Time Sensitive - Schooling from home - solid orange and no networking

Question

I'm reaching out as I have my son-in-law's router here to try to recover it from a failed firmware update. I have a solid orange power light and have run through every option including tftp. I've been in IT for 20 years with networking and haven't had a product I couldn't get back into via a reset. Nothing is appearing to work. I do not have it connected to the Internet currently because of my home office.

If I have a computer plugged into it, the port indicator is on also, but no IP. Neither light will blink.

I am unable to access it from any source. The computer plugged into it cannot locate an IP, or the router, even hardcoded onto the default networks. My suspicion is that ALL networking is down due to a failed firmware.

Without the IP on the router, I cannot work on the firmware issue. I'm looking for options or whether to tell him to get another router. Ultimately, I'd like to get this up and on the newest firmware for him.

Thank you in advance.

plemans · Answer

Many things can go wrong with tftp as well as timings can be an issue. sometimes it takes a few tries or different timings while doing it.

are you on windows? if so, follow this guide

https://kb.netgear.com/000059634/How-to-upload-firmware-to-a-NETGEAR-router-using-Windows-TFTP

just make sure you enable tftp

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/enable-tftp-windows-10

and here's a video walk through using a tftp client. Use the built in one for windows 10 though. the video is more of an example of how its done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9DLrLQrpaw

and if that doesn't work, you can try using nmrpflash

https://github.com/jclehner/nmrpflash

snolette · Answer

I am familiar with both, that is not the issue.&nbsp; The issue is that because the router is not getting to the network stage, I have been unable to connect to it.

antinode · Answer

&gt; I am familiar with both, that is not the issue. [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "both" _what_?&nbsp; _What_ "is not the issue"?&nbsp;&gt; [...] The issue is that because the router is not getting to the&gt; network stage, I have been unable to connect to it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I don't know what "the network stage" means to you.&nbsp; I suspect thatyou might not know as much as you think you do.&nbsp;&gt; [...] I've been in IT for 20 years with networking [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Claims of vast experience or expertise are worth much less here thana clear problem report.&nbsp;&gt; [...] I am unable to access it from any source. [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "access it" _how_?&nbsp; Web browser?&nbsp; Other?&nbsp; What, exactly, does "anysource" mean to you?&nbsp;&nbsp; "unable" is not a useful problem description.&nbsp; It does not say whatyou did.&nbsp; It does not say what happened when you did it.&nbsp; As usual,showing actual actions (commands) with their actual results (errormessages, LED indicators, ...) can be more helpful than vaguedescriptions or interpretations.&nbsp;&gt; [...] The computer plugged into it cannot locate an IP, [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Regarding "cannot", see "not a useful problem description [...]",above.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What, exactly, does "locate an IP [address?]" mean to you?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Protocol&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address&nbsp;&gt; [...] or the router, [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What, exactly, does "locate [...] the router" mean to you?&gt; [...] even hardcoded onto the default networks. [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I don't know what any of that means to you.&nbsp;&gt; [...] My suspicion is that ALL networking is down due to a failed&gt; firmware.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Define "ALL networking".&nbsp;&gt; [...] If I have a computer plugged into it, the port indicator is on&gt; also, [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That sounds to me like a good (physical) Ethernet connection.&nbsp; I'dcount that as "SOME networking".&nbsp;&gt; [...] Without the IP on the router, [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What led you to believe that the _router_ has no IP [address?]?&gt; [...] I cannot work on the firmware issue. [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I suspect that you're wrong.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If the router's firmware is corrupt, then its DHCP server may not beoperating, in which case, if your computer is expecting to get its IPparameters using DHCP, then that won't happen.&nbsp; But that, in itself, isnot fatal.&nbsp; Or even crippling; only inconvenient.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If you had read the instructions for the TFTP recovery procedure (or"nnmrpflash"), then you might have noticed that they include configuringthe computer's Ethernet interface with static IP parameters, so that it_can_ work without access to a working DHCP server.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; General advice: Rely less on what you believe that you know, and moreon what you're told by people whose actual knowledge differs from yours.Then describe actual actions and their results, not what you believe tobe happening behind the scenes, or _why_ you believe that what does_not_ happen is not happening.&nbsp; Or what "the issue" is not.

snolette · Answer

No need to be condescending Antinode.&nbsp;Let's go with background information about me first... Degree in MIS, 20+ years in IT, 10 as LAN/WAN Tech Support, A+, Network+ certified, Security+ trained,10+ years as Director of IT and currently pursuing my CISSP.&nbsp; I actually have an idea what I'm talking about and only reached out after troubleshooting and working with the other options here because I'm stumped.&nbsp;&nbsp;You shoudn't assume that everyone here is clueless.&nbsp;Now on my issue with the router...&nbsp; I hav ea solid orange power light.&nbsp; I understand that if the firmware is corrupt that it shouldn't provide a DHCP address to the computer.&nbsp; After manually setting static IP addresses on the computer in the 192.168.1.x as well as 192.168.0.x range, the router is inaccessible and I am unable to ping the router at x.x.x.1.&nbsp; Therefore, the assumption is that there is no networking active on the router.&nbsp; I would think that if the router completed posting, even under corrupted firmware, I would have at least ping access.&nbsp; My assumption is that the router is not reaching it's internal IP configuration.&nbsp; As far as trying the resources listed here, each has me access the router via IP address after a static IP is configured.&nbsp;&nbsp;Regardless, when I use TFTP, I receive the message "unable to get responses from the server".&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I agree that the port light being on shows some kind of connectivity.&nbsp; As stated above, without the router having an IP, it does not&nbsp;appear to be network related, just recognition that a device is there.&nbsp;If I am unable to access the router's network interface at all, how can I address the corrupted firmware?&nbsp; Is there a chance to replace the firmware using the USB port?

Forum Discussion

Time Sensitive - Schooling from home - solid orange and no networking

4 Replies