Table of Contents

TP-Link RE305 v3

Under Construction!
This page is currently under construction. You can edit the article to help completing it.

The TP-Link RE305 is a wall-pluggable dual-band wireless range extender (802.11b/g/n and 802.11a/n/ac) based on the MediaTek SoCs with a Fast Ethernet port. The RE305v3 is based on a MediaTek MT7628AN SoC. The device has 8 MiB flash and 64 MiB ram.

Generic Router

FIXME

Getting started with a new Device Page

  1. This is an empty template that suggests the information that should be present on a well-constructed Device Page. This means, that you have to fill it with life and information.
  2. There are several “fixme” tags with text on a light background (like this text) throughout this template. As you fill in the page, remove those tags so that people can judge its completeness.
  3. When there are no more “fixme” tags left, delete this one too, along with the <WRAP> that encloses it.

Keep the articles modular

  • Please include only model specific information, omit bla,bla and put everything generic into separate articles
  • If you have no time to write certain stuff, link to docs
  • base-system should lead the way, do not explain this again
  • DO NOT provide a complete howto here! Instead groom the general documentation.

Supported Versions

Hardware Highlights

Installation

→ Install OpenWrt (generic explanation)

FIXME Please add the installation procedure here.

Flash Layout

OEM Flash Layout

0x000000000000-0x000000800000 “ALL”
0x000000000000-0x000000020000 “fs-uboot”
0x000000020000-0x000000100000 “os-image”
0x000000100000-0x0000007c0000 “file-system”
0x0000007f0000-0x000000800000 “radio”

OEM Firmware File (.bin) Layout

0x00000000-0x00020000 “fs-uboot”
0x00020000-0x000e0000 “os-image”
0x00100000-0x006c0000 “file-system”
0x007c0000-0x00002000 “partition-table”
0x007c2000-0x00000020 “default-mac”
0x007c2100-0x00000020 “pin”
0x007c3100-0x00001000 “product-info”
0x007c4200-0x00001000 “soft-version”
0x007c5200-0x00001000 “support-list”
0x007c6200-0x00008000 “profile”
0x007ce200-0x00000400 “config-info”
0x007d0000-0x00010000 “user-config”
0x007e0000-0x00010000 “default-config”
0x007f0000-0x00010000 “radio”

The only difference between Re305v1 and v3 is the flash layout.

OEM easy installation

Flash factory image through stock firmware WEB UI.

Note: Reset router to factory defaults if it has been previously configured.

Tested with EU/3.0 1.0.1 Build 20190221 Rel. 63495 and “RE305(EU)_V3_200826”

OEM installation using the TFTP method

→ generic.flashing.tftp

Specific values needed for tftp

FIXME Enter values for “FILL-IN” below

Bootloader tftp server IPv4 address FILL-IN
Bootloader MAC address (special) FILL-IN
Firmware tftp image Latest OpenWrt release (NOTE: Name must contain “tftp”)
TFTP transfer window FILL-IN seconds
TFTP window start approximately FILL-IN seconds after power on
TFTP client required IP address FILL-IN

Upgrading OpenWrt

→ generic.sysupgrade

FIXME These are generic instructions. Update with your router's specifics.

LuCI Web Upgrade Process

  • Browse to http://192.168.1.1/cgi-bin/luci/mini/system/upgrade/ LuCI Upgrade URL
  • Upload image file for sysupgrade to LuCI
  • Wait for reboot

Terminal Upgrade Process

If you don't have a GUI (LuCI) available, you can alternatively upgrade via the command line. There are two command line methods for upgrading:

  • sysupgrade
  • mtd

Note: It is important that you put the firmware image into the ramdisk (/tmp) before you start flashing.

sysupgrade

  • Login as root via SSH on 192.168.1.1, then enter the following commands:
cd /tmp
wget http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/XXX/xxx.abc
sysupgrade /tmp/xxx.abc

mtd

If sysupgrade does not support this router, use mtd.

  • Login as root via SSH on 192.168.1.1, then enter the following commands:
cd /tmp
wget http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/XXX/xxx.abc
mtd write /tmp/xxx.abc linux && reboot

Debricking

→ generic.debrick

Failsafe mode

→ failsafe_and_factory_reset

Basic configuration

You can use the device as a

Wireless or wired repeater (Range extender)

Wireless access point (Provide WiFi using cable)

→ Basic configuration After flashing, proceed with this.
Set up your Internet connection, configure wireless, configure USB port, etc.

