How to unbrick a TP-Link TL-WR1043ND router (re-uploaded) || How-to-fix tutorial

In this video I'm demonstrating how to unbrick (recover) a TP-Link TL-WR1043ND router after an unsuccessful firmware upgrade. I'm showing the whole process from opening the case to installing firmware files through the serial console.
The whole story happened a few weeks ago when I decided to download and install the latest firmware for my TP-Link TL-WR1043ND router. Theoretically everything went fine, the installation finished and I got the 'Rebooting' message. Unfortunately the router was rebooting over and over again. I realized something went wrong and my TP-Link became an expensive brick with blinking LEDs on it. I tried every non-invasive method I could find to reset the device and bring it back to life. Nothing worked for me, so I had to open the case, solder a gold pin connector and hook it up to my computer. Then I could manually upload a new firmware image to the router and install it.
DISCLAIMER:
If you decide to follow any procedure shown in this tutorial, you're doing it at your own risk. This may void your warranty and/or in rare cases damage your device.
Commands used in this video:
tpl [ENTER]
setenv ipaddr 192.168.0.3 [ENTER]
setenv serverip 192.168.0.5 [ENTER]
printenv [ENTER]
erase 0xbf020000 +7c0000 [ENTER]
tftpboot 0x81000000 firmware.bin [ENTER]
cp.b 0x81000000 0xbf020000 0x7c0000 [ENTER]
bootm 0xbf020000 [ENTER]
Download PuTTY here:
www.chiark.gree...
Download Tftpd server here:
tftpd32.jounin....
More info about TP-Link TL-WR1043ND:
wiki.openwrt.or...
Unbricking procedure from OpenWrt forum:
forum.openwrt....
Originally I uploaded this video on April 10, 2014, under this link:
• Video
On October 10, 2014 I accidentally deleted it from my channel. Boy, was I mad at myself!
If you want to see how it happened, go here:
• Video
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Video, edit, voice by Chris Lorkowski
Music by Jason Shaw - Medium Rock, Pilots Of Stone, Real Bad Girl
www.audionautix...

[@Bandicoot803]

Thank you very much, sir! I managed to issue a new lease on life on my WR1043ND V1.8 ( YB 2008, acq. 2012 ) which I had reflashed with DD-WRT before. It was solid, but acted kinda flaky and I started to question its reliability. As a consequence it layed in a box in my attic for several years as I went for another router. Recently I dug it out, and gave it a try with delicate precaution and triple-checking the boot start and end values of the flash cell. Got it on the first attempt, and now it's recommissioned in my home network as a wireless host. TP-Link dropped support long time ago, so it's high time for security improvement. And there we have it: A router from 2008 running OpenWRT 23.05.0 happily. Bonus: It comes with WPA3 which is quite remarkable and interesting.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thank you for taking the time to write your comment, sir! It's fantastic to know this old video of mine can still help somebody and one aging device can be saved from the dumpster.

[@ElectronFunCom]

This is a step by step tutorial on how to unbrick a TP-Link TL-WR1043ND router after an unsuccessful firmware upgrade. How to unbrick a TP-Link TL-WR1043ND router (reuploaded) Originally I uploaded this video on April 10, 2014, under this link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKOko5lvnrmArJY On October 11, 2014 I accidentally deleted it from my channel. Boy, was I mad at myself!

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thanks for watching and commenting :) Sorry for deleting the video and causing this inconvenience.

[@edobandax]

Erase correctly, when trying to make tftp ... does not connect to the router :(, because the ip should be set 192.168.0.3?

[@ElectronFunCom]

Tftpd isn't connecting to the router, it is only a server/service from which your router downloads the firmware. Have you set ipaddr to 192.168.0.3 and serverip to 192.168.0.5? (see 13:28).

[@edobandax]

I use serial connection, using hyperterminal transfer firmware, recover my router. Thanks for your comment;)

[@ElectronFunCom]

Have you managed to get it up and running?

[@vibrolax]

I am pretty experienced keeping my collection of ancient routers updated with the latest supported release of OpenWRT. I never had to do a serial console recovery on my TP-WR1043ND v1 until today. Imagine my disappointment when I removed the two screws from the bottom, and the case gave no evidence of wanting to open. I found no disassembly instructions on the regular web, so it was off to youtube. And there was your video, showing how to take it apart without breaking it. It turns out I didn't need to do a serial console recovery to fix my error, but I'm ready if I ever do! Thanks.

[@chrislorkowski3950]

I'm glad the video is still useful for people, even after all these years.

[@EpicLPer]

Took me around 4-5 from start of researching my fault to finishing repairing it. Mine wasn't just rebooting but it actually started doing something, tho looking at the serial log I could see that it had a kernel panic for whatever reason. Thanks to this and the OpenWRT Wiki I was able to revert back to stock!

[@ElectronFunCom]

That's great to hear/read :) That's another router saved from the dumpster.

[@angelogreenview3859]

All gone smooth with my 1043Nd V1.7 and your video. Thank you very much.

[@chrislorkowski3950]

It's great to know, you fixed your router. It's been so many years...

