ASUS WL-500g Premium

In the line WL-500g Premium produced a two models: ASUS WL-500g Premium AKA ASUS WL-500gP V1 and ASUS WL-500gP V2. Different models with different processors.

The ASUS WL-500gP was one of best of the line Linux based router. It featured plenty of RAM and Flash, two USB 2.0 ports and a fast CPU. The model V1 also featured a miniPCI slot that allowed to change the wireless card. In V2 a newer SoC which integrates most components, but retained most features of the first version except the replacable wireless, which also got integrated into the SoC.

Note: The wireless in the v2 is a low power wireless PHY, which currently isn't really supported by b43, therefore 2.4 is still recommended for the v2.

Note: As of r18801 in the 8.09 (kamikaze) branch, the wireless in v2 works fine even with the 2.6 kernel at least in the client mode - so if you do not need AP mode and need 2.6 kernel, v2 should be usable now. Other wireless modes were not tested.

Note: As of Backfire 10.03.1-rc4, the wireless in v2 somehow works with the 2.6 kernel in AP mode. WPA2-PSK and No Encryption modes were tested. However, the recommendation to avoid 2.6 kernels still applies: wireless stops working now and then, needing b43/b43legacy module(s) reload to recover.

Note: As of Attitude Adjustment 12.09-beta2 the v2 seems to work well, including the wireless.

Note: The release Chaos Calmer 15.05.1 works fine on both versions of the router.

Note: with the default factory firmware, it is possible to know what version you have by

• going to http://192.168.1.1/Main_AdmStatus_Content.asp (Firmware upgrade needed if page is empty)
• typing “cat /proc/cpuinfo” in the “System Command:” text box
• checking your “system type”
  • BCM4704/BCM4780 means V1
  • BCM5354 means V2

This section details what is required to install and upgrade OpenWrt. First we link to software that you should download before you start reading the instructions on how to install.

The WL-500gP is supported by two targets:

• brcm-2.4
  • Uses an older 2.4 kernel
  • Uses the binary only broadcom driver, which supports the wireless in the v2.
  • Recommended for v2
• brcm47xx
  • Uses a 2.6 kernel, it is faster and has more features
  • Uses the open source b43 wireless driver, which currently does not work with the wireless in the v2
  • Recommended for v1
  • Upgrade with brcm47xx Backfire 10.03.1 works seamlessy on V.1, with restored config from 10.03

• brcm47xx/53xx
  • Uses the kernel 3.3.8
  • Faster than previous versions but it consumes more RAM memory, more features available
  • It can use either open source b43 wireless driver or wl broadcom binary driver.

• brcm47xx trx image
  • Uses the kernel 3.10.49
  • Tested 2015-07-25 on v1 (basic tests), installation over latest factory firmware using tftp method decribed below.

• brcm47xx trx image
  • Uses the kernel 3.18.20
  • Tested 2015-09-15 on v1, installation via sysupgrade from 14.07 works.
  • Installed 2015-12-15 on v2 via tftp, contrary to above claims that wireless will not work, wireless seems to be working fine. I'll try and report back in a week or so if I have any problems.
  • Installed 2016-01-16 on v2 via tftp.
    • Everything seems to be working out of the box.
    • Router reboot on high download (more than 1024KB/s in my case ). Problem si probably reported here or here.
    • Wifi network configured through LuCI.
• brcm47xx legacy ASUS WL-500gP V1 trx image, brcm47xx legacy ASUS WL-500gP V2 trx image — Install via web interface of original firmware.

ASUS WL-500gP V1

• firmware upgrade trx image

ASUS WL-500gP V2

• firmware upgrade trx image
  • Uses the kernel 3.18.23
  • Tested 24.04.2016 on V2, installed from the stock firmware using standard firmware upgrade procedure.

