Upgrading to DD-WRT on NETGEAR WGR614L or WNR3500L: Demystified

So... you bought a WGR614L or WGR614v8 router, or perhaps the WNR3500 Version L, U or 2 router.  You've also been hearing a lot about this "firmware upgrade" and "DD-WRT" stuff but have no idea where to begin.

If you look around, you will see there are all kinds of firmware versions out there.  Once in a while, you'll hear about people have upgraded to the wrong thing and it "bricked" their router.  You hear that one firmware does one thing and another firmware does something different; some do it better while some others don't, and so on.  It can be confusing and even a bit intimidating.

I'm here to show you how easy it can be to find the right firmware for your router, and also share some simple upgrading steps and best practices.

Rules for Basic Firmware Installation

First, there are some general rules that apply to both the WGR614 and WNR3500 routers when applying a new firmware.  If you follow these steps, it will help to ensure a quality upgrade.

Always update via a wired connection.  This eliminates the chance of errors. If you are running a computer that is both wired and wireless disable wireless. When completed you can turn it back on.

You always want to start with a clean slate when changing firmware.  The best way to do this is to do a 30-30-30 reset.

To do a 30-30-30 reset, you must push the reset button with your router powered on. Hold it for 30 seconds with the router powered on.  STILL holding it, pull the power cord for 30 seconds. Still holding it, plug the router back in and continue to hold the reset button for 30 more seconds. You will have held the button for a full 90 seconds without releasing it.  

After your router has reset, wait a few minutes for everything to stabilize before installing the new firmware.  Your router should now be using the address of 192.168.1.1. If it is not at this address, start over or read more on resetting your router here.

After flashing a new firmware to your router wait least for several minutes before doing anything with it. This gives it time to make sure all the NVRAM settings are configured. Then do a soft reset of the router by unplugging it for 30 seconds.

After flashing your router with new DD-WRT firmware go to 192.168.1.1 in your web browser. You should be met with a screen asking you to set your login and password. You know then that everything took.

Installing DD-WRT Firmware is a Two Step Process

This is where a lot of folks get confused. The factory NETGEAR firmware uses a filename that ends with the extension of .CHK, whereas the DD-WRT firmware's filename has an extension of .BIN. You can't simply use the NETGEAR GUI to install DD-WRT. It will say that it is not compatible.

So, what you have to do is install a temporary firmware that is created by the folks at DD-WRT.  It comes with a filename with the extension of .CHK. You first install it from the NETGEAR Factory GUI then you install your permanent DD-WRT firmware afterwards.

This goes for both the WGR614 and the WNR3500. We will describe the individual files later in this article.

Where To Get the Right Firmware Files

DD-WRT is a free third party developed firmware that, basically, is built by volunteers.  We host several firmware files for both the WGR614 and the WNR3500; you can find them via the "Downloads" tab at the top of every page for your convenience.

Note: Since they are constantly putting out new beta or test firmware, the downloads here may not be entirely up to date.  It's always good to check the main repository first to verify that a new build was not just released.

The folks at DD-WRT have made it easy to determine what their latest recommended firmware is and what their latest test or beta versions are.

There is a router database located at http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database. All you have to do is simply type in the model of the router you have and you will get their latest recommended firmwares. These should not be confused with their latest beta or test builds you may have heard about; these are tried and true firmwares that you can install with confidence.

When in the router database, simply type in your router model and you will be shown what is available.

For example, on the WGR614:

As you can see it shows the various models and if they are supported. If you have a WGR614 V8 you will see that it is supported and if you click on it you will see their recommended firmware.

 

This makes it very easy to find the recommended firmware for your router.

Note: Some people warn that the Router Database my not be correct for their particular router. We have found that so far it has worked fine for both the WGR614 and the WNR3500.

How to find "BETA" or "Test" DD-WRT Firmware

It gets a lot more confusing if you want to find the latest firmware builds by the folks over at DD-WRT. They have created a download area here. This download area lists all the files they have created for public use and it is quite a big file list at this point!

Without going into alot of detail as to why, the files you would be looking for regarding the NETGEAR routers would be listed under http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down.php?path=downloads%2Fothers%2Feko/

Then, depending on who compiled the files, the ones you may be looking for would be under BrainSlayer-V24-preSP2 or possibly under V24-K26 or maybe even under V24_TNG. Hence why it gets so confusing. If you want to see a full explanation of the different file folders see here.