[@wired_alex]

Excellent video. This gave me the motivation to attempt to unbrick a TL-WR1043ND that I inadvertently flashed with the wrong firmware. Worked perfectly, and I loved the use of an Arduino for the serial interface. Great job.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thank you so much! I'm glad it worked for you :)

[@DavidTenn]

This is a great tutorial. I recovered my WR1043ND v1.6 I had Chaos Calmer 15.05.1 Released: Mon, 16 Mar 2016 and I wanted to update it to a newer version, so I downloaded the latest release dated Jan 21, 2017 and flashed it. Well it flashed successfully but the web interface went away and I could not log in using any browser. "Connection refused" I also could not telnet to the router and because this router HW version was older than v1.8 there was no built in TFTP recovery. So my only option for recovery was this tutorial. Many Thanks for this, it certainly appreciated. Dave

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thank you for your comment! I'm happy my video helped you fix your router :)

[@emelssen5580]

Thank you so much sir! Not only saved this video my router from the junkyard. It's also been a fun learning experience! My router is even performing better than before with the OpenWRT firmware.

[@joaquinc1754]

Después de mucho tiempo metido en un cajón....ya está funcionando. Muchas gracias.

[@hndembuon]

Thank you for your clear and details guide, I have successfully unbricked my WR1043ND.

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Mr. Kiêu Ngạo Thanks for letting me know, I'm glad you were able to successfully unbrick your router :)

[@MagnusBombman]

Thanks for the tutorial man, successfully unbricked my TL-Wr1043ND with this!

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Magnus Bombman That's great, thanks for letting me know!

[@AndyHullMcPenguin]

Works like a charm. Thanks. I adapted your method to my Linux box, and improvised a few bits here and there. To get the boot prompt for example I used... while true; do echo "tpl " >/dev/ttyUSB0;done Then fired up the router and hit ^C the moment the boot loop stopped flashing. I also used the serial console of the Arduino IDE to connect to the router. You can alternatively use cu -l /dev/ttyUSB0 or any number of other terminal emulators available in Linux, for example putty with sudo apt-get install putty Google to find out how to set up tftp on your linux box, and you are off and running. From bricked to openwrt including soldering the header on the board

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Andrew Hull That's great! I'm happy you found my video useful and managed to unbrick your device. Thanks for your tips, they may be handy.

[@ThiwankaWimalasuriya]

This video helped me to unbrick my TL-MR3420 v2.4. I was trying to get openwrt working on it, but by some mistake bricked the router. Thanks for the video

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Thiwanka Wimalasuriya That's great! Did you use exactly the same commands or did you have to change anything?

[@ThiwankaWimalasuriya]

+ElectronFun.com on my TL-MR3420 v2.4 i used erase 0x9f020000 +0x3c0000 instead of erase 0xbf020000 +7c0000. Everything else was same

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Thiwanka Wimalasuriya Thanks, someone may need your comment to unbrick their router :)

[@loodack]

+Thiwanka Wimalasuriya How did you get values you need to type? I have 740N and I'm not sure what to type in.

[@ThiwankaWimalasuriya]

+loodack , i found those values from redacacia.me/2013/03/07/debrick-your-tl-mr3420-router-with-a-serial-ttl-cable/ , did you check wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-wr740n ?

[@leeschofield6071]

Great tutorial !! Thanks. Two tips I learned: If when loading the firmware via it continues to wait with the T T T T T T T T T T reponses and fails, then you most likely have your ethernet cable wrongly in the WAN port of the router, move it to any of the four LAN ports of the router. If that also fails, then it is possible to copy the firmware to the router via the existing three serial connections you have in place. You use the YMODEM protocol to transfer the firmware. To do this download free ExtraPutty as this includes the YMODEM transfer feature. Do exactly as already discribed in this great vid, but rather than this command tftpboot 0x81000000 firmware.bin [ENTER] instead type LOADY [ENTER] then it waits to receive the firmware so in the ExtraPutty header bar, select "File Transfers", Ymodem, Send, browse and select your firmware.bin file It shoud then copy to the router, much slower than the ethernet copy, but it does work. Dont forget to continue with the remaining commands as per the video (commands below). cp.b 0x81000000 0xbf020000 0x7c0000 [ENTER] bootm 0xbf020000 [ENTER] i hope this helps .

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Lee Schofield Great tips, thanks for your comment :)

[@fibranijevidra]

After failing at firmware flashing trough LAN, I have managed to flash it with ExtraPutty. Thanks a lot!

[@AntenorMoriniJunior]

The beginning of the video did even have hope, because I imagined it would only be possible to recover the router if it had at least initialized, but the video device can't even have a working switch! Mine for years had the customizable openwrt firmware, it was quite useful, but with new equipment on the network I needed the features available only in the original firmware (like QoS control in hardware). I was using a swap pendrive and ended up having a serious problem when trying the original TPlink firmware, now the system led, wan port and dhcp service don't work, clear sign of missing software, but as switch it still works. After work I will run this solution and hope to have this cool equipment back.