Does not work yet. The TRX utility needs a rewrite (Sep. 1st 2007, confirmed by nbd on IRC). does this still apply? --- KanjiMonster 2010/04/11 13:13 TEST STILL FAILS on WL-500g Premium V2 with newest ASUS Firmware version 3.0.4.4 --- porter 2011/04/28 00:18 TEST STILL FAILS on ASUS WL-500g Premium V1 with ASUS Firmware (not sure about the version) --- sup 2012/05/05 20:22

Begin from the release Chaos Calmer 15.05 upload the image openwrt-*-brcm47xx-legacy-asus-wl-500gp-v?-squashfs.trx on the “Firmware upgrade” page of the router and click “Download”. Next wait when the page will updated.

Notes

1. Don't reboot router to prevents bricking of it.
2. The configuration of the firmware will don't saved.
3. If the IP address was changed, then after upgrading to OpenWRT the address will “192.168.1.1”.

To install OpenWrt using TFTP or the ASUS firmware restoration tool you have to put the router in diag mode.

Note: In diag mode, the router takes the address stored in nvram, usually 192.168.1.1, but if you changed the router's IP address in its original firmware or in the previously installed OpenWrt, it will use that. Once the installation is complete, the router's IP address will always be 192.168.1.1. In the further sections 192.168.1.1 is assumed.

To put the router in the diag mode, do this:

• Unplug the router's power cord.
• Confirm your PC is configured to use a fixed IP in the 192.168.1.0/24 range (do not use .1).
• Connect the router's LAN1 port directly to your PC.
• Push the black RESTORE button using a pen or such, and keep the button pushed down.
• Plug the power on while keeping the RESTORE button pushed for few seconds.
• When you see a slowly blinking power light, you are in diag mode.
• Now the router should accept an image via TFTP or via the ASUS firmware restoration tool.

It responds to ping, so you can confirm that it is in diag mode and ready for the tftp by using “ping 192.168.1.1”.

It is possible to install OpenWrt using a TFTP client when the router is in diag mode.

• Execute the TFTP commands below:
  • Linux (or Mac OS X)

tftp 192.168.1.1 (replace it with its real ip address)
tftp> binary
tftp> trace
tftp> put openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx

• Windows

tftp -i 192.168.1.1 PUT openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx

• After the TFTP upload is complete, wait at least six minutes. The firmware is first loaded into the RAM, and then flashed. This process takes a little time, and to ensure that the router is not bricked you should wait six minutes.
• The router will reboot itself automatically after the upgrade is complete. Rebooting may take a while. It might be the case that the router does not reboot by itself; if this happens it should be safe to wait for the period mentioned and then to do a manual reboot (pull the power-cord).
• You are done! You should be able to telnet to your router (IP address: 192.168.1.1 - even if you were using another one previously) and start configuring.

NOTES:

• Windows 7 does not install its tftp client as default, you have to manually add it. Earlier version do include it in their default installations.
• Netkit's tftp doesn't work quite often; use atftp.
• After TFTP upload is complete, DON'T reboot (replug) too early! It might brick your router.

• See: https://gist.github.com/3748339
• Requires atftp

./ping_atftp 192.168.1.1 openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx

If you are on Windows it is recommended to use the ASUS firmware restoration tool to install OpenWrt. The ASUS firmware restoration tool can be found on the CD. Make sure the router is in diag mode.

• Browse the .trx file (openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx).
• Press Upload. The router will reboot itself automatically after the upgrade is complete. Rebooting may take a while.
• You are done! You should be able to telnet to your router (IP address: 192.168.1.1) and start configuring.

If the firmware restoration tool can't seem find your router even though you are certain that it is in diag mode, it may be because the restoration tool is not very smart about which network interface to use. Disable all network interfaces except for the correct (LAN) network interface and try again.

