Asus RT-N16

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File:Asus RT-N16a.jpg Multi-Functional Gigabit Wireless N Router with USB storage, printer and media server

WARNING: It is recommended to use ASUS Firmware restoration tool for ASUS routers initial flash (use *.TRX file)
NOTE: Do Not flash micro this router.
NOTE: Requires K2.6, Do not flash anything else.
NOTE: During configuration or flashing a device, the only things that should be hooked to the device is the computer and power.

Makes a great main router (gateway), will also work as a client, client bridge, repeater, repeater bridge.

Specs

Platform

Serial Num. = A1lAA
FCC ID = MSQRTN16
CPU Type = Broadcom BCM4718A1KFBG (BCM4716A chip rev 1 pkg 10)
MIPS Rev = R2
CPU Speed = 533MHz (Factory clocked to 480MHz)
Bus = 8bit
Flash Type = Parallel or SPI
Flash Chip = Macronix MX29GL256E
Flash Size = 32MB
Max Firmware Size = ?
RAM Size = 128MB
RAM Chip = (2x 64MB - Samsung K4N511163QZ-HC25 or 2x 64MB
           Samsung K4T51163QG-HCE6)
nvram = 32kb
Switch = Broadcom BCM53115SKFBG
Port-based vlan = Yes
802.1q vlan = Yes
Ethernet Port Count = 1-10/100/1000-WAN 4-10/100/1000-LAN
Wired Standard = IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab
boot wait = On
bootloader = CFE
Flash Card Socket/Type = No
SD/MMC Mod Support = No
MiniPCI slots = No
PoE = No
Power = 12v 1.25a
Color of LEDs = Blue
Size = 216 x 161.9 x 40.5 mm
USB = 2 USB 2.0
Serial Port = Yes
JTAG Port = Yes
Supported by TJTAG/Version = Yes/3.02
Supported by dd-wrt as of = v24 sp2 - build 13297
Supported by TomatoUSB as of = ?
dd-wrt K2.4 Support = No
dd-wrt K2.6 Support = Yes
TomatoUSB K2.4 Support = No
TomatoUSB K2.6 Support = Yes
Debwrt

Radio (wl0)

Wireless Radio = Broadcom BCM2050
WLAN DSP processor = Broadcom (BCM4718A SoC)
Antenna Connector Type = 3 x RP-SMA External Removable
Wireless Standard = IEEE 802.11b/d/g/n/h
WiFi Operating Frequency = 2.4GHz ~ 2.5GHz
 802.11n Draft = up to 300Mbps
 802.11g = 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54Mbps
 802.11b = 1, 2, 5.5, 11Mbps
Radio cor_rev = wl0=17
Radio Capabilities = ap sta wet led wme pio 802.11d 802.11h rm cqa mbss16
                     afterburner ampdu amsdurx amsdutx acktiming rxchain_p
                     wrsave radio_pwrsave

Links of Interest

Flashing

Flashing dd-wrt

Download the firmware located here: dd-wrt.v24-14929_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini_RT-N16.trx
Do a factory reset in the Asus GUI. Let the router reboot. Disconnect all cables (WAN, USB, etc.) and plug the Ethernet cable from your PC into the LAN1 port on the router.
Using Internet Explorer (IMPORTANT), Flash the downloaded firmware file through the router's GUI at http://192.168.1.1/. This process takes about 60 seconds. Asus factory default username/password is admin/admin.
1. ALTERNATE - I was unable to get the initial firmware flashed on a stock router containing the latest RN-16 firmware. Alternatively you can use the ASUS Firmware Restoration Utility (included on router CD or downloadable from [1]) to flash the initial firmware. Install the application, load up the initial firmware, then unplug the router, and replug it in with the black RESTORE button depressed. The power light should now be blinking slowly, meaning the router is in restore mode and ready for the new firmware. Upload and wait for router reset. This was the only method that allowed me overwrite stock firmware. Follow remainder of instructions normally. -ApatheticNow
After the reboot from flashing, wait for the device to show the password change screen for DD-WRT. Enter root as the user and anything for the password as you will do the user/pass procedure again after the final flash.
Do a Factory Reset to clear the NVRAM. This is located under Administration -> Factory Defaults in the DD-WRT Web-GUI, or open up a telnet session to your router and type erase nvram followed by the command reboot (This is the preferred method). You will be presented with the password change screen again after this step is complete.
Download and flash the full featured Firmware dd-wrt.v24-14929_NEWD-2_K2.6_big.bin under Administration -> Firmware Upgrade.
1. NOTE : in the Firmware Upgrade Tab where it says "After flashing, reset to" choose "Reset to Default settings".
2. NOTE : For the final flash (Upgrade), it is wise to walk away for ~5 minutes while the Mega Firmware is flashing. This ensures all NVRAM variables are successfully loaded by the Kernel before the user configures.
Check for recommended builds.
Enjoy DD-WRT on the RT-N16!
Think about donating to DD-WRT.