Specific Configuration

FIXME Please fill in real values for this device, then remove the EXAMPLEs

Network interfaces

The default network configuration is:

Interface Name Description Default configuration
br-lan EXAMPLE LAN & WiFi EXAMPLE 192.168.1.1/24
vlan0 (eth0.0) EXAMPLE LAN ports (1 to 4) EXAMPLE None
vlan1 (eth0.1) EXAMPLE WAN port EXAMPLE DHCP
wl0 EXAMPLE WiFi EXAMPLE Disabled

Switch Ports (for VLANs)

FIXME Please fill in real values for this device, then remove the EXAMPLEs

Numbers 0-3 are Ports 1-4 as labeled on the unit, number 4 is the Internet (WAN) on the unit, 5 is the internal connection to the router itself. Don't be fooled: Port 1 on the unit is number 3 when configuring VLANs. vlan0 = eth0.0, vlan1 = eth0.1 and so on.

Port Switch port
Internet (WAN) EXAMPLE 4
LAN 1 EXAMPLE 3
LAN 2 EXAMPLE 2
LAN 3 EXAMPLE 1
LAN 4 EXAMPLE 0

Buttons

→ hardware.button on howto use and configure the hardware button(s). Here, we merely name the buttons, so we can use them in the above Howto.

FIXME Please fill in real values for this device, then remove the EXAMPLEs

The TP-Link RE305 has the following buttons:

BUTTON Event
EXAMPLE Reset reset
EXAMPLE Secure Easy Setup ses
EXAMPLE No buttons at all. -

Back to OEM Firmware

To revert the device to the original OEM firmware, follow these steps (adapted from the RE200 guide, also applicable to the RE305 v3):

**1. Download OEM Firmware: ** Obtain the OEM firmware from the official TP-Link Support page. → RE305 V3 Firmware

2. Prepare the Firmware: Use the tool “tplink-safeloader” from the OpenWrt development environment (Image Builder) to prepare the firmware for a sysupgrade. For example: build_dir/host/firmware-utils/bin/tplink-safeloader -z oem-firmware.bin -o oem-sysupgrade.bin

Transfer and Flash: Updating via LuCi interface or transfer the resulting file (e.g. via SCP) to the “/tmp” directory on the device, then run:

sysupgrade /tmp/oem-sysupgrade.bin -F → Upgrading OpenWrt firmware using LuCI and CLI

The -F flag forces the upgrade since the OEM firmware does not include upgrade metadata.

Post-Upgrade: After the first reboot, it is advisable to perform an OEM firmware upgrade to ensure the software version is displayed correctly.

Hardware

Info

Photos

Front:
Insert photo of front of the casing

Back:
Insert photo of back of the casing

Backside label:
Insert photo of backside label

Opening the case

DANGER: HIGH VOLTAGE inside!
Opening this device exposes
parts under high voltage (110/230 VAC)!

  • Risk of deadly electrical shock
  • Risk of irreversable damage to other components attached, e.g. your PC connected via serial

Make sure to keep your fingers, conductive tools and serial cables away from the high voltage at all times!

Capacitors can still retain dangerous voltages
after disconnection from mains!

Continue at your own risk!

→ Warranty

FIXME Describe what needs to be done to open the device, e.g. remove rubber feet, adhesive labels, screws, ...

  • To remove the cover and open the device, do a/b/c

Main PCB:
Insert photo of PCB

Serial

→ port.serial general information about the serial port, serial port cable, etc.

How to connect to the Serial Port of this specific device:
Insert photo of PCB with markings for serial port

FIXME Replace EXAMPLE by real values.

Serial connection parameters
for TP-Link RE305 v3 		EXAMPLE 115200, 8N1, 3.3V

JTAG

→ port.jtag general information about the JTAG port, JTAG cable, etc.

How to connect to the JTAG Port of this specific device:
Insert photo of PCB with markings for JTAG port

Bootloader mods

→ bootloader

Hardware mods

None so far.

Bootlogs

OEM bootlog

COPY HERE THE BOOTLOG WITH THE ORIGINAL FIRMWARE


OpenWrt bootlog

COPY HERE THE BOOTLOG ONCE OPENWRT IS INSTALLED AND RUNNING


Notes

Space for additional notes, links to forum threads or other resources.

Tags

FIXME Add tags below, then remove this fixme.

How to add tags

, , , , , , , , ,