ok - managed to install a trunk firmware and lost all GUI - SSH works on only 1 Ethernet port and I can log in.
Able to see network settings, set a static IP on WAN port and changed my home network to 192.168.1.2 to accomodate the device.

However - unable to get onto internet in spite of SSH working over LAN (suggesting it is now connecting on my home network after changing router to .2).

How can I get internet access onto the router please so i can re-install LUCI? banging my head against a wall at the moment... Many thanks in advance:

any help on commands in SSH to get to internet via ethernet would be enormously appreciated

Update: managed to restore LUCI:
used WINSCP - got WLan on and updated IP of ethernet
found Luci guide on Luci essentials how to
had to check the path in the guide for the "script" to find the actual files needed (no easy way to find them...)
copied offline, WinSCP to unit and executed, went to ip on URL and bingo! Now restored older GUI from Squash and back in business...

So - closing this post as this is now all sorted.

Next post will be about Wifi Repeater on same subnet - so far drawn 2 blanks with 1 solution (as per out of box on diff subnet with NAT) and another with same subnet but no Wifi and only 1 ethernet port bridge... that one feels closer to what I want...

(Last edited by rupert.abbott on 4 Jan 2018, 01:13)