However, since this particular article isn't about how to get the latest beta or test firmware but rather, how to upgrade easily, we will stick with the basic install process. Once you have become familiar with DD-WRT then you can look into testing newer firmwares.

DD-WRT and WGR614 Models

You first need to check and see if your WGR614 router is the correct model to install DD-WRT onto.  There are serveral models of the WGR614 routers. If you are not sure which one you have flip it over and take a look at the label.

As you can see this picture above is a Version 9 model.

At this time the only 2 WGR model versions able to use DD-WRT are the "L" version and the "8" version. 

DD-WRT and WNR3500 Model Routers

With the WNR3500 it can get a little confusing on the model numbers. Before upgrading to DD-WRT you first need to determine which one you have.

Here are the various options.

WNR3500 V1 - Cannot install DD-WRT

WNR3500 "U" or "L"  - Can install DD-WRT and has 8MB flash and has an USB port.

WNR3500 V2 - Can install DD-WRT, has a 4 MB flash and no USB port.

Its very important that you know which model number of router you have. For example you don't want to accidently brick your router by trying to install a firmware over 4MB on a V2 unit!

If you have a WGR614 Router go to Page 2 to see how to install DD-WRT if you have a WNR3500 click on page 3

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Installing DD-WRT on the WGR614 Router

As we mentioned earlier, upgrading to DD-WRT is a two step process. You need to download these two files. 

Special WGR614 v8/L image for initial flashing and  DD-WRT Mini Generic BIN Version 13064

These are the two firmware files you will use. They will be zipped files. You will need to unzip and place them in a folder to access from your web browser. If you are unfamiliar with ZIP files, just Google it and you will find everything you need to work with them, regardless of what operating system your computer uses.

Upgrading to the initial file is easy as 1, 2, 3. (After you have performed the basic reset steps above)

  1. Point your web browser to 192.168.1.1, click on "Router Upgrade"
  2. Click on Browse and find the dd-wrt.v24_mini-wgr614v8-L-13064.chk you unzipped earlier.
  3. Click on Upgrade.

 

 

After this, your router will reboot. Wait 3-5 minutes and again log into 192.168.1.1 in your browser. If you are presented with a screen asking you to set your name and password then you are good to go. For now enter "root" as the username and "admin" as the password. You can change this later.

Once logged in go to "Administration" > Firmware Upgrade.

Change  the "After flashing, reset to" to "Reset to Default Settings"

Browse to the dd-wrt.v24_13064_mini_generic.bin file you unzipped. Choose it and click on "Upgrade" 

Again, wait for 3-5 minutes for for the upgrade and everythng to settle down with all the default settings before doing anything.

Once done you can now log into 192.168.1.1 in your browser and create or change any settings you require.

That's it. You have upgraded to DD-WRT.  At this point if all works for you as needed there is no real reason you need to upgrade from there. But if you care to do so watch the forums or the downloads area here for the latest firmwares.

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Installing DD-WRT on the WNR3500 Router

Similalrly to the WGR614L, upgrading to DD-WRT is a two step process.

You need to download these files. NETGEAR WNR3500L DD-WRT Firmware: Special File for Initial Flashing

Then either NETGEAR WNR3500L DD-WRT Firmware: Standard Version if you have a WNR3500V2 or a WNR3500L or a WNR3500U that you don't care about USB access. If you have a WNR3500L or a WNR3500U and want USB hard drive access then download this file NETGEAR WNR3500L DD-WRT Firmware: Standard_USB_FTP

These will be the two firmware files you will use. They will be zipped files. You will need to unzip and place them in a folder to access from your web browser. If you are unfamiliar with ZIP files just google it and you will find everything you need to work with them, regardless of what operating system your computer uses.

Upgrading to the initial file is easy as 1, 2, 3. (After you performed the basic reset steps above)

  1. Point your web browser to 192.168.1.1, click on "Router Upgrade"
  2. Click on Browse and find the dd-wrt.v24-13309_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini-WNR3500L.chk you unzipped earlier.
  3. Click on Upgrade.