If you have already installed OpenWrt and like to reflash for e.g. upgrading to a new OpenWrt version you can upgrade using the mtd command line tool. It is important that you put the firmware image into the ramdisk (/tmp) before you start flashing.

use correct URL

• Browse to http://192.168.1.1/cgi-bin/luci/mini/system/upgrade/ LuCI Upgrade URL
• Upload TRX file to LuCI
• Wait for reboot (be patient!)

• Login as root via SSH on 192.168.1.1
• Use the following commands to upgrade.

cd /tmp/
wget http://downloads.openwrt.org/latest/brcm-2.4/openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx
sysupgrade /tmp/openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx

If this does not work (reboot without change) try using mdt. Make sure “linux” is the correct mtd target! (cat /proc/mtd). Tested with v1 models.

cd /tmp/
wget [link to image]
mtd -r write /tmp/[image].trx linux

* some older models have only 16 MiB enabled.

With a Atheros Wistron CM9
MiniPCI WiFi card

With a Gigabyte GN-WIAG02 (168c:0013)
802.11abg MiniPCI WiFi card (Atheros AR5212) and 2nd antenna

Note: This will void your warranty!

Remove the 4 nubs under the case, now you can see some screws. Unscrew them. You're done. When you're finished you can put the rubbers back into the gadgets. They'll stick alone.

Serial is located on pin soldering points (ready for soldering of 8-pin connector for use with detachable cable) on the centre of the right upper side (viewing from front panel) under ventilation holes. At right from these points, you can see printed pin descriptions (V1):

Pin 1 (with the square solder pad) is RX0.

For (V2) tts/0 is on the J4 connector:

3.3V_OUT is next to the label J4 for the connector which is the closest pin to the word ASUS printed on the board. Transmit (UART_TX0) was confirmed with an oscilloscope. Transmit was also connected to Receive (UART_RX0) and data was read back to ensure it was actual the receive pin. Data can be written to tts/1, but the pins have not been identified.

These serial ports use CMOS levels. You need an additional voltage converter to get a standard serial port. The parameters are 115200 baud and 8-n-1.

While connect serial to V2, the VCC pin is not needed. TX from serial converter to the UART_RX0 pin, RX from serial converter to the UART_TX0 pin. Here's the boot log while running /backfire/10.03.1/brcm47xx/openwrt-brcm47xx-squashfs.trx

The ASUS WL-500g Premium has two buttons. They are RESTORE and EZSETUP. The buttons can be used with hotplug events. E. g. [#wifitoggle WiFi toggle].

Note: In Chaos Calmer 15.05 EZSETUP button triggers the “wps” hotplug event.

ACTION: released or pressed

Note: This applies to v1 models only!

The standard wireless LAN controller is the BCM4318 on a MiniPCI card. Some people have replaced this with an Atheros MiniPCI card. The advantage is that the Atheros card has an open source driver and is supported by the 2.6 kernel version of OpenWrt. Atheros-based wireless cards that have been known to work include the Wistron CM9 (though some people say that signal quality is poor), and various Tp-Link cards such as the TL-WN560G (signal quality reported to be the same as with the original Broadcom controller).

In order to replace the Broadcom controller with an Atheros one, open the case (instructions above), carefully disconnect the antenna cable from the card, press out the two latches on the sides, and pull the card out of the socket. In some cases the card is glued to a supporting sponge on the main board, so you might have to apply a certain measure of force to get it out. Re-assemble the case, and install packages kmod-madwifi and hostapd-mini to get the new wireless controller to work. Change your /etc/config/wireless to include the following:

Go here for more info and an example configuration.

After installation of kmod-madwifi package you can automatically generate a standard /etc/config/wireless file for Atheros:

opkg update
opkg install kmod-madwifi wpad-mini
rm -f /etc/config/wireless
wifi detect > /etc/config/wireless

The default network configuration is:

LAN and WiFi is bridged to br-lan. WiFi is disabled by default for security reasons (to prevent an open access point).