[@andrevinhas7094]

You are a GOD ... You just save my router from the DDwrt wrong firmware (Firmware V3 on V1 Session ¬¬) ... I checked your Arduino as a TTL programmer and combined with this video ! worked flawless .... if you use MALE x MALE jumpers you don't need to solder that 3-pin conector on the router board (as long you work surface is flat and doesn't move) Many thanks, cheers from brazil.

[@helder.mr.rodrigues]

Thank's very much for this video. I was able to put my router working again.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thanks for letting me know. It helps a lot :)

[@Sergetkint]

Thanks for this clearly explained video. I fixed my router and saved it from the trash bin. Also learned some new stuff (USB to TTL). So fixing things , save money and having fun. Thanks!

[@krasimirnedelchev2265]

Thanks a ton! This video helped me bring my router back to life after flashing a bad firmware to it

[@zardes123]

worked perfectly you saved my router! many thanks!

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Chaoss Crusade (Chaos) It's great to hear/read that! Another router saved from the dumpster :)

[@mrkarico]

Today,19 Oct.2019, I'm still watching it for the same problem. Thank you from Italy

[@RaphaelBernardo]

AWESOME VIDEO, extremelly simple, very good and detailed steb by step!

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thank you very much! My videos are usually simple, step by step tutorials, which should be easy to follow - at least that are my assumptions.

[@RaphaelBernardo]

Can you help? My router is on that loop, I tried to ger rid of OpenWRT to flash back the original firmware, but is bricked, I followed your video and everything went fine, but on the last step, I get a boot error, the firmware Im trying to upload is from the tp-link website, and my router version is 1.6, thanks

[@ElectronFunCom]

The firmware from manufacturer's website won't work - you need to get rid of the boot code first. The following website should help you do that: fejlesztek.hu/restoring-factory-firmware-on-tp-link-tl-wr1043nd.

[@dchoi0077]

Thank you very much! It saved my old TL-WR1043 v1 router!

[@arnelgo3777]

Legendary video. Still useful until today.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Great to hear that, thank you!

[@arthurnascimento948]

Thank you so much for this video, it helped me rescue my bricked router!

[@pa3fat]

Use TeraTerm and Broadcast command option to enter "tpl" into the boot. That worked. After this the rest was easy. note that the default firmeware needs to be stripped (dd if=filein of=fileout skip=257 bs=512) (in case is not in the video). and this fileout (e.g. firmware.bin) can be used in the tftp directory/upload sequence. was a day struggling to get into the boot sequence........

[@BogdanManciu]

Thanks for saving my bacon. I had this thing laying around for years being too lazy to read through all the documentation.

[@ElectronFunCom]

No problem, another device saved from dumpster :)

[@vicstrauss]

Thanks man! I was able to unbrick my v1.11 2 things: In my case the screen was not looping with the "autoboot in 1 sec" message. I had to start the putty session and then power up the router, only then the Autoboot in 1 sec message would show up once and the fail with an error message among the lines "file missing on the fs folder" or similar. (i had been fiddling with the fs folder and that's how i bricked mine, i think) I tried with the original firmware, because i had actually bricked it trying to come back from OpenWrt. It didn't work, it wasn't booting into router function. I moved back to openWrt. Thanks again, you saved me a couple of pesos

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Vic Strauss That's great! Thanks for describing your case and letting me know :)

[@ArnielGo]

Thanks a lot! I managed to revive my bricked using this guide! More power!

[@ElectronFunCom]

It's great to know this video helped you. Thanks a lot for your comment :)

[@DeffQ]

Opening and Closing helped me a lot. Thanks 👍

[@Rikudouh]

Thank you very much with your video I was able to relive my router. Which bricked when you update the firmware to the latest version of DD-WRT. The most difficult part in my case was to desolder, use a desoldering wire. I guess my delay would be because the electric welder does not transmit enough heat to the mesh.

[@goodtimeschan]

This guide helped me to save my router, thank you.

[@aleksandrmineev9588]

Thank you for this great tutorial, so detailed and understandable. Have done this work via PL2303HX USB TTL. Cheap board and simple solution.

[@VIVIVICZ]

Thank you. Your manual is very useful. You've helped me.

[@pega0]

My router works like a charm again, thanks for the tutorial :)

[@klashnikov22]

Thanks a lot man, I saved my mr3220 following your steps! I only had to find the correct memory addresses elsewhere. By the way, I was lucky just once when typing tpl+ENTER but unfortunately I moved the cable and was unable to send the string in the right moment after that so I used autohotkeys to assing the F1 key to send it so I just had to press F1 a couple of times. If anyone is in the same situation you can assign F1 to send tpl+enter just by putting the next in a txt file and renaming the extension to .ahk: F1:: Send tpl{Enter} and that's all, of course you can use any key you want.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thanks a lot for your tip, it may help a lot of people! I'm glad you managed to bring your router back to life :)

[@KonstantinKrayushkins]

Thanks, you saved my wr1043nd! Tip for others: RS-232 cable doesn't work with it. I have tried.

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Konstantin Krayushkin I'm glad it worked for you, thanks for your comment :)

[@OfficialXtraload]

+Konstantin Krayushkin Which firmware upgrade failed at your wr1043nd ?

