Recovering from a failed firmware upgrade

If you think that your firmware upgrade has failed, probably because you can't access the routers web interface, then you need to connect to the router using the serial cable that came with the router, and Hyperterminal. Here is a guide on how to connect through HyperTerminal.

When you are connected to the router, turn it off, and then on again. If you get something similar to the image below, then the upgrade has failed.



As well as telling you that it has failed, it also tells you what you need to do. Look at the last 2 lines..



It is telling you to re-upload the firmware using TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol). Note though that it is using a different IP Address to normal, 192.168.1.1

So, the first thing to do is to change the IP address of your computer so that it is in the same subnet as the router, so change your computers IP address to 192.168.1.2

Once that is done, you are ready to upload the firmware using TFTP. To do this you need to open up a Command Prompt window (or DOS Window, or whatever the operating system you are using calls it). To do this (in Windows 2000, and the same in most other Windows operating systems) click the Start button, and then run. In the window that appears type cmd and press OK.



When you have done that you will be presented with a window like the one below.



You will then have to navigate to the drive and folder in which you saved the firmware to when you downloaded it. In this example the firmware is stored on my F drive, in a folder called solwise. The image below shows the commands used to get to that folder.



When you have navigated to the folder, type the following command:
tftp -i 192.168.1.1 PUT TEImage.bin
Then press Return and wait. The PC light on the router should flash quickly. You will get a 'Success' message when it has uploaded. Then you have to reboot the router. When that is sone, change your computers IP address back to what it was before, and then try accessing the router in the normal way with the IP Address 192.168.7.1.

If when using TFTP you get a 'timeout' message, then try plugging the router directly into a computer with the network cable it came with, and see if that works.