Steps 5/6 are inaccurate and I had issues following them. Holding the reset button for a long time is difficult and actually not even necessary. The power button is not mentioned at all.
Step 5: "Plug in the router to power WHILE HOLDING the reset button in. While CONTINUING to hold the button, select “Upload”. Continue to hold the Reset button in until it finishes and verifies!"
This does not mention the power button that the device has. In fact, the device can be plugged in and the procedure started by turning the device on using the power button while holding the reset button.
The reset button only needs to be held until the power led starts flashing as the device enters Rescue Mode. Asus FAQ mirrors this: https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1000814/ (step 3)
To add to my confusion, the sysupgrade image didn't come with LuCI installed. So step 8's "good to go" is hardly accurate. I had to find information elsewhere what is and how to install LuCI via SSH.
I can't edit the wiki myself. It would also be nice if someone could verify this simpler procedure.
I'm happy that OpenWRT is available for my device and that I got it working. Thanks for all your efforts. This is my suggestion for making the documentation better and thus installation easier.
It varies from router to router, but in general case you can hold the button until LED blinks (in alternate colour if such is available for power LED) and you can upload at ease, as you duly observed. It is written on ASUS recovery tool's first screen too. Can you copy text part to replace and post replacement to make it easy on doc team?
Here is my initial suggestion for the replacement text.
Replace step 5 with: "Plug in the router and make sure the power button is in the OFF position. Press and hold the reset button in. Press the power button on while CONTINUING to hold the reset button. Continue to hold the Reset button in until power LED is slowly flashing."
Replace step 6 with: "Click "Upload" and wait until power LED stops blinking and stays on. "Status" should read "Successfully recovered the system."
Of course it would be nice if someone could verify these steps work exactly as written.
As for step 8, I don't really know what the best thing to say here is but it could definitely be refined. Remove "voila"? Remove "everything" and "and you're good to go"? Maybe add "Installation is complete." instead.
Noobs like me would appreciate a step 9 with links to OpenWRT starting guide to actually be able to access the new router configuration and get it working.
Yes. Plugging in the power does nothing if the button is in the off position and the button does nothing if the power is not plugged in...
Furthermore, it's easier to press the button than plug the connector in. It takes approximately one hand less to do so. One could press the power button while holding the reset button in with a tool at the same time with just one hand! Doing the same with the power plug is unfeasible.
If you say so. First thing I tried was navigating my browser to 192.168.1.1 only to find out it doesn't work (no LuCI installed) and thought the installation failed.
But I'm not familiar of with the general style of the wiki so people with editing rights should do as they feel is best. Just my two cents on the matter.
Yes, and there are fingers left for the power button on the same hand. The power plug on the other hand (pun intended) needs another thumb to operate, though.
But aren't there many devices, specifically routers, that don't have a power button? Don't answer that, as there certainly are. This one definitely does but it is not mentioned in the instructions.
Why leave ambiguity in the instructions? The procedure very well could have been that the power plug should be in but the switch off when pressing reset, similar to resetting PC motherboard BIOS via a jumper.
And it doesn't make sense to advice using the connector to power on the device when the button is much more convenient.
