There's how-to in the wiki, but from factory to openwrt is simple, just reset it to defaults and update via factory web gui. You can use AA firmware (http://downloads.openwrt.org/attitude_a … actory.bin), or newest build of BB, which might have bugs, or may not work at all (http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/ … actory.bin)

Always use squashfs, because if you screw something up, it's easier to recover, because you can't damage essential files.

Flashed an 8.3 with AA r34185 as per nozombian's recommendation.  The router functions perfectly in all essential respects (save UPnP, but I'll attack that seperately) except that it periodically crashes, taking the whole network with it.  It promptly reboots thereafter, with the effect of 30-60 second dropouts ranging from a few times a day to as frequently as every five minutes.  I don't have the flash space for SSHFS support, so I've tried making do with this:

nohup logread -f | 192.168.1.99 -i /root/.ssh/id_rsa "cat >> /usb/system/wrt/logfile" &

Where 192.168.1.99 is my static-ip'ed SnakeOS-based NAS.

This has failed to net very much of use, save perhaps this just before a crash:

Apr  5 18:25:23 OpenWrt daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[1512]: DHCPINFORM(br-lan) 192.168.1.177 00:1d:e0:2c:a0:83
Apr  5 18:25:23 OpenWrt daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[1512]: DHCPACK(br-lan) 192.168.1.177 00:1d:e0:2c:a0:83 beacon515l
Apr  5 18:28:57 OpenWrt daemon.info hostapd: wlan0: STA (a MAC address):83 WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)
Apr  5 18:28:57 OpenWrt daemon.info hostapd: wlan0: STA (a MAC address):db WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)
Apr  5 18:28:57 OpenWrt daemon.info hostapd: wlan0: STA (a MAC address):71 WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)
Apr  5 18:28:57 OpenWrt daemon.info hostapd: wlan0: STA (a MAC address):76 WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)
Apr  5 18:28:57 OpenWrt daemon.info hostapd: wlan0: STA (a MAC address):ff WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)
Apr  5 18:28:57 OpenWrt daemon.info hostapd: wlan0: STA (a MAC address):34 WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)
Apr  5 18:28:57 OpenWrt daemon.info hostapd: wlan0: STA (a MAC address):82 WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)
Apr  5 18:28:58 OpenWrt daemon.info hostapd: wlan0: STA (a MAC address):1f WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)
Apr  5 18:28:59 OpenWrt daemon.info hostapd: wlan0: STA (a MAC address):af WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)

This after it had run uneventfully for around half an hour.  I might try raising my loglevel and see if it returns anything of interest.

@Beacon515L which image do you exactly use? I flashed OpenWrt Attitude Adjustment 12.09-rc1 as posted above you (http://downloads.openwrt.org/attitude_a … actory.bin) yesterday on my new v8.1 and it works perfectly. No crashes..

Did you really take the correct image? Because I can't find r34185 in the imagename or elsewhere I used.

The only thing I'm wondering is if my bitrate is correct: https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?pid=197220 ...

@wk3054 - yes, I used the one nozombian linked.  The line from the MotD with my version is as follows:

-----------------------------------------------------
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT (12.09-rc1, r34185)
-----------------------------------------------------

So I was on the impression 12.09-rc1 WAS r34185.  I should also point out I am running an 8.3, not an 8.1.

Sorry I also use r34185 but didn't recognize it...

Afaik there should be no difference between 8.1 and 8.3. At least the wiki states that major numbers represent different hardware und minor numbers just different firmware. But maybe the wiki is incorrect in this part and our routers are different.

That was my impression of TP-Link versioning schemes, yes.  I think the wiki is accurate, and wonder if there's not a bug or misconfiguration somewhere I've missed.  Unfortunately, the router is not throwing any demonstrable errors, so it is difficult to diagnose this fact.

