In simple words YES..! for the first time flash via stock GUI you wont be able to flash to latest openwrt as DLink is using some sort of encryption in their firmwares. So if you try, stock GUI will return invalid image error or chances are you will brick the router and there is no recovery option except opening and soldering some wires as much as I know. So for the first time flash from stoch GUI you must use enc.bin then you can use any openwrt image to upgrade. Also to revert back you must use Decrypted stock image as openwrt is not using encryption like Dlink's else you will endup bricking the unit as well.
Hope I was able to clear your confusion...!
1 Like
Thanks brother, that definitely cleared my confusion. The encrypted image's download link and the steps of needing to flash that first definitely needs to go into the wiki.
Thanks @kar200 for your reply.
I actually wanted to move to OpenWrt but I have a big problem setting my external HDD as a shared drive, I tried everything but no luck, I don't know if the drive size is the reason since it's a 5TB drive but heh who knows, anyhow I was wondering if you can you guide me through the steps so I can get this thing working 
Dears,
Can someone help me with a small guide to move from Padavan to OpenWrt, also would appreciate your thoughts, just looking for an improved performance over wifi.
@hsaber I don't think I have used the smb function with USB beyond copying files for testing. Your best bet would be to look in the forum here for other people that used the same function with a similar device (mt7621 platform). Have you tried this link?
Is your 5TB drive 2.5 or 3.5 with external power?
@kar200 Hello Kareem! First off Thanks for All the Wonderful work. Unfortunately 5Ghz wifi isn't showing on mobile device even after trying every channel and mhz setting, so reverting back to stock but I'm unable to run the mtd command. Also there are 2 tmp folders I tried putting stock firm o both and run mtd from there but still showing same error
Hi @bani,
ASAIK mtd_write is a command used in Padavan but your router already has openwrt.
It looks like you have version 22.03.2 installed wich is supposed to be the latest version as well.
Can you access the web interface? If yes try and setup the wireless from there.
Make sure the first interface is setup as 2.4 and the second one as 5. Also try to assign a country manually.
One last advice is to avoid using unless you really have to. MTD does not perform any checks (unlike sysupgrade or the web interface upgrade option in openwrt) and therefore it will just overwrite the mtd on your device even if you provide with with a jpeg image.
Yes, I tried via web interfaces and changed country as well but still same.
IT would be really appreciable if you can guide me step by step how to get stock Firmware Back from this openwrt 22.03.2 ?
Sorry late reply I thoguht i did but apparently not!
You neer to copy the decrypted stock firmware to the /tmp partition. Then login through SSH and use the mtd command.
I cannot remember the exact command but it should be somewhing like
# mtd write file.bin firmware
The file.bin is the decrypted file. firmware (all lower case) is the partition where the firmware is that you can check by typing
cat /proc/mtd or car /proc/partitions.
I would suggest going back on this thread theres a guy that posted the a file link with all the files needed to either move to openwrt or go back to stock (with the decrypted firmware file)
I wanted to add that the the file has to be DECRYPTED and not the one from the dlink website. There should be on soemwhere here or i can check i should have it in my files somewhere
Good Day @kar200
I hope you can upload the link for latest or STABLE Openwrt RC3/RC2 DECRYPTED firmware for Dlink DIR-853 A3 that can be upload from stock to openwrt. I would appreciate it a lot . Thanks. Lookin' forward for updates for the stability of it.
HI @deathrob ,
The latest stable is 22.03.2. The RC's are older and were before 22.03 was released.
Wich version are you running? If it's openwrt you can just grab the latest version from the download page and flash it from the web interface.
If it's stock then it needs to be encrypted first as the stock firmware wont accept non-encrypted firmware
Hi @kar200 , I hope you are doing well, currently on I am on stock firmware now and want to switch to Openwrt. I will need a decrypted one please. That would be very great. Thanks
From stock the firmware has to be "encrypted". After that everything has to be decrypted.
Anyway this is the file. Please note this is completely untested. I just downloaded the latest stable from openwrt and encrypted it with the dlink tool.
Again this has to be only used from the dlink stock web interface (not openwrt nor padavan).