[@toxakus]

Tutorial very well explained. The recovery was successful. Congratulations and thanks.

[@LegoCab]

Just a few notes on this, for people that can't still unbrick their router. I have WR1043nd V1.7 (last version without fail-safe) and i was using dd-wrt, and decided to update my firmware because i had changed my ISP. Used the wrong firmware version (dd-wrt for V2 instead of V1) and bricked my router. Tried other tutorials but since my version doesn't have flash fail-safe, and my LAN ports were not powered for some reason, i couldn't fix it without opening it. I followed this tutorial, soldered the pins, got the latest firmware version from tp-link, the correct one this time, followed the steps but no luck. I was still getting flashing LED's and this message on Putty "No valid address in Flash. Using fixed address. Auto-booting" or something like it. So, my mistake here was getting firmware from tp-link instead of dd-wrt. Since i was using dd-wrt before the "brickning", I tried flashing the router again, this time with dd-wrt (same version i had before) and voilá, it came back from the dead. Hope my experience helps someone. This works on Windows 10, with the latest versions of the software's on the video. All good as of 03/12/19.

[@ehorher]

Hi Chris, thanks a lot man, I have my 1043 working again !!!!!

[@zoltanpeter5276]

Excellent job mate, thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@dogstar2000]

thank you so very much! you saved my bricked router! :)

[@ElectronFunCom]

Elad Shuster I'm glad this video helped you. Thanks for your comment :)

[@romulocopm]

Thank you very much for the video! You saved my equipment!

[@lecturepass4498]

Thank you, my router live again :)

[@n-p2048]

Hey, Nice Video! I wanted to ask whether I can load a firmware on an old router whose model and make I don't know. I jus have the board with the antenna and I guess the casing broke so I thought of making one on my own. Are there any markings on the board? Or a general firmware? A basic one?? Thanks in advance!!

[@ElectronFunCom]

Hi, thanks a lot! Unfortunately it's not that easy. Most firmware files are compiled not only for individual models, but also for specific hardware revisions. If you're not sure what router you have, you can post a photo on a forum (e.g. forum.openwrt.org/), someone may be able to identify your hardware.

[@n-p2048]

ohhh okay! Thanks a lot!

[@robertnemecek832]

Excellent video and guide, it helped me a lot!!! Many thanks.

Very helpfull! Thanks for giving my 1043 life again :)

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thanks a lot for letting me know :)

[@GregAngel4]

This video helped me a lot. Thanks!!

[@ElectronFunCom]

+G A That's great, thanks for letting me know :)

[@ludovicgallezot3511]

thks for your experience. I hope it will work for me. I made a piratebox months ago and I decided to make a bibliobox this time and I did something wrong. Your procedure seems to be my last chance before the hammer !

[@GPlusSucks]

Great video Dude! Thumbs up!!!!

[@ElectronFunCom]

G.Plus.Sucks Thanks for watching :)

[@kristiSkate]

Another working one; thanks man! Albeit I did connect through a mac to the serial interface, as my usb-ttl adaptor's drivers always threw an error (Code 10) on windows. I used the app called Signal, which is great!

[@daemonmagic8261]

I'd suggest to put the black side-panel first and then the upper deck when you assemble the device back. It'd be easier to put back SMA sockets...

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thanks for your advice, it may be very helpful :)

[@ngnr51]

Thx from Hungary :) it works again :)

[@JBengGong]

Самое толковое видео! По этой инструкции всё прошло гладко и получилось восстановить работу роутера! Больше спасибо вам! Использовал устройство на чипе CP2102.

[@Tiagomix]

friend, sorry my english, but I wanted to thank you very much for this tutorial and arduido USB to TTL, it took me a little because of English but could revive the router

[@ElectronFunCom]

That's great to hear/read! Thanks for your comment :)

[@antreascurren]

Excellent video what is 7c0000? where do you find it? i trying to unbrick another router using uboot.. i fixed once now i don't remember

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thank you. The 7c0000 is a memory address. You can usually find these on Wiki pages.

[@FaintSnow]

Thank you very much for uploading this video :) Just ordered a USB to TTL adapter, however I was wondering where you got the 3 pin connector. (How is it called? just a 3 pin connector?) It's so much easier to just plug it on than having to solder each time.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Thanks for your comment :) It's called a gold pin connector, or breakaway male header. It's usually sold in rows of 40 pins. You can break or cut them to make the 3 pin connector. It looks like this: www.sparkfun.com/products/116. You solder this header only once and you can connect the wires easily later on.

[@FaintSnow]

ElectronFun.com Thank you very much, took on the project and soldered on the 3 pin connecter. I've unbricked it with the TTL cable, everything is working fine again!

[@ElectronFunCom]

***** Great to hear that! Thanks for letting me know :)

[@simoncarrera2025]

Hi Electronfun, thanks for taking your time sharing this experience to all of tplink routers users. Greetings from Venezuela. I have a problem with mine, it only turns on with fixed power led, Does this troubleshooting has something to do with what you are explaining on this video? If it doesn´t, what should I do? I will be apreciated for your comments..

