Installing OpenWrt on Telstra Smart Modem Gen 2?

For Developers
#1

Recently switched ISPs, and got sent a free modem/router by them, I don't really have anything that I would need it to do, so I'm thinking of maybe using it as a bit of an experimental router.

I'm new to installing OpenWRT, but I'm not new to Linux in general (Been running Gentoo for about a year and a half, been wanting to try out LFS sooner or later).

It's rather hard to find any detailed info about my router, but here is an unofficial manual for it somebody made (Telstra for whatever reason does not have one) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lDGZ83oZ19Y98rHINe2I7QFqWyaQO9WL/view

Specifications are on page 34. At the very least the chipset seems to be supported. So for somebody whos done this stuff before, does it seem possible on first glance?

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#2

Section 34.

Well, the wireless isn't the best start. Last time I checked, BCM4360 wasn't supported. I saw some support for devices with BCM4366 on the table of hardware, but not sure how good is the drivers. But it appears that in best case scenario you would have only 1 radio working.

There is no info about the VDSL chipset, but their drivers are rarely available--that's why there is only a small number of supported xDSL modem-routers.

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#3

If you can pop it open (uart) / and+or it has a foolproof recovery method... then it may be worth a quick tinker... to see if some basic image can be built / loaded...

Efforts other than that are likely going to brick it or waste time... the usb/ram-flash specs/crappy UI/ubiquity make the device possibly worthy of checking out... in a non-wireless/dsl/pots capacity only if need be...

know the cpu architecture? prepared to brick it? willing to try to add serial? / take some pics of the board?

#4

Arcadyan make the Gen 2 smart modem, and they don't provide a GPL dump so you're on the back foot to begin with.

It is running OpenWrt under the hood, but heavily customised.
If you've never connected it to the Telstra network, you may still be running a sufficiently old enough firmware that a vulnerability exists to gain root access. From there, the most useful thing you can do is retrieve your SIP settings so you can setup your own SIP device (as Telstra does not provide these details willingly or on request).
You can find this vulnerability and a helper app on whirlpool and a few other Aussie blogs.

I've not pulled one apart, but I know they run a dual flash, and I'm almost certain they are Broadcom wireless chips.

By the way, that unofficial document has some glaring errors. For example Telstra doesn't use PPPoE for its NBN connections, just IPoE.

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#5

Technicolor also make a version of it. There's the Arcadyan version and the Technicolor one.

Technicolor DJA0231
Arcadyan LH1000

The Technicolor is rootable, and incredibly easy to root. Even on updated firmwares.
The Arcadyan version is likely rootable with some effort, as it is a similar OpenWRT-based firmware.

I now own both versions due to connection issues, and don't care if they die. I'm not as skilled as most, but I'm able to follow instructions and read docs.
Basically saying I'm willing to root these and examine the firmware, and attempt proper OpenWRT implementation for them.

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#6

After all your effort though, it will still be a broadcom wireless chipset :frowning: It's probably not worth the effort unfortunately.

#7

There's already a target for the main SoC series, and looking at the actual specs of this thing and the fact It's been shipped out to Telstra customers since 2016 for free and in most cases never returned when contracts are up, or being replaced with more capable combo units and sold on eBay... It's worth all the trouble.
And thermally, it seems to be actually designed really well. The Technicolor model atleast.

I'll undertake the effort, it's 3AM, the weekend, and I'm bored.
I've got my cans of Monster Mango Loco and some good music, that'll keep me sane ahah

#8

Quite a funny thing about the Technicolor variant of this modem... On the root ssh shell you get after enabling ssh via hack-technicolor's guides, as soon as you log in;

The banner is a cocktail recipe.
Quite a strong cocktail.

#9

As per all OpenWrt until 17.xx.
It just shows the age of the technicolor SDK

#10

I appear to be getting somewhere with opensource requests, may help that my modem is rooted and I have an SSH connection available to myself to collect version information with.