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Network Everywhere NWR04B: Serial port working!

01 Feb 2005

At last! Paul has turned out to be a great help: he successfully hooked up a serial port to his NWR04B today and was able to get a shell on there. And after getting a lot of help from a couple coworkers of mine (thanks, Jim and Wayne!), I was able to duplicate his success! The embarrassing part is that it turns out the main reason I wasn't seeing anything from the serial port is that I wasn't powering the damn chip. For some reason I figured that the 3232 (from the good folks at Sipex Heavy Manufacturing Concern) would draw power from the serial port, or the board itself, or, I don't know, the luminiferous ether that surrounds us all. Jim set me straight on that. Quick transcript:

Got the 6HYNIX_16bits Flash ROM ADM5106 Boot: NetMall System Boot Copyright 2002 ADMtek, Inc. CPU: ADM5106 Home Gateway Processor POST Version: 2.00.0176 Creation Date: 2003.07.10 Press <space> key three times to stop autoboot... 0 Verifying product code......PASS Boot Product Code!!! DHCPS:DHCP Server Started. Enabled NAT mode ======================================================
Mars project:
Command Line Interface. 1.18.0001 v.2003.10.16
======================================================
cmd> update
Entered INIT state.
MAC failed to BOOT...
CardStop is called
Entered WAIT_OFFER state.
Timed out in WAIT_OFFER state.

Fascinating, isn't it? :-) So yeah, lots of updates about to hit the wiki page. Next step is maybe to try uploading Armboot, the way CodeMan did, or maybe go for the gusto and try uploading a Linux filesystem image. Of course, there's lots of stuff to be found out just by poking around in the command line, too...

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17 Comments

From: Jim F.
10-March-2005-08:10:11

Hello. I have been following your comments for a while now and have come to realize that
I dont know shit about wireless routers. I own a now totally useless $19 Network Everywhere
wireless router. I did not do anything to it except plug it in.. access the web interface to
configure it and rock and roll. For some reason, its stopped working. It lights up, shows my
LAN cable connections and all that, but wont let me access the configuration pages. I have
reset it a gazillion ( thats alot ) times yet its dead in the water. Any insight into this?
I mean.. it was only $19 Im not too worried about the coin, but when it was working, it
worked pretty good.

Thanks for your time.
Jim
Senior Technical Analyst
Ministry of Community Safety & Correctional Services
Gov. of Ont.

From: Saint Aardvark
11-March-2005-06:40:38

The problems you describe sound like either you upgraded the firmware (Network Everywhere *really* needs to take that down from their site) or, maybe, it's overheating. You don't mention the former, and the latter usually clears up if you turn it off for a while, make sure it's got adequate ventilation, and so on.

From: Brian
14-March-2006-20:54:38

Hey there,

I just did a google search for Max 232 chips and Vancouver, and came across your blog here. I'm wondering where you go to buy these components around vancouver or the lower mainland? This'll be my first little elctronics project.. making a cable to put gps coordinates on my gps. Thanks in advance for your help.

From: Mike
02-February-2005-16:37:21

Hey there, nice blog on the NWR04B.

Tonight i upgraded the firmware through the hidden menus /livetodie.htm and the /revive.htm.

I can't remember which menu but it is the one that only has one file input box (not the one with boot, run and post).

So go to both hidden pages and determine which one has only one file input box but has a radio selection to select boot, run and post.

The firmware I downloaded came from taiwaneese site: http://www.runtop.com.tw/right_download1.htm

look under the model: WR1133

you will find a manual in pdf format that will describe the new features you will have (like dyndns client, way better port forwarding, more detailed access logs, etc) and the firmware is also there.

to upgrade the firmware unzip the download and go to the hidden page i described earlier (I can't do it again because i have already upgraded my router and can't go back) and pick RUNTIME and select the file you unzipped. then click on apply and say ok to the two warnings and wait about 45 seconds. after that your router should reboot automatically and you will have the new and improved firmware :)

The upgrade didn't even erase any of my settings, all my port forwards are still there and same with my pppoe information.

My old nwr04b always locked up with emule activity and now it has been going strong for about 30-45 minutes wiht no lockups..

let me know what you think.