Flashing TomatoUSB

by Rasky

Preparation:

Use a wired connection only. (disable wireless to be in the safe side)
Make sure you disable firewall in Windows.
Disable the virus guard.

Let's Begin!

Download and install Asus Firmware Restoration Utility. (Can be downloaded Here)
Download and extract the K26-MIPSR2 Tomato USB Firmware. Extras or VPN version is up to you. With this router you might as well just go with the VPN version. (Get them Here)
Connect your computer's using network cable to one of the LAN ports of the Asus router. Manually set your computer IP address (in the TCP/IP properties of the LAN connection) to 192.168.1.2, network mask 255.255.255.0.
Plug in the router while holding the reset button on the back of the router. Keep the reset button pressed until Power LED starts blinking slowly. This puts the router in recovery mode, which is necessary to flash using the Asus Firmware Restoration utility. If you try using the restoration utility and the router is not in recovery mode or is not connected it will say, "No wireless device in recovery mode is found".
Run Firmware Restoration Utility which you installed in step 1. In Firmware Restoration browse for the firmware image you extracted in step 2 and click Upload. (Note: It's likely that the Asus Utility will hang due to the fact that it attempts to verify the successful flash but it won't be able to because the firmware is not Asus firmware. Mine hung at 33% and timed out. Everything still worked out fine though.)
After the upload is complete open your browser, go to the router by typing 192.168.1.1, when prompted for a username and password enter "admin" for both. Go to Administration > Configuration > Restore Default Configuration, select "Erase all data in NVRAM memory (thorough)" and click OK. To insure that the processor has time to complete addressing all NVRAM variables it's best to wait about 5 minutes before making any changes.

You are now ready to start using your Asus router with Tomato.

IMPORTANT:

Don't forget to change the password from the default one. (Administration > Admin Access > Password)
Wireless is enabled by default with no security enabled. Be sure to update this before people start jumping on your network. (Basic > Network > Wireless)

Upgradng

Download the firmware
Do a factory reset in the GUI. Let the router reboot.
Flash the downloaded firmware file through the router's GUI at http://192.168.1.1/
After flashed, wait for the device to show the password change screen for DD-WRT.
Do a Factory Reset to clear the NVRAM.

Reverting

Download the latest ASUS firmware from asus's site.
Rename the asus file from .trx to .bin
go into the DD-WRT firmware upgrade page, set it to reset defaults, and select the ASUS firmware you renamed.
After the flash finishes, and you see the ASUS GUI, do a Factory Reset to clear the NVRAM.
Try to enjoy ASUS's firmware, and keep missing DD-WRT. (you can just flash back to dd-wrt if you ever want)

Recovery Mode

This router does have a recovery mode if ever needed for flashing, and to access it, press the reset button, then plug in power, and tftp the firmware you want to flash. Dont forget to do a Factory Reset in the GUI before and after every flash to make sure you dont have any nvram problems or conflicts.

Special thanks to Eko for making this possible!

