Netgear R6300v2

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There are at least '''three variants of the R6300v2''' device. Charter (an ISP) puts out a custom R6300v2 unit with "Model: R6300v2" on the bottom and blue coloring on the front, not the standard yellow. When you open the stock firmware web interface you will note a "CH" at the end of the stock firmware name/version. There are at least '''three variants of the R6300v2''' device. Charter (an ISP) puts out a custom R6300v2 unit with "Model: R6300v2" on the bottom and blue coloring on the front, not the standard yellow. When you open the stock firmware web interface you will note a "CH" at the end of the stock firmware name/version.
*There is another ISP unit for "Spectrum Wifi" with a blue stripe, no "CH" on the bottom label, and whose firmware has no trailing "CH". The Initial Flash R6300V2CH.chk file from Kong worked, along with upgrading. *There is another ISP unit for "Spectrum Wifi" with a blue stripe, no "CH" on the bottom label, and whose firmware has no trailing "CH". The Initial Flash R6300V2CH.chk file from Kong worked, along with upgrading.
-*Another ISP unit is for "COX Communications". None of the above files seem to work in the upgrade process. For further information about updating these units see this thread. [https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=323040 Netgear R6300v2 COX Link]+*Another ISP unit is for "COX Communications". None of the below files seem to work in the upgrade process. For further information about updating these units see this thread. [https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=323040 Netgear R6300v2 COX Link]
'''''Be careful to flash the correct INITIAL firmware for your version!''''' '''''Be careful to flash the correct INITIAL firmware for your version!'''''

Revision as of 20:52, 9 February 2020

The R6300v2 is an ARM device. DO NOT USE for the R6300 "v1" which is MIPS.

Contents

Hardware Specs

CPU Broadcom BCM4708A0
CPU Speed 800 MHz (2 Cores)
Flash ROM 128 MB
RAM 256 MB
Radios BCM4360 5 GHz & BCM4331 2.4 GHz
WLAN Support a/n+ac 3x3:3 & b/g/n 3x3:3
WLAN Max Speed 450 Mb/s (2.4Ghz), 1300 Mb/s (5Ghz)
Antenna Location Internal
Switch 4x GigE LAN + 1 GigE WAN
USB 1x USB 3.0 + 1x USB 2.0
Power Adapter 12VDC 2.5A wall wart

R6300v2 Versions

There are at least three variants of the R6300v2 device. Charter (an ISP) puts out a custom R6300v2 unit with "Model: R6300v2" on the bottom and blue coloring on the front, not the standard yellow. When you open the stock firmware web interface you will note a "CH" at the end of the stock firmware name/version.

  • There is another ISP unit for "Spectrum Wifi" with a blue stripe, no "CH" on the bottom label, and whose firmware has no trailing "CH". The Initial Flash R6300V2CH.chk file from Kong worked, along with upgrading.
  • Another ISP unit is for "COX Communications". None of the below files seem to work in the upgrade process. For further information about updating these units see this thread. Netgear R6300v2 COX Link

Be careful to flash the correct INITIAL firmware for your version!

Version R6300v2 R6300v2CH (Charter ISP)
Label on Router R6300v2 R6300v2
Netgear Support OEM Link Charter Firmware Link
Supported from DD-WRT build 23082 2013-12-12 since Kong's historical initial v2CH file
DD-WRT Supported Since 26138 Kong's old "initial" file for R6300v2CH
MD5 of Initial Flash Files f801997c59cb7a734ac41afc2e929a98 ad17d87215118a0d4d32cd04df1caef5

Determine your R6300v2 variant & download the proper initial flash file from the table above: For newer builds, see Where do I download firmware? for links.

  1. Connect to the router (using router DHCP is fine) via LAN cable or WiFi
  2. In web browser, go to http://192.168.1.1 or http://www.routerlogin.net and login (if you have to reset details, including default username/password, are in flash section below)
  3. Click on Advanced > Administration > Router Status
  4. Check the Stock Firmware version for a trialing "CH"
  5. If there is a "CH" download the "CH" initial flash file, if not you can use the regular initial flash file
  6. See yellow highlights in screenshot below for details.
  • Also see the R6300v2 Versions section above about the "Spectrum Wifi" variant

Screenshot of R6300v2CH unit:


Netgear AC1450

See more info here: Netgear AC1450

Flashing Instructions

Read the Peacock announcement for reference on Broadcom routers. Even if some details do not apply to an ARM device, it is still an excellent historical reference, with related processes and procedures.

Initial DD-WRT Installation

Verify you have the appropriate build!