[@ElectronFunCom]

My problem was quite different - the router was in a loop while booting. I don't know what can be the cause of your issue, but you can always seek help on one of the following forums: forum.openwrt.org www.dd-wrt.com/forum

[@simoncarrera2025]

ElectronFun.com Well, thanks a lot. I will look for it. I well then tell how did it go.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Ok, I hope you'll find the answer there. Good luck!

[@abdulrehmankhan9224]

Hey, Your tutorial is great, I've two questions because my router is different then yours, I've TP-Link MR3420, My questions are: 1- The firmware version you put in that directory is OpenWRT, can I replace that file with the TP-Link's official firmware for my router? 2- Will the commands be same as you used? If I want to flash stock ROM on the router different then the one showed in your video? I shall be very thankful if you help me out :)

[@jorgedt2003]

First of all thank you for the video. I know a few years ago since the video, I had an accident welding the pins and unfortunately I burned two components C431 and R362 that are just over the pins, is there any chance of knowing the values ​​to be able to replace them? Would there be any possibility of measuring them or knowing what they are? thanks in advance

[@zoltanwerner1288]

Great video. For anyone with v1.8+ hardware though there's a simpler way that involves running a tftpd server from which the router can automatically fetch the firmware bin file. This is what I ended up doing. No disassembly needed. Read the "Flashing / Recovery using tftp only (without serial console)" section here oldwiki.archive.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-wr1043nd. Another alternative is using a raspberry pi if you happen to have one. It already has a serial head with 3.3V ttl levels, so no USB converter needed. The 3-pin soldering part comes in handy from this video!

[@c.h.nelsonyu1934]

Great videos and it is helpful!

[@gozillatrade5178]

Thanks Indonesia, I got it to work in the manual mode, couldn't get the "automatic" mode to work. Perhaps you can demonstrate on KZbin.

[@ToToNn]

You saved me! Thank you very much!

[@DJRAVENPROFESOR]

tnx a lot buddy....you're best! many tnx for Romania

[@frodemolland6249]

Hi, is there any specific name for that 3 pin connector? would like the of the usb connector also :)

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Frode Molland Hi, it's a header connector/pin header. The small PCB with a USB port is a USB to TTL converter.

[@microrome]

Will this process work for TL-WR1042ND router? How or where did you get the register addresses to clear and load the firmware? Will the same addresses work on 1042?

[@ElectronFunCom]

+romel.khondoker I don't know if the same procedure would work for TL-WR1042ND. The memory addresses are usually different for different routers. You can post your questions here: forum.openwrt.org, or www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2. Someone should know the answers there.

[@microrome]

+ElectronFun.com I did some research and found out that it has realtek chipset- CPU1: Realtek RTL8198 (620 MHz)- FLASH: 8 MiB (Spansion S25FL064P)- RAM1: 64 MiB (Hynix H5PS5162GFR-Y5C). Also found the bootlog here: openrouter.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=1703. All i want to do is put the factory firmware back in it i.e. unbrick it. Will that be possible at all?

[@ElectronFunCom]

+romel.khondoker The model numbers look very similar, but the TL-WR1043ND uses Atheros CPU, so it's pretty much a different router. I tried to find the unbricking procedure for your device, but couldn't find much. I guess it's not very popular. I wish I could help you somehow, but I don't know how, sorry.

[@Arkamon]

Many thx for your help !

[@venenillooo]

thanks you helpme ,1 question,usb to ttl arduino can work too no?,thanks man

[@ElectronFunCom]

+kiko Thanks :) Yes, an Arduino can be used as a USB to TTL converter - here's how: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6K2faqBZqmDbrM.

[@venenillooo]

yes it work man thank you ,i can repair my router now :) it working now haha :)

[@ElectronFunCom]

+kiko That's so cool! Another router came back to life :)

[@salvatorefaidate]

hello first thing thanks for your very useful video I am an Italian and I have a router tp-link tl-wr1043nd I had problems with the firmware update and now it does not even read the network cards when I insert the rj45 cable to disconnect me. Do you think with this procedure do you think I can restore it? sorry my english i am using google translator. thank you

[@twitchwhy5333]

i did all like you did but my putty dos not open com6 or any other ports there is alternative for a putty? edit pl2303hxa driver was need a fix thanks for a video tut vary helpfull

[@MatthewPrenticeElectronicByte]

Hi ElectronFun.com I'm trying to follow your steps with a wr841nV8.1 4MB flash. I noticed that yours was running 8MB. Dont suppose you know the flash addresses to copy the .bin to for the 4MB?

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Matthew Prentice (ElectronicByte) Sorry, I don't know these addresses.

[@maurofaria919]

Perfect. Thank you so much!

[@renatofranci7482]

Tutorial made very well. I did what was shown in the video until Putty starts talking to the router ì. The only problem is I CANNOT interrupt the loop with the "tpl" command. It is as if Putty did not receive the command and follows the restart at infinity. How can I do? Thank you!!

[@JeronimoVazSales]

Thank you for your help!

