WARNING: Always check the firmware you need to download using RUC first (linked below).

Before you start, I must say that updating a router’s firmware is not for the faint hearted and I take no responsibility if anything goes wrong with your router. This is pretty much a n00b friendly tutorial, so you should be okay, if you follow everything as written in the RouterTech’s help docs and in this tutorial. Now over to the tutorial:

Please download the following tools and confirm the settings following afterward.

1- Download RUC (Router Update Checker, available here)
2- Download WEB (Wireless Environment Builder, available here).
3- Download your router’s latest official firmware (you should have a copy, in case this goes kaput).

Now whatever you do, don’t blame me. Next open up RUC and enter your router login info, defaults are:

ip: 192.168.1.1
web user: admin
web pass: admin
telenet user: root
telnet pass: admin
no of ethernet ports: 4
router description: dlink g624T

check all boxes at the bottom (they are there for a reason).

* You can edit the routers.txt and make an entry for DSL-2640T as follows too:

DSL-2640T 4

Once RUC gives you a report, it should be similar to the following:

Router Upgrade Check 1.2.9 19/09/2008 09:49:15
Router IP: 192.168.1.1
CLI is needed
Description: Dlink G624T
Board type: AR7VW
Product ID: AR7WRD
Bootloader: psbl
RAM 16.0 MB
Flash (ROM) 4.0 MB
ADAM2: No
No default env: No
Linux version: 2.4.17_mvl21-malta-mips_fp_le
Firmware build:
Firmware version: V3.02B01T01.ME-A.20080125
Firmware stamp: 20080125143616
CPU: MIPS 4KEc V4.8
DSP: 6.00.04.00
Annex: A
/proc/wlan: Yes
/usr/sbin/wlan: Yes
TIAP: Yes
TNETW: Yes
Wireless: Yes
WIFI chip: TNETW1350A
WIFI chip conf: Yes
Ports: 4
Marvell (or Marvell like): No
NSP: V3.02B01T01.ME-A.20080125
Manufacturers: D-link Corporation
RNDIS: Telogy Networks Inc

Now, the things to make sure in the above log are:

Product ID or Board type: AR7WRD
Bootloader: psbl
RAM 16.0 MB
Flash (ROM) 4.0 MB
WIFI chip: TNETW1350A
Marvell (or Marvell like): No

The above settings will qualify you for a RouterTech firmware upgrade. The reason to run RUC was to backup all your settings and configurations at one place. If you have not backed-up your settings, do it now. No one will be responsible, if you do this carelessly and brick your router.

Download RouterTech firmware from http://routertech.org/forum.php. You must register on the forum to download the firmware. For DSL2640T, you’ll need the RoHS 4-port PSP firmware. It should be named something as follows:

routertech-rohs-ar7wrd-pspboot-firmware-xxxxxxx.zip

extract it to some directory and open up the upgrade.html file and DO WHAT IT SAYS.

1- back-up all your settings
a- /proc/ticfg/env
b- /proc/interrupts
c- /etc/led.conf
d- config.bin (using your router’s “save config to hard disk” option in the web panel)
2- reset your router to factory default settings. reboot.
3- once the router comes back online, save all settings and reboot again.
4- open up the update firmware panel in the router’s web panel; Tools->Firmware and browse to where you extracted the above zip file and select:

routertech_ar7wrd_1350a_pspboot_firmware_xxxxxxx_xxx

Now click on Apply and pray to God that all goes well. Leave the router alone for about

8-10 MINUTES…

After ten minutes, telnet into your router again and see if it lets you log in using:

telnet 192.168.1.1

Log in using user:Admin and pass:Admin.

If the router let you log in, go to your Router’s web panel and into the System panel. Click on Restore Factory Settings and Reboot. Once the router comes online. Telnet back into your router:

type

cat /proc/ticfg/env

and take a look at the variables and back them up.

Next perform the following steps:

setenv led_conf led.2640t && /sbin/reboot

once again, when the router comes back online. Telnet again into the router and type:

setenv vlynq_polarity low

Reboot the router once again and you should have a working DSL-2640T running with everything on a custom routertech firmware. You can issue all the commands above in a single go but I say, do not mess with your router, unless you are confident of your actions.

For the people, who do not have their WLAN working, after the upgrade or even so before the upgrade, please follow the steps below:

A common issue for many people on a router exists, where the AP stays off and only comes online by using

"echo NVS_TFTP_LOAD 0 > /proc/ticfg/env"

However, this can create issues on the environment side and the solution itself is temporary too. The actual issue is a corrupted WLAN EEPROM, which needs to be fixed:

- Extract WEB (Wireless Environment Builder) somewhere in a directory and open it up.
- Fill up the information it asks for.
- If you do not have a TWNET ID, go to your router’s system logs. They can be found in Status->SystemLog. Browse them and find the line where it says:

"Failed to get DIE ID from wlan driver. Cannot validate EEPROM Image"
....
....
"Setting bootloader env NVS_TFTP_LOAD to 1"

- Look for a string similar to this:

"Retrieving EEPROM image file nvs_5e015cf4a901151d.bin from TFTP Server"
"ERROR: TFTP of file : nvs_5e015cf4a901151d.bin failed"

- there, the string next to “nvs_” is your TWNETID i.e.5e015cf4a901151d. It should be different for you.
- copy it in WEB and click on “get router details” or “build environment”. It should work and after a while, it will ask you that it can send the script directly to the router. Do so, and let the router reboot after that. You’re done, once the Router comes back online, go check your environment now and you’re good to go.

I hope this will help many people. You might wanna head over to RouterTech for more help and if you run into any issues. Those guys are a great help and they have some fantastic stuff there.

Regards,
M.H.A.Q.S.

Assalam o aleikum,

Just a week or two ago, I installed LinkDotNet’s Broadband Service at home and I must say, I have never been more annoyed in my life. The Support is hellish and lazy; although, I understand they are trying to do their job by telling the customers to hang on and wait until the problem is fixed (which can’t be fixed). Now, as it turned out, the biggest issue I faced with the connection was frequent ADSL desyncs, many FEC and CRC errors and probably some other issues. I had my phone line checked, splitters, routers, cables but everything was working fine. So, I searched around the internet and found out that it was a common issue faced by all PTCL and LinkDotNet subscribers. Ref1, Ref2

I called support a million times and since I’m a tech geek, I couldn’t be convinced the way the support lures other clients. Ultimately, they asked me to shut up and get a broadband connection from another company. I was still not convinced. The internet speed is good and I can’t really complain about that and the problem, I was more concerned with was frequent ADSL timeouts and desyncs, where the connection to the gateway remained active but I lost internet connectivity. Eventually, I have a solution, for all those people who have this issue.

There are many ways to solve this, but here is an easy one. You need to download “Routercontrol” software from the internet (I won’t provide direct links, since this is not a website for such stuff). Next, after you have installed the software and selected the correct Router from the configuration, create a batch file named “Reconnect.bat” or similar in the program directory i.e. “c:\program files\routercontrol\reconnect.bat”. Enter the following script in the batch file and save it.

RouterControl.exe /DISCONNECT /CONNECT /QUIT

Make a shortcut of the batch file on your desktop, and whenever you experience such activity on your router, you can simply execute this batch file and you’ll be saved from the hassle of reconnecting your ADSL. You can make the script better by writing some code to check if a ping failed several times and then execute this command.

Regards,
MHAQS