From stock Netgear firmware to DD-WRT on a R6300v2:

  1. Turn on router, wait for Power light to go solid green, then reset router:
    1. Reset Per Netgear Documentation: Use the end of a paper clip or a similar object to press and hold the Reset button on the back of the router for at least 7 seconds. The router resets, and returns to the factory configuration
      Note: WiKi author recommends holding reset for at least 20 seconds.
    2. After releasing Reset button, router should reboot with much flashing of lights.
    3. Wait for Power light to go solid green again.
  2. Connect PC to one of router's LAN ports with an network cable (using router for DHCP is okay). This should be the ONLY connection for the router & PC
  3. Clear web browser cache.
  4. In web browser, go to http://192.168.1.1 or http://www.routerlogin.net netgear default username & password is "admin" & "password" respectively (no quotes)
  5. Click on Advanced > Administration > Router Update
  6. Select special .chk firmware file you downloaded from table above.
  7. After the router says it is done... wait at least 5 minutes longer (5 full earth minutes) for it to fully reboot and power light to go solid green again. (Why wait? See peacock Note 1 "Important2" bold paragraph.)
  8. In web browser, go to http://192.168.1.1
  9. Verify DD-WRT successfully installed.
  10. Reset router (as documented above), and wait for router to reboot and Power light to go solid green again.
  11. In web browser, go to http://192.168.1.1 (you should see the DD-WRT create password screen)
  12. Create a password using the standard DD-WRT GUI
  13. Set Password, Login and manually configure DD-WRT.
  14. Note: Some users have needed to reset NVRAM from the CLI, see the "NO 30-30-30 reset..." section below for details. While these last few steps may not be necessary, the wiki author has performed them without issues.

  15. Telnet over to router (username = root & password = the one you just set)
  16. From telnet pass the following command (without quotes): "nvram erase && reboot"
  17. ...wait for router to reboot and Power light to go solid green again (5 minutes).
  18. In web browser, go to http://192.168.1.1 (you should be back at the set password screen again)
  19. Set Password, Login and manually configure DD-WRT.

Note 1: If you get an error message stating that the firmware you are loading is the same or older than the stock firmware on the unit, that is fine. Have it load the firmware anyway.

Note 2: While not always necessary it is also a best practice to set your computer to a static IP of 192.168.1.8 (or to whatever subnet the router is on) for flashing. Also when flashing from a windows client I like to open a command prompt window and pass the following command (no quotes) "ping 192.168.1.1 -t -i 200" and watch the TTL responses during the process. Remember to set your client back to get IP from DHCP when you are finished.

DD-WRT Upgrade

Download .bin (trailed .chk build would also work) file for desired build: see Where do I download firmware?.

Locate correct firmware in folder netgear-r6300v2: do not use broadcom_K26 nor broadcom_K3X folders.

Follow Initial DD-WRT Installation except use DD-WRT Administration->Firmware Upgrade. Reset afterward.

Return to Stock

Flashing back to Netgear Firmware is supported. Just use the dd-wrt web interface and upload netgear firmware. Since netgear is not using the same password var as dd-wrt you have to reset the router after you flashed back to netgear firmware, otherwise the netgear webif will not accept the default password. (Per Kong's pre-Oct. 2014 "readme" file.)

DO NOT 30-30-30 Reset ARM Devices

...in addition to the reset button as described above...

From the GUI: If you need to reset (clear historical NVRAM settings) select factory reset option from drop down on firmware upload web gui page. or use the reset to default settings WEBIF.
Administration > Factory Defaults (select radio button, then apply settings)
or
Administration > Firmware Upgrade (after browsing to your firmware file, select "reset to defaults" from dropdown, then click upgrade button)

From the Command Line Interpreter (CLI): Telnet over to the device and pass the following command (without quotes): "nvram erase && reboot"

Reset notes: We all know to reset after initial flash. In early Feb. 2015 Kong announced a reset is required for certain upgrades as well, summary HERE. While not always necessary, resetting and re-configuring manually is also a best practice for upgrades. In Q1 2015 it was noted that users that reset from the CLI and MANUALLY RECONFIGURED after upgrading avoided issues (do NOT restore a NVRAMBAK from previous build it basically will undo your CLI reset).

Build Information

Recommended build for this router read the build threads on the forums.

Kong is currently maintaining a personal test build (PTB) for this router Current Kong PTB,
available as either DD-WRT upgrade, or initial flash (initial flash not tested by wiki author). Note that since Oct. 2014 no history of Kong PTBs is formally maintained (the new file overwrites the previous version, so that link is always pointed to the current builds).

Both developers are working from the SVN Main Trunk, so you can't go wrong with firmware from either.

Forum threads for reference:
-- Support for netgear R6300 / R6300v2 ? this thread covers both v1 and v2 units so read carefully!
-- New Broadcom ARM driver ? this thread has become the rallying point for Kong PTB testing.
-- Since this device has a similar architecture to the R7000, the wiki author has found it helpful to keep up on the R7000 in the forum thread (for informational purposes).
-- Of course, also keep an eye on the new builds threads, for both Kong and BS builds (Especially if you don't have serial/jtag recovery skills and do NOT want to be the first person to flash a newly released build.)