[@ElectronFunCom]

I'm glad I could help you Jerônimo.

[@francocastilloAR]

Hello Are the commands used for the TL-WR941ND? I had DD-WRT and was made a brick for having wanted to remove this and return to the original TP-LINK and it would not let me, so I had to erase all the internal memory to install the TP-LINK. I am using Google Translate and I do not know if it is well written.

[@ElectronFunCom]

These commands are used for the TL-WR1043ND. The memory addresses will be different for different models.

[@francocastilloAR]

And how do I get that?

[@ElectronFunCom]

You can find such information here: forum.openwrt.org www.dd-wrt.com/forum

[@francocastilloAR]

Good thank you! I'll see what I can do.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Sorry for replying so late. I have not done anything related to my channel for quite some time due to personal reasons.

[@KurtCostaPeters]

Hi. Nice Tutorial, but I can't find a solution to my problem. I'm trying to unbrick mine 941ND V5. I read all the comments, but couldn't find a solution. When i open Putty it show's me random things. I already checked the speed, tried with 115200 and 9600, on device manager and putty. Same result. If i switch TX connector for RX, give-me a black terminal. I checked the voltage TX-GRD = 3,3v RX-GRD= 2,6... Any ideas what I could do? Thank you.

[@ElectronFunCom]

I have no idea what could be wrong with your setup. I would suggest asking on the following forums: forum.openwrt.org www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2 People are very helpful there and you should find there someone who will be able to help you.

[@donmccoy20]

Hello thanks for this video tutorial. However, i bricked my TP-Link TL-WR1043ND V3.0 Router with bad firmware upgrade. the V3.0 is the same hardware as V2.0 but what about the Firmware image i can't use the official as it has boot in it. can i strip it somehow? i tried the hex editor but couldn't get much information about the boot location to cut it.? so what do you think about my case? how could i get the Stripped firmware image?

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Omar McCoy Your router is pretty new and I can see the stripped version in not available yet (wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-wr1043nd). I used the firmware from OpenWRT.org, I didn't prepare it myself. Which firmware did you have before bricking the router? Was it the default TP-Link or one of the custom built type?

[@donmccoy20]

+ElectronFun.com Hello Electron i have successfully unbricked V 3 router, its easier than V 2.1. the same putty command as V 2.1 using this stripped firmware image: www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/download.php?id=34575 thanks

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Omar McCoy That's great! How did you find the stripped image?

[@donmccoy20]

it was easy stripping the latest released firmware from TP-LINK site using any bin editor like binwalk or Hex editor. I have deleted the bins from the begining until 0x20200 (the same procedures as the previous hardware revisions). and also other DD-WRT member stripped it and upload it so i flashed it and it works flawlessly without a glitch.

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Omar McCoy Thanks, your comment may help others with similar router problems. Have a great day :)

[@FedericoScanu]

Good evening to everyone, just a question to see if still there is hope for my tl-wr1043nd. I have already used this guide successfully, but playing a lot with firmware, dd-wrt and telnet i did it again. Now the only moment in which my serial connection detects something is when the router starts. But it get stuck soon after the autoboot and does not move anymore. U-Boot 1.1.4 (Mar 19 2014 - 11:06:29) AP83 (ar9100) U-boot 0.0.11 DRAM: sri 32 MB id read 0x100000ff flash size 8MB, sector count = 128 Flash: 8 MB Using default environment In: serial Out: serial Err: serial Net: ag7100_enet_initialize... No valid address in Flash. Using fixed address : cfg1 0xf cfg2 0x7114 eth0: 00:03:7f:09:0b:ad eth0 up eth0 is_auto_upload_firmware=0 Autobooting in 1 seconds## Booting image at bf020000 ... Uncompressing Kernel Image ... and stays this way forever. Do you think that there is some solution for this issue? I have tried to type tpl and enter but it does not work, any idea or suggestion?

[@federicoscanu3788]

I solved it, it was just to type TPL inside the really brief window I had. Now it is finally working as WiFi Bridge, thanks a lot for this amazing guide. Maybe one day I will be able to solder as you do! thanks again

[@hheidemann]

Can I use a stable DD-WRT firmware for recovering it or is there a specific firmware to unbrick it?

[@ElectronFunCom]

I doubt there is a specific firmware file compiled for unbricking purposes. I used this file, because it worked for me. You can try with DD-WRT firmware and if it doesn't work, you can always use OpenWrt to unbrick your router and then switch to DD-WRT.

[@mostafataliza]

Nice man, that's certainly a high Quality tutorial. Here is my situation : I have TP-Link TL-WR841ND v9 running DD-WRT v24 and I want to install lots of packages and even turn my router into home server but I'm runing out of space and this router does not support Usb Storage.. so is there any possibility to add USB storage capability to a router that doesn't have it ? Thanks in advance

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Mostafa Taliⵣa Thanks for your kind words :) If your router doesn't have a USB port, you probably won't be able to add any extra storage, sorry.

