All Asus WL-500xx series routers

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It is extremely important to follow the guidelines for your specific router. Please see Installation for more information. Remember to read the Peacock Announcementfor important basic information on Broadcom Routers.

A major clean-up of the Asus Install section was needed (and done) in the fall of 2009 - see Asus WL500-- old descriptions for the old but working guides. Valuable information from the old guides should be generalised, summarised and added to the Install list below, in an manner that would keep the Initial Install page looking good.

Contents

[edit] All Asus WL-500xx series routers

  • For all Asus WL-500xx series routers there are a number of ways to do the initial flash.
  • The TFTP method using the two Asus specific clean-up files is the "works every time-almost" way.
  • Other methods like using the Asus Recovery tool (recommended). or even using the web-GUI (not recommended) have also been reported to work for some, for the initial dd-wrt flash. So your mileage may vary.
  • Pick the one that is easier and works for you - You have now been notified of the method that is guaranteed to work!
  • The firmware files for the Asus WL-500xx series initial flash and the main builds are found here: mini-asus.trx for the initial flashing. This is the 14929 build that is the Broadcom forum recommended build at this time. Read the peacock announcement http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=51486 to determine if this build is still the recommended build for broadcom devices, how to upgrade properly and how to test if you need to use VINT or can use NEWD builds for upgrading. (The router database links to VINT, but the router database is often wrong and should not be followed)
  • Here is a thread on recovery. See the linked thread in the second post as well: http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=48003

[edit] Clock Timing Bug

This affects many of these models. Check if you are affected before applying the fix.

[edit] The TFTP recommended Asus way for all WL-500xx routers

NOTE: This method should only be used when you're not a windows user or do not have Administrative privileges in Vista or Windows 7 . The better method is using the provided Asus Firmware recovery Utility that came with the router. You may also obtain it from Asus' website See below this entry for instructions.

[edit] Asus Recovery Utility

You can get the utilities here, or you can browse the Asus site to download the latest version. Asus only seem to provide these for Windows.

  • Under Vista and Win7 this utility must be run as administrator.
  • In case you have multiple network interfaces and are unable to find you router, disable all but the one that is connected to your router.
  • You should also turn off your firewall, in order to allow the Asus Recovery Utility to be able to connect and send data from your PC to the Router.

Steps:

  1. Remove the power connector of the WL series router.
  2. While holding the reset button, plug the power connector back in. (WL500gP - button labeled "restore")
  3. When the power LED flashes, release the reset button. The router is now in recovery mode.
  4. You need to manually set the address of your Pc Network LAN card to 192.168.1.10 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0
  5. Use the Asus recovery utility to upload the DD-WRT mini-asus.trx file.
  6. After the upgrade the Utility will ask for a router reboot. Give it about a minute to be on the safe side before removing the power. Once plugged back in, you should be able to access the web interface.
  7. DO NOT use Firefox for upgrading builds! Use Internet Explorer!!!!
  8. Type 192.168.1.1 into your browser and set your username as root and pick a password.
  9. Navigate to Administration->Firmware Upgrade and upload either the recommended build provided on the main page of the site, or another of your choice.

IMPORTANT: If flashing with a WL500xx (not 520xx) Mega or Big build (Firmware image 5MB or larger) it will take ~ 3-5 minutes AFTER the timer has reached 0 for the firmware to complete. The best thing to do is hit Upgrade and walk away for 10 minutes so you don't inadvertently disturb the upgrade process.

[edit] Links

Asus WL-500g Premium v2 wiki
Oleg's WL-series comparison table