EDIT: It was a power issue.  It appears the measly 9V 600mA plugpack doesn't like being run to capacity, so I dropped the TX power from the 27dB setting (which appears to be capped at 18dB anyhow) to 15dB and it has remained perfectly stable under deliberately grueling traffic conditions.  My WRT841N came fitted with high-gain +5dB antennae, so I'm not hugely concerned about having to drop the power much, and it does not seem to have produced any ill effects.  I had run out of space in my JFFS partition, so I had to firstboot it and reconfigure to get anywhere - this only took a minute or two.

(Last edited by Beacon515L on 6 Apr 2013, 03:15)

This is mostly true, but there's at least one exception that proves the rule - newer barrier braker bricks wr1034nd v1.10, but works on older versions just fine, so all wr1043s 1.X are not the same. I'm using self builds of AA on wr1043nd and wr841nd too, I'm not using barrier breaker at all when I can compile fresh AA, which should be more stable.

Hello guys,

may I ask you to look on this issue with this router?
https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=43394
(I dont want to duplicate the posts so I only post link)

It is v8.4.
Thanks

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to share a successful OpenWrt installation story:

I have recently bought TP-Link TL-WR841ND v8.1 and immediately decided to try OpenWrt on it. I have used the Attitude Adjustment 12.09 RC2 version of the OpenWrt image for TP-Link TL-WR841N v8.x. In particular, I have used the squashfs image for OpenWrt installation over a stock TP-Link (factory) firmware (i.e. this one). I simply used the web interface of the stock firmware to upload the OpenWrt image to the router. After the router rebooted, everything worked fine.

I have logged in using telnet, set up root's password, logged in using ssh, set-up public-key authentication, removed wpd-mini and hostapd-mini, installed wpa_supplicant and hostapd, logged in using web interface (LuCI), set up the wifi encryption and performed some reboots for testing. Everything seems to be working fine so far.

The real speed between WAN and wired LAN ports that I have been able to achieve is ~11,7 MB/s (93.6 Mb/s), which is pretty decent over a 100baseT / Full Duplex network. I haven't tested the maximum speed of wireless network yet, but my phone is able to download at ~4,5 MB/s (36 Mb/s), which is acceptable I think (for a phone). Still, I am curious about the real maximum speed that this little router can deliver over wifi.

Overall, I am very satisfied with OpenWrt. It is amazing how easily can it change your stock 25$ router into almost fully-featured linux box. Great work and my regards to all the developers and the entire community! I really appreciate the effort you are putting in OpenWrt!

BTW: Is there a way to disable LuCI over WAN and wifi and leave it enabled over wired LAN only? I am asking because by default, there is no SSL and it could potentially be dangerous to login using wireless network... I know I can install luci-ssl, but the thing is I do NOT want LuCI over wifi enabled. I also know that I can create some fancy iptables rules... But I was just wondering whether there is some simpler way to do it... Something like turning LuCI off for eth0 and wlan0... ?

You can secure uHTTPd to listen only to the lan ip, as explained under securing uHTTPd about 2/3 the way down here:
http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/uci/uhttpd

Making uhttpd listen on ethernet but not wifi only works by spearating wifi and lan or by resorting to iptables physdev matches.

Hi there. I've bought my TL-WR841N v8.1 and flashed it with openwrt. It works fine and now I'm going to mod it with USB port. There was info at this topic that it's possible. I'm looking for help/manual about any progress at this question. I have some soldering skills, so maybe we can cooperate if there is no any progress yet
Here is my self-made photo of TL-WR841N v8.1 (8.x) PCB:

http://i33.fastpic.ru/big/2013/0422/13/ … ede813.jpg
http://i33.fastpic.ru/big/2013/0422/33/ … 527933.jpg
http://i33.fastpic.ru/big/2013/0422/5a/ … f5685a.jpg

Thanks.

As I've made some research, here are AR9341 USB data pins:

If those pins on outside is not the data pins, then it will be needed mod like on this thread

https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=37368

(Last edited by woxy on 23 Apr 2013, 11:52)

Any news on this mod? Did anyone try to connect to those pins?

Hi,
Maybe we should open a new subject "WR841N : TO add an USB connector".