[@ElectronFunCom]

+mipmipmipmipmip Thanks for the tip :)

[@hosenzwen2258]

Hello ... Thanks for the helpful explanation ... I have a router TP-LINK TL-WE941ND L broken ... How do I locate MY PL2303HX connection on the router board .... To do the same as you did ..... Thank you. Translation by Google.

[@mathiashorst4895]

Great Tutorial! Thanks! :-)

[@FAELP22]

Hello, I liked that your video, I wanted to ask you if you could make a video like this but using the Arduino as ttl serial adapter. I have a router with the problem and do not have a serial USB Adapter ttl there wanted to use my arduino as adapter.

[@ElectronFunCom]

There is a video about using an Arduino as a USB to TTL converter, see here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6K2faqBZqmDbrM.

[@FAELP22]

Thanks, I was able to fix my router using my arduino.

[@ElectronFunCom]

That's great! Thanks for letting me know :)

[@namapasaran4185]

I've seen some of the same tutorial and I've done but when I tried to open putty nothing happened, only a blank screen and no posts out do you know what's wrong? my router is TP-Link TL-WR741ND

[@ElectronFunCom]

Have you tried switching the TX with RX on one side? The TX pin on the router should be connected to the RX pin on the USB to TTL converter and the RX pin on the router should be connected to the TX pin on the USB to TTL converter.

[@namapasaran4185]

I think I've tried the same thing Router >> USB TTL TX >> RX RX >> TX GND >> GND

[@ElectronFunCom]

Rifai Annur Are you sure you're using correct COM port number?

[@namapasaran4185]

yes, I am really sure with the com port that I use

[@ElectronFunCom]

Rifai Annur Have you set your COM port's speed to 115200 in 'Device Manager'?

[@MrJkvnl]

Everything went Ok now except for the last command "bootm" When I executed this the router went back to it's flashing bricked state. Does this mean I didn't use the right firmware?

[@ElectronFunCom]

Might be. Which hardware version do you have and which firmware file did you download?

[@MrJkvnl]

ElectronFun.com I have version 1.1 and downloaded webrevert to stock from the DD-WRT website

[@MrJkvnl]

Jacob Visser Finally got it running again! It was all about using the correct firmware allright. Found OpenWRT image via Google.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Jacob Visser I'm glad your router works again, thanks for your reply!

[@drgags9999]

Thanks a lot ElectroFun.com for this great tutorial. I was able to unbrick my 1043nd v2.1 following this tutorial. Since this tutorial is for v1.x, the commands don't work on v2.x. I followed the set of commands as given on Openwrt wiki (wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-wr1043nd) and it worked! For the reference of people with v2.x of wr1043nd, I am enumerating the steps which are different from this tutorial below: 1. Use the server ip address as 192.168.0.100 (as on v2 the router supposedly listens for this ip) 2. Use these commands: erase 0x9f020000 +0x7c0000 tftp 0x80060000 firmware.bin cp.b 0x80060000 0x9f020000 0x7c0000 boot.m 0x9f020000 3. The default address (to access the router after unbricking) for v2 is 192.168.0.1 4. Use a stripped firmware, not the factory version. I downloaded the stripped firmware from www.friedzombie.com/tplink-stripped-firmware/ 5. I used Windows 10 and Putty couldn’t open the COM port initially. The trick was to run it as an administrator.

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Gagan Kaushal Great comment, it may help a lot of people, thanks a lot :)

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Carol Liep First thing - which hardware version do you have?

[@drgags9999]

***** I followed this tutorial as depicted and just changed the commands for 2.1 version. Have you tried it yet?

[@ElectronFunCom]

+Carol Liep I'm happy you managed to unbrick your router... and get some sleep :)

[@michaelkiesel5074]

Great thank you very much. It worked very well :-)

[@ElectronFunCom]

Michael Kiesel I'm glad I could help you :)

[@MrJkvnl]

Hi thanks for this tutorial. Everything works until I do the TFTPBOOT 0x81000000 command. After a while I'll keep getting "retry count exceeded starting again" Obviously a connection problem? Where to look to solve this? Thanks, Jacob

[@ElectronFunCom]

Did you connect the network cable between one of the router's LAN ports and your network card?

[@MrJkvnl]

ElectronFun.com Yes, but I just found the problem. I had to shutdown my firewall and then everything went OK! Thanks again for your great tutorial! Regards, Jacob

[@ElectronFunCom]

Jacob Visser Is your router working again?

[@tshurkus]

Does it work with simple USB RS232 adapter cable, or I should use TTL? I'm asking, because I have v1.8 and tried with the cable (used only rx, tx and gnd pinouts), but putty shows me unreadable symbols (there was everything ok with COM port baudrate and all other configuration). I'm curious if my router is totally dead or I should buy and try with USB TTL. Thank you in advance.

[@ElectronFunCom]

To tell you the truth - I haven't tried using a simple USB to RS232 adapter cable, so I have no clue. I'm guessing you don't have an Arduino laying around? You could use it instead of the USB to TTL converter.

[@dejwisdejwis6119]

How to connect the usb connector to the router properly? Because the picture description is from right TX, RX, GND. And on Filmiku you connect differently RX, TX, GND. How is it supposed to be properly connected?