Further investigation shown that the wireless is able to provide an AP if connected to whatever interface defined in /etc/config/network, while for 'sta' mode (a wifi client) it is possible to obtain it only if the interface connected to the wireless configuration is not using the bridge option nor having a relation to a switch with more than one port (for example if with eth0 we define a switch over multiple ports) Note: would be better to check this statement more thoroughly.

For example this works as wifi client:

#/etc/config/wireless
config wifi-device  radio0
        option type     mac80211
        option macaddr  48:5b:39:e7:e6:81
        option hwmode   11g
        option disabled 0
        option channel  9
        option txpower  13
        option country  DE

config wifi-iface
        option device           'radio0'
        option mode             'sta'
        option ssid             'wifi ssid'
        option network          wlan_br
        option encryption       'psk2'
        option key              'wifi pwd'
        
#/etc/config/network
....
#### LAN configuration
config interface lan
        option type     bridge
        option ifname   "eth0.0"
        option proto    static
        option ipaddr   192.168.12.1
        option netmask  255.255.255.0

config interface lan_alias1
        option ifname   "br-wan"
        option proto    "dhcp"

config interface wlan_br
        option proto dhcp

#### WAN configuration
config interface        wan
        option ifname   "eth0.1"
        option proto    dhcp

Please note that the link between the physical ports and switch ports is different for v1 and v2 routers (see table below).

5 is the internal connection to the router itself. Don't be fooled: Port 1 on the v2 unit is number 3 when configuring VLANs. vlan0 = eth0.0, vlan1 = eth0.1 and so on. For v1 unit, WAN is switch port 0. LAN ports are switch ports 1,2,3,4. And LAN ports map exactly to switch ports.

config 'switch' 'eth0'
	option 'enable' '1'


config 'switch_vlan' 'eth0_0'
	option 'device' 'eth0'
	option 'vlan' '0'
	option 'ports' '4 5' #wan

config 'switch_vlan' 'eth0_1'
	option 'device' 'eth0'
	option 'vlan' '1'
	option 'ports' '3 5' #lan 1

config 'switch_vlan' 'eth0_2'
	option 'device' 'eth0'
	option 'vlan' '2'
	option 'ports' '2 5' #lan2

config 'switch_vlan' 'eth0_3'
	option 'device' 'eth0'
	option 'vlan' '3'
	option 'ports' '1 5' #lan3

config 'switch_vlan' 'eth0_4'
	option 'device' 'eth0'
	option 'vlan' '4'
	option 'ports' '0 5' #lan4

If you forgot your password, broken one of the startup scripts, firewalled yourself or corrupted the JFFS2 partition, you can get back in by using OpenWrt's failsafe mode.

• Unplug the router's power cord.
• Connect the router's LAN1 port directly to your PC.
• Configure your PC with a static IP address between 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.254. E. g. 192.168.1.2 (gateway and DNS is not required).
• Plug the power on and wait for the power LED to switch off
• While the power LED is off press any button (RESTORE and EZSETUP will work) a few times
• Power LED goes fast-blinking (about 1 time per second)
• You should be able to telnet to the router at 192.168.1.1 now (no username and password)

Note:

• This applies only to earlier WL-500gP v1 models.

On newer ASUS WL-500g Premium router's all RAM is enabled by default. If you look at “dmesg | grep Memory” command's output, you will probably see that there's only 16MiB of RAM. Specs says there should be 32MiB. To enable 32MiB change the sdram_init and sdram_ncdl NVRAM variables as showed:

nvram set sdram_init=0x0009
nvram set sdram_ncdl=0x10308
nvram commit
reboot

Note:

• this is not needed in 10.03.1 with V1 (BCM4704) - maybe it is needed only for BCM4780? --- sup 2012/05/05 21:02
• using a “attitude_adjustment” (beta or trunk) brcm47xx image it looks required. Otherwise you may get a memory dump while executing opkg install ... (just a “Killed”). -- validom 2012/11/14

Since this part is identical for all devices, see Basic configuration.