JTAG/Serial Info

JTAG

JTAG Pinouts

nTRST   1o o2	GND
  TDI   3o o4	GND
  TDO   5o o6	GND
  TMS   7o o8	GND
  TCK   9o o10	GND
nSRST  11o o12  N/C

Using Universal JTAG Adapter

white    1o o2	 black
  red    3o o4	 GND
 blue    5o o6	 GND
green    7o o8	 GND
yelow    9o o10  GND
orange  11o o12  N/C

/byte_mode switch required

JTAG Recovery

Backup CFE x2 (Compare the files, they must match exactly or there is something wrong with your JTAG setup)
Erase Wholeflash x2
Flash CFE
Unplug Power
Unplug JTAG Cable

TFTP:

Set Rig ip static 192.168.1.10
Plug network cable from rig to port 1
Get TFTP ready, server ip - 192.168.1.1, Password - blank, file - dd-wrt.v24-13527_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini_RT-N16.trx
Plug in power
As soon as windows says "connected" hit upgrade. May have to use a network hub to make sure windows is always connected.
Hard Reset 30\30\30

Serial

Serial Pinouts

F VCC  1 o    R
R  RX  3 o    E
O  TX  5 o    A
N GND  7 o    R
T

Hyper terminal Setup in Windows XP

In Windows XP, Click Start Button - All Programs - Accessories - 
   Communication - HyperTerminal
Enter a name for the connection, Click ok
Choose com port you adapter is plugged into, Click ok
Set:
 Bits per second = 115200
 Data Bits = 8
 Parity = none
 Stop bits = 1
 Flow control = none
Click ok
Click File - Save As, and select a place to save it to so you 
             don't have to enter the settings again.

Putty Setup in Windows XP

After installing putty, run it
 Serial line = The COM port your using for serial (ie. COM3)
 Speed = 115200
Click on Serial under Connection
 Serial line to connect to = same as above (Serial line)
 Speed (baud) = 115200
 Data bits = 8
 Stop bits = 1
 Parity = None
 Flow control = None
Click Session
 Enter a name for your connection under saved sessions
Click Save
Click Open

Serial Recovery

Modified redhawk0 instructions

Connect Serial cable
Start one of the programs from above
Get TFTP ready with file selected
Use dd-wrt.v24-13527_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini_RT-N16.trx
Connect power to the router
start a rapid fire Cntl-C as you plug the router to power
type "nvram erase" w/o quotes, hit enter
type "flash -noheader : flash1.trx" w/o quotes, this starts the tftp daemon, hit enter
but have tftp.exe ready
Click go or start on TFTP
give it 5 minutes after it finishes
then power cycle....Hard reset or 30/30/30...then config
when it stops spitting out txt....hit the enter key...you should get a login prompt...at that point, power cycle it, hard reset...then config
you'll see it boot up

USB Info

DD-WRT

The USB port is where you can connect an external USB hard drive or flash drive. Which can do a multitude of things. You can use in as a NAS, storage for a FTP server, use Optware to run external programs like torrent software, samba for sharing files to your network, share a USB printer with your network... The list of possibilities is long, it just takes a little research.

ProFTPd is included in most the newer builds of dd-wrt. Check the features chart to be sure.

A ftp server, file sharing, and a media sever is included in TomatoUSB if your device is compatable.

TomatoUSB

TomatoUSB comes with file sharing, ftp server and media server built in. I have tested and am using file sharing and the media server. Both work quite well. WifiShadow 07:09, December 30, 2010 (UTC)

Tutorial: How to set up NAS and Optware on Tomato FOR TOTAL NOOBS

vlan Info

Per fggs, Reference: Routers that will and won't support VLAN

Confirmed working on an Asus RT-N16 using 14929 K2.6 NEWD-2, I had to add the commands..

insmod switch-core
insmod switch-robo

and save as startup, after which

ls /proc/switch

Showed up, also as jumran mentioned, the webgui works thereafter the ins~ commands are saved to startup.

Edit: almost forgot...

1 2 3 4 | Case labels
4 3 2 1 | NVRAM ports

Pictures

FCC Pictures

Notes

Build 15407 and later

The devs of dd-wrt have removed the loading of file system drivers from the startup of the firmware. They are now loaded on demand with automount. Well, this presents a problem for those of us with USB HDD that automount doesn't detect. In order to load the file system drivers at startup you need to add the following to save startup in the commands tab.

For K2.6 builds only that have the modules already in place

insmod /lib/modules/2.6.24.111/kernel/fs/mbcache.ko
insmod /lib/modules/2.6.24.111/kernel/fs/ext2/ext2.ko
insmod /lib/modules/2.6.24.111/kernel/fs/jbd/jbd.ko
insmod /lib/modules/2.6.24.111/kernel/fs/ext3/ext3.ko

This loads the ext2 and ext3 file system drivers.

