MyOpenRouter - Latest Articles

What Do I Do If My Router Stops Working? 5 Basic Troubleshooting Steps to Fix Your Network

Peter Redmer — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:19:10 GMT

Practically anyone with a home network--no matter how big or small--has experienced the moment of doom when the Internet just. stops. working. The heart drops, the stomach flutters, and the spirit sinks as one realizes that all of the devices in their home have been left high and dry from the wonders of the 'net. Never fear, though--there are several steps that one can take to troubleshoot this home network issue. Several factors could be influencing why the network went down, and often a simple procedure is all it takes to get things back up and running. Do You Know How To Log In to Your Router? Before you can do much in the way of troubleshooting, one needs to know how to log into the router itself. Usually, this can be done by navigating to http://192.168.1.1 in your browser window (this is the IP address of the router, it can be thought of as its location on your network.) From there, a username and password is required. It's often "root/admin" or "admin/password" depending on the make and model of the router, but if it was changed when it was first set up, the new password will be needed. Once...

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Feature Review: NETGEAR Genie App for Android and iOS

Peter Redmer — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:39:52 GMT

For a while now, several newer NETGEAR wireless routers have been shipping with support for a utility called "NETGEAR Genie." In a nutshell, NETGEAR Genie allows you to manage a variety of settings for your router directly from your desktop, without having to log in to a browser window, making it easy to tweak settings on the fly. We cover the NETGEAR Genie in our WNDR3800 review and also demo it in our video . NETGEAR is now taking the convenience factor a step further and has bestowed upon us a mobile app, available for lovers of both Apple and Android . I took the app for a spin on my Samsung Galaxy SII to see what it's capable of. Main Splash Screen Once the app is installed, a login is required, just as if the router was being logged in to. Once the login is completed, the user has access to all the main features of the app through a colorful and straightforward interface. Wireless Settings Once inside the app, the settings of the main wireless network can be tweaked directly, including the SSID, password, and wireless channel. Guest Access Have friends or co-workers over and discover last-minute that...

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How to Install BrainSlayer's DD-WRT Firmware on the NETGEAR WNDR3800 Wireless Router

Brandon C — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:51:22 GMT

If you have used DD-WRT firmware in the past, you probably have heard 'BrainSlayer" mentioned more than a few times. He has recently released a firmware update, version number r18777. In this release dated 03/19/2012 there is new firmware included for the WNDR3800. You can get this new firmware here . I have tested it and after a few wireless tweaks, it is working fairly well. Before you run over and grab it, however, there are a few things you need to know. The main thing is that if you are running the latest factory firmware you will receive a notice that says " This firmware file is incorrect! Please get the firmware file again and make sure it is the correct firmware for this product. " and it will not allow you to install it. This has nothing to do with the firmware actually working on the router; it is just a check from the latest NETGEAR firmware that fails. There are a couple ways you can get around this. One way many people choose to get around this is to install an earlier firmware by downgrading to version 1.0.0.16. You can also install either the Tomato beta firmare...

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NETGEAR WNR3500 Comparison Chart: How To Identify Which Model Router You Have

benryanau — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:29:04 GMT

After spending an hour researching the variants of the Netgear WNR3500 family and their specs prior to a purchase, I realised this would he handy to post up somewhere. So, I thought I'd table it up and share it, since there wasn't a concise guide anywhere on the web already. Hopefully this will help some people out! Model Flash /RAM CPU USB Ant Radios Eth WAN Notes FCC I WNR3500 v1 8/32 Marvell TopDog 88*Series No 8 Int 1 (88W8060) 4xGigE GigE Blue Antenna LEDs on top PY307300074 Model Flash/RAM CPU USB Ant Radios Eth WAN Notes FCC ID WNR3500 v2 4/32 BCM4718A @480MIPS 74k No 8 Int 1 4xGigE GigE "V2" marked under orange LAN ports, smaller housing, no antenna LEDs PY308400093 Model Flash/RAM CPU USB Ant Radios Eth WAN Notes FCC ID WNR3500L V1 (N300) 8/64 BCM4718A @480MIPS 74k 1xUSB 2.0 3 Int 1 4xGigE GigE WNR3500U WNR3500L Marked below yellow WAN port PY308400093 Model Flash/RAM CPU USB Ant Radios Eth WAN Notes FCC ID WNR3500L V2 128/128 BCM5357 @480MIPS 74k 1xUSB 2.0 8 Int 1 4xGigE GigE Below yellow WAN port WNR3500L v2 PY310400153 Picture of the back of WNR3500L: Picture of the back of WNR3500Lv2: WNR3500...