To connect stuff to the USB port, please see Connect stuff to the USB port, the package kmod-usb2 is needed. For some devices the package kmod-usb-uhci-iv might also be needed.

Note:

• To enable the VIA USB 2.0 chip (high-speed) on BB 14.07 you must install the kmod-usb2-pci package.

Action did to let the system see a 4GB usb stick, plus pivot overlay.

#on openwrt 12.09 final
opkg update #fresh list of available packages
# [[docs/guide-user/storage/usb-drives]]
opkg install kmod-usb-storage
opkg install kmod-fs-ext4 #for ext4
opkg install e2fsprogs # ext2, ext3
opkg install kmod-usb-storage-extras
opkg install block-mount
opkg install kmod-scsi-generic
opkg install fdisk

fdisk -l 
  #to check if the usb storage is seen
  #won't work because some packages are missing

opkg install kmod-usb2 
  #now we will see the external storage

fdisk -l 
  #to locate the usb disk dev point, in my case /dev/sda1

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=1M count=10
  #to clear any partition table on the usb stick

fdisk /dev/sda << PARTITION
n
p


+1G
n
p


+512M
n
p



w
PARTITION
  #n new
  #p primary
  #empty line - partition number
  #empty line - first sector
  #+1G size
  #w write partition table

fdisk -l
  #output like this:
  #Disk /dev/sda: 4051 MB, 4051697664 bytes
  #[...]
  #
  #   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
  #/dev/sda1            2048     2099199     1048576   83  Linux
  #/dev/sda2         2099200     3147775      524288   83  Linux
  #/dev/sda3         3147776     7913471     2382848   83  Linux

mkdir -p /mnt/sda1-overlay
  #won't be used afterwards, just as reminder
mkdir -p /mnt/sda2-swap
  #won't be used afterwards, just as reminder
mkdir -p /mnt/sda3-data

mkswap /dev/sda2

# [[docs:guide-user:storage:usb-drives]]
opkg install e2fsprogs
mkfs.ext2 /dev/sda1
mkfs.ext2 /dev/sda3

#now pivot overlay
#[[docs:guide-user:additional-software:extroot_configuration]]
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1-overlay/
mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/sda3-data/

mount
  #to check

#[[docs:guide-user:storage:fstab]]
cat - << FSTAB > /etc/config/fstab
config global automount
        option from_fstab 1
        option anon_mount 0

config global autoswap
        option from_fstab 1
        option anon_swap 0

config mount
        option target   /overlay
        option device   /dev/sda1
        option enabled  1
        option enabled_fsck 0

config mount
        option target   /mnt/sda3-data
        option device   /dev/sda3
        option enabled  1
        option enabled_fsck 0

config swap
        option device   /dev/sda2
        option enabled  1
FSTAB

tar -C /overlay -cvf - . | tar -C /mnt/sda1-overlay/ -xf -
  #copy the overlay

/etc/init.d/fstab enable
  #enable fstab at boot (warning, it takes a bit of time to boot)

reboot
  #cross your fingers!

#Problems
# Well i was lucky and i got no problems, if they appear, just
# report them here.

Most mods are possible for WL500GP v1 only, because WL500GP v2 uses different SoC and this SoC got most features (wi-fi radio, usb) integraded, making V2 much less interesting in terms of modding. On other hand V1 gives plenty room for hardware upgrades and modding.

You can overclock WL500G Premium V1 from 264 to 300 MHz. In fact some routers based on BRCM4704 SoC are running on 300MHz by default, so BRCM 4704 SoC itself is designed to operate at this frequency. However, it is recommended to install heatsink to ensure system stability, because higher frequency means more heat. This will give you about 12% extra CPU horsepower with minimal efforts.

