I've received as a gift a japanese travel router, Planex MZK-DP150N. According to the OpenWRT techdata, it is supported since v18.06.1. In the downloads page, I can find both a kernel.bin and a sysupgrade.bin files. As there is no factory.bin file, I assume that I cannot install OpenWRT from the OEM firmware update system.
On the srchack site there are two pages about installing OpenWRT on this router (///EDIT:new users can only put two links on a post/// from 2015 and 2018 respectively). Google Translate "breaks" both on Firefox and Chromium, so I can't read them fully. I understand that, at least at first, @srchack connects through a serial port to install maybe u-boot, the kernel and some basic port of openwrt, then sysupgrades to a patched version of openwrt that is compatible with the router.
Is there anyway to get/create/compile a factory.bin file?
Is using a serial port soldered to the router's board the only way to install OpenWRT nowadays, or there's a chance to use the firmware's update or a tftp for example?
MZK-DP150N is two revision. (I do not know how it looks.)
new revision flash chip is EN25QH32. this flash support is snapshot. not runnig 18.06.
you necessary use snapshot build image.
but, There are a few problems. I have not identified the cause.
Flash size is small, very small. snapshot build image is big size.
Initialization of overlay filesystem does not complete.
It's safe to sharpen and rebuild your own options (ipv6 or ppp).
factory flash.
use initramfs image. update image on factory web screen.
after auto reboot. next boot openwrt initramfs.
re-flash to sysupgrade image. use sysupgrade command.
after auto reboot. next boot openwrt overlay filesystem initialize.
complete.
if can't access to MZK-DP150N. overlay filesystem can't initialize, reboot loop.