Way To Redo Firmware in Most Routers?

If you use Linux, and if you have the firmware bin file, is there a way
to redo the firmware in most small broadband routers? The reason I ask
was because I was applying my firmware bin one day and for some reason
the device never came back to life. I reset the device a dozen
different ways and now it only responds to ping. The web interface no
longer comes back up. I get a fast-busy amber light condition on the
System LED.

The device was a U.S. Robotics 8000-02A broadband router.

Unfortunately the manufacturer shipped me one in the past with no
serial number sticker on the bottom, so I have no warranty.

I miss this router to pieces because of it's Linux-workstation-friendly
web software, ease of use, and its extensive logs. No < $100 router on
the market that I've seen comes close.

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> If you use Linux, and if you have the firmware bin file, is there a way
> to redo the firmware in most small broadband routers? The reason I ask
> was because I was applying my firmware bin one day and for some reason
> the device never came back to life. I reset the device a dozen
> different ways and now it only responds to ping. The web interface no
> longer comes back up. I get a fast-busy amber light condition on the
> System LED.
>
> The device was a U.S. Robotics 8000-02A broadband router.
>
> Unfortunately the manufacturer shipped me one in the past with no
> serial number sticker on the bottom, so I have no warranty.
>
> I miss this router to pieces because of it's Linux-workstation-friendly
> web software, ease of use, and its extensive logs. No < $100 router on
> the market that I've seen comes close.

tftp 192.168.123.254
tftp> binary
tftp> put roboticsfirmware.bin
tftp> quit

Eric Raymond, the guy who originally designed sendmail and wrote The
Cathedral & the Bazaar, said the above technique (on 192.168.1.1) will
work with overwriting the Linksys firmware. But that was Linksys.

I'm going to attempt it on 192.168.123.254 on the USR 8000-02A device
to see if I can resuscitate it tonight. Stay tuned.

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> tftp 192.168.123.254
> tftp> binary
> tftp> put roboticsfirmware.bin
> tftp> quit
>
> Eric Raymond, the guy who originally designed sendmail and wrote The
> Cathedral & the Bazaar, said the above technique (on 192.168.1.1) will
> work with overwriting the Linksys firmware. But that was Linksys.
>
> I'm going to attempt it on 192.168.123.254 on the USR 8000-02A device
> to see if I can resuscitate it tonight. Stay tuned.

Wow. That was fun. I hacked my USR 8000-02A router using tftp and got
it working 100% again!!!

I copied into /tmp the v2.7.bin firmware file that I had previously
downloaded.

# cd /tmp
# chmod a+r /tmp/*.bin
# tftp 192.168.123.254
tftp> connect 192.168.123.254
tftp> binary
tftp> put v2.7.bin
tftp> quit

I had to run this several times with my IP address set statically on
192.168.123.100. I then reset the device using the technique in the
manual where I pull the power out, push reset and hold, put the power
in, wait until the System LED blinks, and then release the reset
button. Instead of the fast blink, it went into the normal slow blink.

I connected to http://192.168.123.254 and it came back with a page!!!

However, it wasn't the usual page. It came back with a strange page
that said:

Upgrade not completed...
[ ] Browse...
Upgrade

I browsed the for the bin file again and then clicked Upgrade. It set
it processed it correctly but then I lost connectivity to
http://192.168.123.254. I then did '/etc/init.d/networking restart' and
it came back with the regular US Robotics router homepage!!!

All was well again after I went in and put my old settings back in.