You'll need nvram package (included in default images).
To set 300MHz CPU frequency, execute as root the following commands:

nvram set clkfreq=300,150
nvram commit
reboot

This tells boot loader to use 300MHz frequency instead.
Once your device has rebooted, you can check it runs with higher clocks:

cat /proc/cpuinfo

Make sure it contains something like:
BogoMIPS : 298.01

(original value close to 264)

In case of WL500G Premium V1 you can easily replace wi-fi radio with some better wireless card (which should be in MiniPCI form factor), thanks to MiniPCI slot. This way you can get 802.11n support, higher TX power, etc. For high-speed 802.11n cards you'll usually need to mod case, installing 1 or 2 extra RP-SMA plugs and antennas, usually with u.FL pigtail, because 300Mbps cards usually require 2 or 3 antennas. So you'll have to get some extra RP-SMA plugs with uFL pigtails. These pigtails are quite common in shops selling wireless equipment and only cost some few bucks. Installation depends on card and number of antennas. At very least, Atheros-based cards supported by ath9k driver are known to work with WL500G Premium V1. You may need to install extra kernel modules, because default image not supposes WL500GP boots with Atheros card. While 500GP CPU is weak and would not allow routing at full speed of 300Mbps card, wireless performance improvement over .g is noteworthy anyway.

TODO: add pictures with example of such mod?

VT6212 USB 2.0 Host Controller IC contains 4 USB 2.0 high-speed ports. In case of WL500G Premium V1, two ports are not soldered (and lack PCB traces). It is possible to get up to 2 extra USB ports, useful for internal devices like built-in HDD. Mod implies soldering D+ and D- lines of USB directly to apropriate VT6212 pins, which is somewhat tricky thanks to TQFP package, so it requires small soldering iron and decent soldering skills. You should also install resistors to adhere USB specs. Example of such mod can be found here on OpenWrt forum. Some photos are published.

WL500GP comes with 2x16MiB SDRAM ICs, giving 32MiB in total. It is possible to find compatible SDRAM ICs up to 64MiB per IC, giving 128MiB total, 4 times more than it comes from factory. This would allow larger conntrack table or would allow running more programs. See thread for more information.

For debricking, put the router in the diag mode:

1. Confirm your PC is configured to use a fixed IP 192.168.1.2 with the mask 255.255.255.0 (any ip in the 192.168.1.0/24 subnet, 192.168.1.1 exclude).
2. Connect the any router's LAN port directly to your PC.
3. Unplug the power cord from the router.
4. Push the black RESTORE button using a pen or such, and keep the button pushed down.
5. Plug the power on while keeping the RESTORE button pushed for few seconds.
6. When you see a slowly blinking power light (appr. 10 seconds), you are in diag mode.
7. Now the router should accept an image via TFTP or via the ASUS firmware restoration tool.

It responds to ping, so you can confirm that it is in diag mode and ready for the tftp by using “ping 192.168.1.1”.

• RAM Upgrade
• Adding a Bluetooth PAN by Marcus Brown
• http://aurora-ndut.com by Josephone
• Example configuration for the Atheros MiniPCI card on wl-500gP (translated from Russian) and The original Russian text
• Setting up WDS/PSK2 on two Asus WL-500gP by Simon Josefsson
• Using Huawei E220 with Asus WL-500gP by Simon Josefsson

• FCC ID: MSQWL500GP FCC pictures
• Review of the 500gP (pictures starting on page 3)
• Cryptographic Hardware Accelerators
• official ASUS website: v1, v2
• Broadcom BCM94704 Reference SoC
• Broadcom BCM5325 Ethernet Switch
• Spansion S29GL064M90 Flash Memory Module
• Hynix HY5DU281622ETP-K SDRAM Datasheet
• VIA Vectro VT6212L USB 2.0 Host Controller
• Delta Electronics LF8731 Ethernet PHY Datasheet
• Delta Electronics LF8505 Ethernet PHY Datasheet

• Dedicated Forum
• Problems with WLAN encryption
• CPU Power
• OpenWRT compatibility information
• How-to configure WAN-interface