The mtd flash partitions

The factory firmware and the dd-wrt firmware use different partition schemes.

ASUS has 4 partitions:

0x00000000-0x00040000 : "boot"
0x00040000-0x01fe0000 : "linux"
0x001dff88-0x01fe0000 : "rootfs"
0x01fe0000-0x02000000 : "nvram"

dd-wrt has 5 :

0x00000000-0x00040000 : "cfe"
0x00040000-0x01fe0000 : "linux"
0x00187000-0x00720000 : "rootfs"
mtd: partition "rootfs" doesn't start on an erase block boundary – force read-only
0x01fe0000-0x02000000 : "nvram"
0x00720000-0x01fe0000 : "ddwrt"

likely the "linux" partition is not dd-wrt at all, but a remnant of the ASUS fw, as rootfs overlaps with it. in either case, the asus "boot" is binary identical to dd-wrt "cfe"

what does a functioning OpenWRT partition scheme look like?

Default vlans

nvram show | grep vlan.ports
vlan0ports=1 2 3 4 5*     <-- Eko says it causes no problems
vlan1ports=4 3 2 1 8*     <-- natted LAN
vlan2ports=0 8            <-- WAN

For newer 802.11n routers the variable vlan1ports equals to the natted LAN side while, vlan2ports refers to the WAN side. Was told by Eko not to worry about vlan0ports, that it didn't cause any problems.

(Solved) RT-N16 Vlan Bridge problem when using PPPOE

Overclocking

By factory default the cpu is clocked at 480Mhz and the Ram at 240Mhz. Overclocking at CPU 532Mhz / Ram 266MHz can be achieved with these commands:

nvram set clkfreq=532,266
nvram commit
reboot

Note: some users have had overheating issues, so adding a fan may be a good idea if you want to try the overclocking.
Note: other instability issues may also arise from overclocking. Overclocking is NOT a good idea.
Note: See also Overclocking BCM 47xx CPU's for more info.

UPnP fix with swap on

If using SVN13450 (Eko Big) which still has swap enable option, you can manually enable UPnP with these commands in your start-up script:

nvram set wan0_primary=1
nvram commit

Current Known Issues and Bugs:

UPNP is currently not working for the RT-N16, so for now leave the feature disabled unless you want a full CPU Load. Fixed with SVN trac Changeset #13527

Access Restriction with MAC-Filter doesn't work on Asus RT-N16. trac Ticket #1319(as of 12/18/09)

On this router reset button will only bring you to recovery mode. If you wish to restore defaults, use wps button while plugging power in. Post By Eko

Personal Experiences

Dark_Shadow:

My current USBHDD, dd-wrt's automount doesn't mount. In TomatoUSB it automounts fine. I have a HDD comming for another USBHDD enclosure. It's a Antec MX-1, we'll see how that one fairs.

Currently have 2x Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB.

It detected and automounted the drive, but only the first partition. Seems way to complicated to get the other partitions mounted.

Using My compiled TomatoUSB build 54 seems everything works so far. It also has a superior wireless signal.

Things I've tried thus far: (RT-N16)

Firmware itself - Works

Wireless radio - Works

USB support - Works

File sharing - Works

Media Server - Works

My custom firewall - Works

Automatic script execution - Works

Swap - Works

Custom Theme/Skin for GUI - Works

My TomatoUSB Builds

NOTE: This firmware is provided as-is without any warranty. We will NOT be responsible for any damages that may occur due to the use of this firmware. USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!

I Have compiled a build for the RT-N16 that has an Asus Theme built-in.

tomato-K26USB-1.28.9054MIPSR2-beta_asus_rt-n16-VPN
tomato-K26USB-1.28.9054MIPSR2-beta-asus_rt-n16-Ext
tomato-K26-1.28.9054MIPSR2-beta-Asus-Std

Tomato Themes

Tomato Asus Theme by dwoz
Tomato Buffalo Theme by absolon
Tomato Linksys Theme by me

InfoDepot Wiki