBox v1.13.4 (2010-03-24 11:01:00 CET) built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

root@DD-WRT:

So far, so good.

(8 ) Wrapping Up. I then unplugged the router, and let it sit for 30 seconds. Following that, I plugged in the router again, and performed the infamous "30-30-30" hard reset. I don't know that this step is absolutely necessary, but many on these forums swear by it, so I did it. Thereafter, I reset the Ethernet adapter on my computer to DHCP, opened up a browser window (I used 32-bit Internet Explorer 8.xx), and entered "192.168.1.1," the default subnet and IP address for DD-WRT. (The screen took a bit to come up.) When asked for a new username and password, I entered them, and was now in the GUI for DD-WRT.

(9) A Subsequent Flash. I should mention that after flashing the initial "firmware.bin" to the router via the serial console, I then uploaded a later "Webflash" build of the firmware. Using DD-WRT's Administration/Firmware Update screen, I uploaded the firmware file, and then hit "Upgrade." The screen started counting down from 300, which is another way of saying that five minutes is a good rule-of-thumb time period to allow for flashing. (I have found in other instances that the countdown window can cease before completion, so I set a separate five minute timer.) After flashing was complete, I unplugged the router, waited 30 seconds, and then plugged it in again. Everything was working perfectly. (I should mention that purists on these forums recommend another 30-30-30 hard reset even after flashing via DD-WRT’s GUI interface, but I have never found that step to be necessary.)

(10) Other Concerns and Considerations. There is some mention on these forums that Windows Vista and 7 are not good OS's for flashing. (Something to do with the way they handle TCP.) I used 64-bit Windows 7, and encountered no issues. Also, there is some discussion regarding the need to run the console and/or TFTP sessions as an "Administrator." Again, I found this step unnecessary.

I hope this rather longish post may be of some help to other “noobs” like myself who are still learning the whys and wherefores of DD-WRT, particularly in the area of initial flashing. We have many experienced EE’s and computer programmers on these forums, all of whom provide valued guidance to others. It is not, however, necessary for anyone to be an expert in these fields – rather, what is required is a working facility with many of these disciplines, and above all a willingness to learn and to make mistakes (which is tantamount to learning).

A final comment or two… I corresponded with Brainslayer, who finally replied and stated that it was NOT his intention to treat the Senao/Engenius ESR-9752 as a “professional” platform, which would necessitate activation. Anyone who now checks the router database will note that this model router appears as the only Senao router which does not require activation. Given that clarification, and the fact that now several of us have gotten the Senao firmware to successfully run on this Rosewill router, I would like to ask Brainslayer (or any of the forum moderators who may have better access to him) to list the Rosewill RNX-EasyN4 in the router database as having support with DD-WRT. (I would think that the same should now also be the case for the Sitecom WL-342 router.)

When I get a bit more motivated, I will craft a guide to the procedure outlined above, for inclusion in the DD-WRT Wiki. Until then, my sincere thanks again to all who helped me learn the various pieces of this puzzle.

[mcgett]

[fosstard]

I'm unable to get anything to come up on the serial connection other than just a bunch of gibberish. I'm using that radioshack usb scanner cable (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2177609)

I have two of these and on both of them i get the same gibberish, whether i'm using putty or hyperterm. I've tried changing the baud rate but that only changes what the gibberish looks like.

I'm assuming that you should get regular text as soon as you power on the router, but instead i just get a steady stream of characters and symbols and sometimes i get beeps!

Does anybody have any ideas?

[7echno7im]

Hi. I have this esr-9752 and I am thinking about flashing it with dd-wrt this weekend. I have a question to those who have already. Are you able to assign the gateway to the inside LAN interface with DD-WRT? It seems like a silly question but on this EnGenius esr-7252 on the latest stock firmware there isn't a space to assign it in the gui. This is a pain in the butt considering I just use this as an AP and my wireless network is segmented from my primary network. This means I cannot access this AP from any other subnet. I feel like EnGenius dropped the ball on this. My other EnGenius AP has a space to fill in the gateway and local DNS info. After you flash it with dd-wrt are you able to assign a gateway and local dns to the lan nic?

Thanks for the help.

[7echno7im]

So im all hooked up right now and I am just getting gibberish as well, any suggestions?

[7echno7im]

I have mine working now. I just want to point out that if you get gibberish it could be many things, but I have found it my case it was either the baud rate or the connection. I would be sure you are using some type of ttl (i ended up getting a nokia usb>serial with ttl cable for like 5 bucks shipped). This cable needed to be set at 115200. After that it worked out great.

One thing I do notice though it now my LED lights are not working right. It seems the 3 status lights are backwards (fully lit until activity, then they dim) and the NIC lights do not work at all. Anyone know if this is related or have the same issue? I am on the latest firmware (I even noticed this when it was originally flashed with the firmware.bin). Not a huge issue, more of a nice to have. Not that I need them, its just nice to see sometimes when I want a quick heads up of how much wireless activity is going on if at all.

[Jes]

I'm sorry, not entirely sure if this is the right topic but i have been busy with this all night and can't find much info about it.

Basically i want to flash my Sitecom WL-342 v2 002 to this great firmware but, i'm panicking that i might brick the thing.


The reason i'm asking this is because the Router Database doesnt acknowledge support but The Supported Devices list does.

Has this been fully tested on the 342 yet?

Perhaps i'm over caustious but i just bought it and the standard firmware is minimal at best.

[chateau]

I have successfully installed DD-WRT on an Engenius-9753. Everything seems to work at this time.

I used the Serial Console method and flashed the ESR-9752 Console Image (firmware.bin) as others have described.

The one thing I would like to mention is, several members have stated they had to enter ' 2 ' from their PC keyboard after applying power to their router to install the file.

Using Putty as my Console, this is true and was what worked for me, however my ESR-9753 never gave me that option. All I saw was Enter 1 for (have forgotten what it said) but that would not work and failed the flash. After several tries my intelligence level went up and I tried ' 2 ' even though it was not an option that was displayed. Of course it worked.

I experienced the same lack of options other than '1' on a Rosewill RNX-Easy4N but it flashed just fine using option '2' even though option '2' never was displayed using the serial Console.

I was using Widows 7 Starter Edition, Putty 0.60, a CA-42 USB to Serial Cable and Solar Winds TFTP Server. I had to turn off the Windows Firewall, both Home and Public to get file to transfer.

Hope this helps others.