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How to Debrick Your WNR3500Lv2 Using Windows and a USB-TTL Cable

Peter Redmer — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:50:13 GMT

So you've gone and done it... you've bricked your WNR3500Lv2. Nothing sinks the spirits like constantly flashing lights and endless reboot loops. However, don't lose hope or get frustrated - there's a solution to your woes, and it's called a serial console.

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How to Install Open Source Firmware on NETGEAR WNDR3800

Subhra — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:00:24 GMT

There are some great third party open source firmware available for the Netgear WNDR3800. There is an OpenWR, a DD-WRT and a Tomato firmware available for NETGEAR's WNDR3800 router. The different firmware can be downloaded from links below: OpenWRT DD-WRT Tomato Below are the steps to install TPOS firmware on Netgear WNDR3800 router. Installing TPOS firmware to WNDR3800 from Default (Stock) Netgear firmware: STEP 1: Type “192.168.1.1” in address bar of your browser to explore WebUI of WNDR3800. Go to “ADVANCED -> Administration -> Firmware Upgrade” as shown in Figure 1. fig.1 STEP 2: Browse the “img” file [openwrt-ar71xx-wndr3800-squashfs-factory.img / ddwrt-wndr3800.img / tomato-wndr3800.img] downloaded from MyOpenRouter site and click upload. (fig :2 & fig: 3) fig. 2 f ig. 3 STEP 3: Now it may show a warning if the image (to be upgraded) has a lower version than the existing original firmware (as depicted by the following snapshot). Ignore this warning and click on OK button.(fig: 4) fig. 4 STEP 4: Next it will show the version info of the existing firmware (Stock firmware) and the TPOS firmware which you want to upload in your router. Click on “yes” option to upgrade the router with your target image.(fig: 5)...

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How to Install Third Party Firmware on NETGEAR WNR3500Lv2 With A Serial Cable on Linux

Subhra — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 01:55:17 GMT

Depending on your situation with your WNR3500Lv2, it may be helpful (or necessary) to install third party firmware using a direct connection, utilizing a serial cable. This tutorial may also be used to recover your router from a bad flash, or to install a new firmware if you are somehow unable to log in over the network. Here's what you'll need: A NETGEAR WNR3500Lv2 A Torx screwdriver, which is used to open the case of the router A USB-TTL cable or compatible serial cable A Linux machine with the minicom terminal program installed STEP 1: Run minicom from Linux machine. Configure the baud rate 115200 8N1. Connect one end of serial cable to your router and another end to your PC. The pin configuration of router serial console pins are explained in the following two pictures (Fig.10 & Fig.11) i) WNR3500Lv2 Without Serial Cable connected :- fig. 10 ii)WNR3500Lv2 With Serial Cable Connected :- fig. 11 STEP 2: Connect your PC to the LAN port of WNR3500Lv2 with a straight cable and assign a IP “192.168.1.X” in your PC (assuming the router's default IP is 192.168.1.1). STEP 3: Now switch on your WNR3500Lv2. You must be able to - See...

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How to Install Third Party Firmware on NETGEAR WNR3500Lv2

Subhra — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 01:49:23 GMT

One of the best things about the new NETGEAR WNR3500Lv2 router is the ability to install third party open source firmware. Even though the WNR3500Lv2 is very new as of the writing of this article, there are already several builds available in our downloads section--with more on the way. DD-WRT for WNR3500Lv2 Tomato for WNR3500Lv2 Original NETGEAR Firmware for WNR3500Lv2 Keep an eye out for new uploads! In the meantime, let's show you how to get new firmware installed on your WNR3500Lv2. How to Install Open Source Firmware to WNR3500Lv2 from Default (Stock) Netgear Firmware STEP 1:- Type “192.168.1.1” in address bar of your browser to explore WebUI of WNR3500Lv2. Goto “ADVANCED -> Administration -> Firmware Upgrade”. (Fig.1 and Fig.2 ) fig. 1 fig. 2 STEP 2:- Browse the “chk” file [e.g. ddwrt-wn3500lv2.chk , tomato-wnr3500lv2.chk] downloaded from MyOpenRouter site and click upload. (Fig.3). fig. 3 Step 3:- Now it may show a warning if the image (to be upgraded) has a lower version than the existing original firmware (as depicted by the following snapshot). Ignore this warning and click on OK button.(fig: 4). fig. 4 Step 4:- Next it will show version info for the existing firmware (Stock firmware) and...

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