Mike

From: Mike (again)
02-February-2005-16:42:05

Also! the menus are NOT in taiwaneese or anything like that, just english!

the wireless mac filtering is a nice option too.

You will also get:

system log
incoming and outgonig access log
backup feature to send a config file to your desktop
MTU control
PPTP stuff?
wan aliasing
url blocking
static routing options
port blocking by ip address (limit people on your network)
some sort of "block hacker scan attack"

fire me off an e-mail if you have success!

From: varu
05-February-2005-07:04:18

Mike's right. I had gotten quite ticked off with my NWR04B. The 1.03 firmware simply crashed upon heavy router usage, the 1.02 firmware did exactly the same. Then I came across the NWR04B wiki and this page, and learned about the "secret" pages. I went and downloaded the WR1133 firmware and uploaded it via revive.htm (that's where the single input box is). The router did not restart though, even after 2 minutes. So I uploaded it again, waited around 30 seconds, and clicked the "Restart the Router" button. Sure enough, after the restart, I had the new firmware. It seems much more stable, and while my router was barely getting 370-420kB/s in local-network transfers on wifi, it now gets a 510kB/s stable. Wireless MAC filtering actually works now, and it's been going stable on uber-heavy usage for almost 12 hours now. It still stops responding after very many, rapidly changing connections as it did with the old firmware, but recovers in less than 3 seconds, unlike the total crash with the old firmware. And, by the way, live2die.htm, transitional.htm, and revive.htm are in the WR1133 firmware as well, weirdly enough, so you could always switch back to the old NWR firmware if you felt like it. The only thing I haven't found in this firmware that helps in securing the router is disabling the wifi announcement beacon. Most people running around scanning for APs use NetStumbler on Windows laptops. NS can't see the AP if the beacon is disabled.
Anyway, this site has been extremely useful to me, kudos to Saint Aardvark for getting all the info together and offering interested pplz a place to discuss the fixage of this cheap, but crash-prone router.

From: Saint Aardvark
05-February-2005-21:11:57

Thanks, varu and Mike, for the tip on the firmware. I'd fried one of the routers by loading the firmware from the NE site, but I was able to bring it back to life by uploading the Runtop firmware to the modem over the serial port. Seems to be working fine now!

From: the life of a sysadmin »
05-July-2005-12:59:53

[...] ajority of the work. But I’m really proud to have got as far as I have (though with a great deal of help), and amazed that it only took me six months of half-assed effort. [...]

From: Joe
10-February-2005-01:29:34

Is there any way to make an image with the linux boot loader and kernel (and whatever else) just like the one the NE firmware expects? It would be really nice to just be able to upload an image with preconfigured network settings and ssh server :)

From: Saint Aardvark
10-February-2005-06:39:15

Hi Joe....Yeah, that'd definitely be ideal. In order to get that working, we need to figure out how the current firmware checks what's being uploaded. There's some sort of checksum it uses, and I don't know what it is yet. I was starting to look at that the other night, but I got distracted when I found out that the bootloader menu (available over the serial port) can be stopped, allowing you to maybe upload a bootloader of your own. This'd let me upload ARMboot, so I'm trying to get that compiled right now.


Another option might be the transitional.htm page on the router; it offers the choice of uploading loader, post, or runtime. This might be another way around it...or it might just be a way to bork your router, requiring (probably) a JTAG interface to fix it.


From: Phil
10-February-2005-23:17:59

Have you played with the BEFW11S4 firmware at all? From what I understand, the first model was the same thing as the nwr04b.. Is there any way to add ssh and some other tools to Linksys's firmware?

From: kowk
10-March-2005-22:38:07

Hi.. nice work.
I also have a dead NWR04B after upgraded the firmware. Can you share the info/step to install the serial interface? I believe it is the JP2; but, cannot find out the pins layout. Thankx.

From: Saint Aardvark
11-March-2005-06:51:53

Hi Kowk -- unfortunately, the wiki (where a lot (not all) of this information was kept) got spammed badly last week, and I need to recover it from the backups I took. I also need to document exactly how I did things. This is going to be a while...probably a couple weeks anyway. For now I can give you some pointers.

First off, you're right: JP2 is where the serial port can be connected. See http://saintaardvarkthecarpeted.com/pix/pictures/showPicture.php?image=644&album=20 for details of the pinouts.