[@ElectronFunCom]

You are supposed to connect TX to RX and RX to TX, ground to ground. One device is transmitting data (TX) and the other one is receiving data (RX) on one wire. The second wire works in exactly the same way.

[@dejwisdejwis6119]

And why the reverse?

[@ElectronFunCom]

Both devices cannot transmit and receive data on one wire at the same time.

[@dejwisdejwis6119]

Ok now I understand. However, for a layman who is not good at it, he is misleading him :) I am from Poland and my English is weak sorry for mistakes.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Don't worry, the most important thing is that you got my point. By the way, I'm from Poland too :)

[@youtubkeeper]

How many of these routers did you break before you successfully took apart? :P

[@ElectronFunCom]

There was only one router and I managed not to break it somehow while taking apart. It took me some time, but turned out to be doable :)

[@franz-xaverkolmberger8868]

Has anyone done this with the WR1043ND v4 version? How are the pins located there as the board is different to the version in this video? Is it necessary to solder a wire across R257 and why? Just getting random ANSI chars in putty...

[@fibranijevidra]

Are you using JTAG or USB-TTL? It says JTAG is used for flashing.

[@wadj55]

I'm from Brazil, I'm messing with this one anyway, but I do not give the option to type commands in PUTTY, which key do you press to give the option to type commands? because in PUTTY all the time restarting without giving option to type something!

[@Przemek6085]

Hi, I made everything as you, however after set the PuTTY it shows only blank command screen. Nothing happens, only shows green cursor and I can't write anything. Do you have any ideas?

[@ElectronFunCom]

Przemek6085 Hi, what about the serial connections, how did you connect them? Have you tried swapping the TX with RX?

[@Przemek6085]

ElectronFun.com Thanks for your answer. Yes, I tried. You can see my connections in this photo imgur.com/NzJcSaW (I soldered also 3,3V because I had four pins). Here I uploaded screen of PuTTY: imgur.com/YndGeZU I can't type anything, but TXD's diode lights when I write. I tried too to connect TX and RX of my Prolific PL2303HX chip (without router connected) and then I can type letters to PuTTy. If you have any ideas I would like to test it.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Przemek6085 What USB to TTL converter do you have? I can't see the pinout on your photo.

[@Przemek6085]

ElectronFun.com It's identical like this: articulo.mercadolibre.com.mx/MLM-495783351-convertidor-usb-uart-rs232-usb-ttl-usb-stc-isp-_JM White cable is GND. Two others are crossed RX and TX.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Przemek6085 Theoretically everything is connected as it should. How about your COM port speed? Have you changed that in Device Manager?

[@molotovich]

Question will this work on any tplink device? I got a TL-WA701ND and has exactly the same thing (bricked after uploading oficial firmware) Thanks for the help

[@ElectronFunCom]

Fernando Carmona It doesn't have to work on any TP-Link router. The commands would be probably the same, but the memory addresses may differ. If you're looking for your board pinout, see here: wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-wa701nd. Pay attention it's for Rev. 1.0.

[@molotovich]

ElectronFun.com thanks

[@ElectronFunCom]

Fernando Carmona No problem :)

[@molotovich]

ElectronFun.com I finished installing openwrt, apparently tplink's official firmware is 100kb bigger and there's not enough space to load that, kept getting a "not enough memory for operation" and couldnt delete all the blocks that are necessary for 0x3e0200 blocks ;) thanks for the information.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Fernando Carmona I don't know what may be wrong. You can seek help here: forum.openwrt.org and www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2.

[@mkm056mkm]

I have bricked my Tl-3220 router during reverting process from wrt firmware . what process i should do coz my router lights also blink again and again mean reboote again and again .

[@ElectronFunCom]

Khalid Muhammad Have you tried this: wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto/generic.failsafe?

[@CybermodsCoUk]

Worked perfect.

[@ElectronFunCom]

It's great to hear that :)

[@worldnews6026]

is this procedure spciale to "TP-Link TL-WR1043ND" or we can do that with other router brand like "netis" ,excuse me for my bad english: i have bricked my router "300Mbps Wireless N ADSL2+ Modem Router DL4322" when doing a wirelessly upgrade.i have do a hard reset 30/30/30 and still not working except the power led,and when i connect it with pc via RJ45 cable ,it show a not identified network disconnecting itself continously. i have the pin connector RX,TX,GND installed from factory i need to purchase the usb to TTL converter and cables; i need your advise: this will work for me or not?if yes, can you please describe to me what commands should i use in PuTTy program and thanks in advance!

[@ElectronFunCom]

Zouhair Dh Hi, sorry I couldn't reply sooner - I'm on vacation. I haven't seen any Netis devices and the procedure is pretty much for TP-Link routers. However, you can ask questions here: forum.openwrt.org and www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2. I hope someone will be able to help you.

[@worldnews6026]

+ElectronFun.com Thanks for help! i have contacted netis company; they have told me how can i do that.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Zouhair Dh That's great, it seems their tech support is really good. Not every company wants to show people how to unbrick their devices.