Archer C7v2 Bootloop Help

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

My head is spinning in circles from all the tabs of this forum I have open, youtube videos and other sites I'm looking at and I need help.

I was trying to revert to stock firmware and messed something up.

I have a laptop with no LAN port, and iMac with a LAN port.

I ordered a USB-UART and figured out how to connect the router to my laptop. I'm using the Tera Term program on my laptop and this this is what it's reading from the router on repeat:


U-Boot 1.1.4 (May 25 2017 - 10:12:09)

ap135 - Scorpion 1.0DRAM:
sri
Scorpion 1.0
ath_ddr_initial_config(179): (32bit) ddr2 init
tap = 0x00000003
Tap (low, high) = (0x3, 0x1d)
Tap values = (0x10, 0x10, 0x10, 0x10)
128 MB
Flash Manuf Id 0x1, DeviceId0 0x20, DeviceId1 0x18
flash size 16MB, sector count = 256
Flash: 16 MB
Using default environment

*** Warning *** : PCIe WLAN Module not found !!!
In:    serial
Out:   serial
Err:   serial
Net:   ath_gmac_enet_initialize...
athrs_sgmii_res_cal: cal value = 0x1
No valid address in Flash. Using fixed address
No valid address in Flash. Using fixed address
ath_gmac_enet_initialize: reset mask:c02200
Scorpion  ----> S17 PHY *
Vlan config...
TEST: FINAL REG VAL after TX Calibration - 0x46000000
TEST: FINAL XMII VAL after RX Calibration - 0x56000000
TEST: FINAL ETH_CFG VAL after RX Calibration - 0x00028001
athrs17_reg_init: complete
: cfg1 0x80000000 cfg2 0x7335
eth0: ba:be:fa:ce:08:41
eth0 up
athrs17_reg_init_wan done
SGMII in forced mode
athr_gmac_sgmii_setup SGMII done
: cfg1 0x800c0000 cfg2 0x7214
eth1: ba:be:fa:ce:08:41
eth1 up
eth0, eth1
Setting 0x18116290 to 0x58b1214f
Autobooting in 1 seconds
## Booting image at 9f020000 ...
   Uncompressing Kernel Image ... Too big uncompressed streamLZMA ERROR 1 - must RESET board to recoverþ

I have the router connected to my iMac via LAN where I've set the ip address to 192.168.0.66 with subnet 255.255.255.0

I'm using mac's built in TFTP and tried to use 3 different files to recover it. The stock firmware from TP Link's site, the latest openwrt full install, and upgrade version. I've renamed them to "ArcherC7v2_tp_recovery.bin.

If I mash the WPS/Reset button on the router (I tried holding it and it would stay in bootloop) I can see on my laptop with the serial connection that it's attempting to write/unzip it but giving an error:

U-Boot 1.1.4 (May 25 2017 - 10:12:09)

ap135 - Scorpion 1.0DRAM:
sri
Scorpion 1.0
ath_ddr_initial_config(179): (32bit) ddr2 init
tap = 0x00000003
Tap (low, high) = (0x3, 0x1d)
Tap values = (0x10, 0x10, 0x10, 0x10)
128 MB
Flash Manuf Id 0x1, DeviceId0 0x20, DeviceId1 0x18
flash size 16MB, sector count = 256
Flash: 16 MB
Using default environment

*** Warning *** : PCIe WLAN Module not found !!!
In:    serial
Out:   serial
Err:   serial
Net:   ath_gmac_enet_initialize...
athrs_sgmii_res_cal: cal value = 0x1
No valid address in Flash. Using fixed address
No valid address in Flash. Using fixed address
ath_gmac_enet_initialize: reset mask:c02200
Scorpion  ----> S17 PHY *
Vlan config...
TEST: FINAL REG VAL after TX Calibration - 0x46000000
TEST: FINAL XMII VAL after RX Calibration - 0x56000000
TEST: FINAL ETH_CFG VAL after RX Calibration - 0x00028001
athrs17_reg_init: complete
: cfg1 0x80000000 cfg2 0x7335
eth0: ba:be:fa:ce:08:41
eth0 up
athrs17_reg_init_wan done
SGMII in forced mode
athr_gmac_sgmii_setup SGMII done
: cfg1 0x800c0000 cfg2 0x7214
eth1: ba:be:fa:ce:08:41
eth1 up
eth0, eth1
Setting 0x18116290 to 0x58b1214f
dup 1 speed 1000
Using eth1 device
TFTP from server 192.168.0.66; our IP address is 192.168.0.86
Filename 'ArcherC7v2_tp_recovery.bin'.
Load address: 0x80060000
Loading: T T ## Booting image at 9f020000 ...
   Uncompressing Kernel Image ... Too big uncompressed streamLZMA ERROR 1 - must RESET board to recoverþ

In the help/how-to is says "type tpl" to stop the bootloop but where to I type that in? I tried via SSH from my iMac connected via lan and it's not doing anything. I copied it, with a line break, and pasted it repeatedly as fast as I could in the SSH terminal and nothing happened, also did it while mashing the WPS/Rest button on the router.

Any help will be really appreciated.

2

Nothing was transfered by tftp. It timed out then fell back to booting the existing image from flash, which of course fails. This is likely a problem with the server, such as Windows Firewall blocking the TFTP request. Turn off all firewalls on the PC when running TFTP server. (This is safe to do because you're not connected to the Internet at the time) A successful TFTP will produce a whole page of # marks while the file transfers then it will tell you it's flashing.

When it says "Autobooting in 1 seconds" you have 1 second to type tpl. It works better to have it on the clipboard and hit Alt-V to paste it.

3

I'm using TFTP on my mac which auto transfers once it detects it.

Where do I type in TPL? I have the router connected to my laptop via serial and connected to a mac via LAN.

4

FIXED IT!

Steps for those that run into the same issue and on a mac.

The USB-Serial cable isn't really necessary, but good to see what's going on with the router.

To recover a bootlooping TP-Link Archer C7 v2 on a mac do the following:

  • Go to your network settings and set the ethernet/lan connection to Manual: Ip Address 192.168.0.1 and 255.255.255.0 subnet mask

  • Download stock firmware from TP-Link's website

  • Unzip downloaded firmware and move/copy the "ArcherC7v2_tp_recovery.bin" file to /private/tftpboot

  • Open terminal and type in the following (this is the part I was missing):

sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/tftp.plist

  • Connect router to your mac via LAN cable.

  • Turn router on while holding the WPS/Reset button for 3 seconds and let it be

  • IF the ethernet connection is still going from connected to disconnected repeatedly, then reboot the router while rapidly pressing the WPS/Rest button until the ethernet connection stays on.

  • It should now be flashing the recovery firmware. Once the status lights on the router are back to normal, change your ethernet settings back to DHCP, note the router's ip address and connect to that ip via your browser

  • Shutdown TFTP by typing the following into terminal:

sudo launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/tftp.plist

And that's it.

5

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