 

 

After this your router will reboot. Wait 3-5 minutes and again log into 192.168.1.1 in your browser. If you are presented with a screen asking you to set your name and password then you are good to go. For now enter "root" as the username and "admin" as the password. You can change this later.

Once logged in go to "Administration" > Firmware Upgrade.

Change  the "After flashing, reset to" to "Reset to Default Settings"

Then browse to the dd-wrt.v24-13309_NEWD-2_K2.6_std.bin or the dd-wrt.v24-13309_NEWD-2_K2.6_std_usb_ftp.bin, file you unzipped. Choose it and click on "Upgrade"

Again, wait for 3-5 minutes for the upgrade and everything to settle down with all the default settings before doing anything.

Once complete, you can now log into 192.168.1.1 in your browser and create or change any settings you require.

That's it. You have upgraded to DD-WRT.  At this point if all works for you as needed there is no real reason you need to upgrade from there. But if you care to do so watch the forums or the downloads area here for the latest firmwares.

Go to the next page to see all the various DD-WRT versions.

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DD-WRT Versions

If you look around you will see several versions of  DD-WRT. Although it may change in the future, here are the basic details as of the creation of this writeup.

DD-WRT Versions for the WGR614

From the DD-WRT Wiki  for V24_pre_sp2 K24 these are the various Build Features and what is included. 

Notes

(1)Official dd-wrt builds by Brainslayer
(2)Eko specialized Builds
(3)Smaller VPN JFFS builds are available for 4MB units: downloads/others/eko
(4)Only on DD-WRT v24 (8MB+ flash required)
(5)Apparently, IPv6-related features DO NOT work by default in DD-WRT v24. See IPv6 on v24.
(6)Not available on VPN-builds for v24sp1 (see prerequisites for JFFS).
(7) CFE Compressor needed to run.

For the WGR614 router what you would be looking for would be a firmware file named something like dd-wrt.v24_TYPE_generic.bin where the "TYPE" is one of the features shown above.

Keep in mind that WGR614 only has 4MB available to Flash. So when choosing a firmware make sure you choose one under 4MB.  

DD-WRT Versions for the WNR3500L

From the DD-WRT Wiki  for V24_pre_sp2 K26 these are the various Build Features and what is included. DO NOT use a K26 version for WNR3500L.

Hopefully this information helps and answers some questions but if you get stuck or have any issues or questions on DD-WRT and your NETGEAR router there are lot's of experienced members here so don't hesitate to ask questions!

Tags: 

DaveB
DaveB's picture
Thanks for a good article.

Thanks for a good article. FYI, the download here seems to contain the CHK version rather than the BIN version as implied:

http://www.myopenrouter.com/download/18897/NETGEAR-WNR3500L-DD-WRT-Firmw...

Also, could you document the back out process of going back to the Netgear firmware? Does DD-WRT allow you to change back to the Netgear CHK firmware directly?

tor_s
tor_s's picture
Does this mean that I can

Does this mean that I can skip the step of installing the first "mini" firmware and go directly to the final firmware (now that the file extension is .chk and not .bin)

arturoo
arturoo's picture
Is it safe when i have dd-wrt

Is it safe when i have dd-wrt installed on wgr614l upgrading it to the latest firmware with .bin extension ??

elliot
elliot's picture
Thank you.

Thank you.

The simple instructions I first found (http://www.myopenrouter.com/article/13923/Installing-and-Getting-Started...) didn't help much in this process. I wonder why those don't include the additional step to get the box reading .bin files.

Is there a similar step needed for the Tomato (uses .trx files)? Is it documented somewhere?

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Locke
Locke's picture
Thanks for the tutorial.

Thanks for the tutorial. Successfully flashed to Kong Mod OpenVPN/Samba3 after a heartbreaking half-hour where I thought the router was bricked.

Not sure what caused it, but the flash was successful only to have the router hang when it tried to reboot. I tried several options--attempting to connect from a static IP, pinging from both wired and wireless connections, live chicken sacrifice--before I remembered reading about a 30-30-30 reset. Reset done, the router booted.

My second moment of doubt came when apply.cgi always caused a port disconnection. Power cycled the router, and everything's been working smoothly from there.