Good luck
Thanks for the link I'll try my luck with it and my 5TB HDD is a 2.5 without external power
@kar200 like many of us, big thanks, i've been using Padavan Firmware on this device for few years, and every time i want to install openwrt on it and i see people complain about some issues,
i've been using it as living room access point and a mini NAS for SMB shares, provided enough ports for my tv and media servers while also hosting my media.
especially that padavan is old, and i kind of want it to connect to my remote wireguard VPN, padavan is not doing it for me so i'm thinking of going to a more recent openwrt.
is openwrt performance wise better than Padavan?
is the move to openwrt going to work ?
i'm not very experienced in firmwares but i flashed padavan using your guide and now i want to go to openwrt?
I was unable to update using web UI, because i don't have encrypted image.
first i was able to boot initramfs image & tried to update from openwrt web interface but failed. i dont know why but the firmware was not uploaded successfully.
Then i tried Factory update image via TFTP & got succeed. just renamed that to wrt.bin
Got serial console working & upon boot instantly press 2 for write to Flash via TFTP
Here is the serial log
Ralink UBoot Version: 5.0.0.0
--------------------------------------------
ASIC MT7621A DualCore (MAC to MT7530 Mode)
DRAM_CONF_FROM: Auto-Detection
DRAM_TYPE: DDR3
DRAM bus: 16 bit
Xtal Mode=3 OCP Ratio=1/3
Flash component: NAND Flash
Date:Dec 20 2018 Time:11:06:07
============================================
icache: sets:256, ways:4, linesz:32 ,total:32768
dcache: sets:256, ways:4, linesz:32 ,total:32768
##### The CPU freq = 880 MHZ ####
estimate memory size =256 Mbytes
#Reset_MT7530
set LAN/WAN LLLLW
=================================================
Check image validation:hdr1_addr[bc180000]hdr2_addr[c0980000]
Image1 Header Magic Number --> OK
Image2 Header Magic Number --> OK
Image1 Header Checksum --> OK
Image2 Header Checksum --> OK
Image1 Data Checksum --> ..........................................OK
Image2 Data Checksum --> ..........................................OK
Image1: OK Image2: OK
=================================================
Please choose the operation:
1: Load system code to SDRAM via TFTP.
2: Load system code then write to Flash via TFTP.
3: Boot system code via Flash (default).
4: Entr boot command line interface.
6: System Enter UBoot to Update Img or Bin.
7: Load Boot Loader code then write to Flash via Serial.
9: Load Boot Loader code then write to Flash via TFTP.
default: 3
You choosed 2
0
2: System Load Linux Kernel then write to Flash via TFTP.
Warning!! Erase Linux in Flash then burn new one. Are you sure?(Y/N)
Please Input new ones /or Ctrl-C to discard
Input device IP (192.168.0.1) ==:192.168.0.1
Input server IP (192.168.0.2) ==:192.168.0.2
Input Linux Kernel filename (wrt.bin) ==:wrt.bin
NetTxPacket = 0x8FFE3800
KSEG1ADDR(NetTxPacket) = 0xAFFE3800
NetLoop,call eth_halt !
NetLoop,call eth_init !
Trying Eth0 (10/100-M)
Waitting for RX_DMA_BUSY status Start... done
ETH_STATE_ACTIVE!!
TFTP from server 192.168.0.2; our IP address is 192.168.0.1
Filename 'wrt.bin'.
TIMEOUT_COUNT=10,Load address: 0x88000000
Loading: checksum bad
checksum bad
checksum bad
checksum bad
checksum bad
checksum bad
Got ARP REPLY, set server/gtwy eth addr (00:1e:0b:ba:19:59)
Got it
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
#################################################################
##########
done
Bytes transferred = 9699328 (940000 hex)
LoadAddr=88000000 NetBootFileXferSize= 00940000
ranand_erase: start:180000, len:20000
..ranand_erase: start:1a0000, len:20000
..ranand_erase: start:1c0000, len:20000
..ranand_erase: start:1e0000, len:20000
..ranand_erase: start:200000, len:20000
Can you please elaborate how did you encrypt openwrt image? for Dlink stock Web UI
If you want to run OpenWRT get your self WRT1900 V2 or WRT3200acs . And save your self the headache.