I'm interested by this.

WR841N cost 20€ so if we can add a usb connector to 1€.. It'll be fantastic !

If you search on google : "wr841n add usb"  a many people successed.

(Last edited by alexis57 on 12 May 2013, 13:01)

I think they managed to add a usb port to other hardware version (such as 7.0) but not the v8.0...which is the one i own :'(

Hi,
I bricked my WR841N v8.2 router running OpenWRT by trying to reflash the tp-link firmware, a bin file which contained also the bootloader.
I managed to revive it by using the serial connection, without opening the housing of the router! Now my router is working again!

I just put some wires through the holes in the case to the first 3 pins from the 4-pin serial connector on the PCB, like in the pictures below. The 4-pin connector on this model is not exactly under a hole in the case, but it's not so difficult to reach it with the wires.

Image 1 link: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B88qvFj … sp=sharing

Image 2 link: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B88qvFj … sp=sharing

What do you think, guys? Is my warranty still valid or it's void? I don't think the PCB got scratched in this process. I used wires from a UTP network cable.

I posted this if someone else needs / wants to play with the serial and is afraid of losing the warranty.
Good luck!

(Last edited by openwrt4553 on 13 May 2013, 15:09)

Hi,
The wr841n cost 20€.. It's more expansive to send it to warranty..

And the warranty is losed when you flashed your router.
Your router is working again so why this question ?

In my experience the only thing they would check is external condition and what firmware is running (if that: often it is cheaper for them just to flash without even checking).
Nice job on the wires without ruining the case though!

I have the router for 6 months and the warranty period is 2 years. And the price is a bit higher in my country.
I want to feel safe with the warranty in case a HW problem appears (I have seen such cases with TP-Link). In the eventuality of warranty, it wouldn't cost me anything, the shop from where it's purchased is in my city.

And how do they know I've reflashed it if now it's running the TP-Link firmware?
I played with OpenWRT because the router got stuck for several times with latest TP-Link firmware (I suppose because multiple clients connected wirelessly to it).
OpenWRT is great, with this firmware disconnection was no longer a problem, but the speed on WiFi was slower than original firmware, and I played a lot with the settings, don't know what could be...

PLEASE!!!
Everyone reading this thread.
If you have a problem that is not to do with the original post (several million pages ago) can you post a new thread?
It helps you and it helps people who can answer your questions.

Hi
could someone pls post list of files of /tmp and /var folder  (and their subdirectories if possible)from original firmware?
Thanks for your effort

Has the wifi bug/drop-outs been fixed as discussed for various atheros devices, recently?

Log of a friends TP-Link TL-WR841N/ND v8 OpenWrt Barrier Breaker r36574 / LuCI Trunk (svn-r9813) list the drop-outs.

I am thinking about it is worth a true of a newer bb or should I flash back to TP Link stock firmware?! The stock firmware may be enough (if not faulty as well), because the 841nd is used as a simple AP, only.

I added the USB in 841n v8.3. All works. Changed the file mach-tl-wr841n-v8.c by adding the lines

static void __init tl_wr841n_v8_setup(void)
{
    tl_ap123_setup();

    ath79_register_leds_gpio(-1, ARRAY_SIZE(tl_wr841n_v8_leds_gpio) - 1,
                 tl_wr841n_v8_leds_gpio);

    ath79_register_gpio_keys_polled(1, TL_WR841NV8_KEYS_POLL_INTERVAL,
                    ARRAY_SIZE(tl_wr841n_v8_gpio_keys),
                    tl_wr841n_v8_gpio_keys);
    /* ADD USB */
    gpio_request_one(TL_MR3420V2_GPIO_USB_POWER,
             GPIOF_OUT_INIT_HIGH | GPIOF_EXPORT_DIR_FIXED,
             "USB power");

    ath79_register_usb();
    /* END ADD */
}

sorry for the Google translate

(Last edited by uboot on 30 May 2013, 14:34)

Oh god, stop it! 340+ posts. Please create a relevant new post.