Second, use the HRI schematic at http://hri.sourceforge.net/tools/index.html#uart to make a serial port adapter. Once you get it working, settings are 115200, 8-N-1, and no flow control of any kind.

I hope that helps. Please keep watching the blog, as I'll be announcing when better documentation is up. Thanks for stopping by!

From: Saint Aardvark
12-February-2005-14:07:05

Hi Phil -- I wasn't aware that the BEFW11S4 was the same as the nwr04b...how'd you find out about this? If that's the case, then it might be easy to get the firmware working on the NWR (assuming it passes the checksum), or at least study it for hints on how to get Linux working well on the NWR (assuming the firmware is Linux). I haven't looked at Linksys' firmware before, but I know there are people who've added functionality to their Linux firmware; I'm sure there's some way of adding at least telnet and maybe SSH.

From: Frank
14-June-2005-18:57:52

Hmm...don't even remember how i found your site, but i have a no-name white metal box router. It's a B router, and looking inside - guess what? NO MAKE! BUT, it does have WR1133. If you google in english for that, it brings me to the runtop site. It looks EXACTLY like the model there. Looking at the JTAG header, it looks very similar also. I even have /revive.htm and /transisitonal.htm (not the 3rd i quickly saw listed). Could this be another re-brand? It has alot of similar features to what you all have listed, with the exception of firmware - here's what mine says:
3.14.0014 (2003.07.15)
I'm going to fab up a JTAG tomorrow at work and check this thing out. It's a nifty little B router, and works GREAT. If you want pics, lemme know. Better yet, if someone wants to kludge around in the FW, i'll give ya a VPN or SSH account (it's not my main router, just a "toy" right now) and see if they can fill in any blanks for me. Thanks for all the info! it's a great help, and maybe this $12 (yes, i got it for $12 - SHIPPED) B router will turn out to be a cool lil toy.

From: Phil
15-February-2005-08:35:53

Same way I found your site, I was googling for 'nwr04b firmware' or 'nwr04b is the same as' and found some forums talking about how its an oem'd linksys. Heck, there's a small Linksys sticker on the bottom of mine. Apparently, there are up to 3 versions of the befw11s4, I'm guessing version 1 is the one that shares the same hardware as the nwr04b.

From: Hugh Redelmeier
21-February-2005-00:33:26

I'm just trying to flash the SPWR1133-3190-NB1F.img firmware now.
I'm using the /revive.htm page.
I'm leaving the 1.Loader 2.Post 3.RunTime radio button at 3.
Now I hit apply, and answer that I really mean it a couple of times...
Some lights blink, in a couple of spurts...
I wait a minute...
I hit reload on my browser: I get the same page (Still says "Network Everywhere)...
I hit "load factory defaults"...
And lose communication with the router and the world (not surprising: the local subnet probably went to 192.168.0.0/24 from the previous setting of 192.168.1.0/24) [I found out later that this is not the case].
Restarting the router and the computer behind it doesn't work: the router doesn't seem to respond to the computer's DHCP queries. Oh Oh. Nor does it allow 802.11b connections.

But the router is making DHCP requests of the "internet" and they are succeeding (actually, it is on a net of mine -- that's why I can see the DHCP requests). But it doesn't respond to pings at its assigned address.

Oh: it sends ntp requests to time.nist.gov and india.colorado.edu. And some other places. How rude. But this is a further sign of life.

Eurika: I had previously held down the reset button for a while, hoping that would fix things. It didn't. But holding it down for a while WHILE powering the unit on seems to have done the trick!

The setup screens seem to be brandless -- no longer "Network Everywhere".
The tree display for navigating setup suggests that there are a LOT of screens -- about 60! That should keep me busy. Oh: half are help screens.

- There seems to be no way to stop or configure the ntp queries. I set up my firewall (outside the router) in a way that breaks ntp, but I do have a local server that the router could use, if only I could tell it.

- the LAN size is limited to being a /24 or smaller. I like my old netgear that let me use /0 -- I could then use it as an access point with a wired switch.

- you can configure the router to update dyndns or other services.

- the WAN interface can have more than one IP address.

Enough adventure for today. Off to bed

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