Linksys E8450: can't access vendor web interface

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
1

Recently I saw a w00t deal for a refurbished/remanufactured E8450 for $20. I've always been a DD-WRT user (because I've had Broadcom routers) but been curious to try out OpenWRT. Figured for $20 I can't go wrong.

Unfortunately I can't manage to even connect to the vendor web interface. When I go through the certificate stuff I'm presented with a blank page. Thought maybe it was something to do with my browser but tried multiple browsers including some out of date ones, no dice.

Did a little online searching and saw some examples that showed some valid URLs when using the vendor interface, so I tried 192.168.1.1/config-admin-firmware.html. That was better, it identified itself as "Linksys" and "AX3200 Gigabit WiFi Router" but no menus or anything.

When I was messing around with multiple attempts resetting it (with the button) I stumbled upon an oddity. If I reset it when I had that mostly blank page displayed when the router reboots that page changes - now it shows the menus and other stuff including the firmware version "1.0.00" - hmmm, that looks pretty out of date! I think the fact that it shows that only when I use the reset button is a clue, but I haven't been smart enough to connect the dots.

Unfortunately that's as far as I've come. I've also noticed that it is VERY slow to connect whether via wifi or ethernet. Often it times out and I have to disable/enable the interface on my laptop to get it to properly connect. I'm wondering if maybe what I'm seeing is the effect of it running really slow, maybe something is consuming all the resources pounding the logs with errors or something?

I checked this forum to see if anyone else had the same symptoms but couldn't find anything. Wondering if anyone has any tips on what else to try. I know I could open it up and connect to its serial port but I'd need to buy the TTL cable, there's no guarantee that would help if it is some sort of hardware fault, and unless I could close it back up again exactly as before I'd be unable to return it. So I'm not sure I want to go that far.

Is there anything else I could try short of that? No way to use the USB port to connect to the console after its booted to the vendor firmware? No magic sequence for an extra hard reset like the old 30-30-30 thing from the WRT54G days or something using the WPS button? I haven't experimented with that sort of stuff since I know some routers can be put into a recovery mode state where they expect a tftp file or something. I'd be fine with that as a potential recovery method but I'd need to know the steps there's no point of blindly tftp'ing files without a plan.

Thanks for any help or suggestions anyone has.

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Sadly, there are a growing number of reports indicating that the stock firmware on this router used coding methods that are not compatible with modern browsers. It's an issue that is relatively common with devices of many types that are running older firmware. From your description, it sounds likely that this is the main issue you are facing. You can try using a much older (circa ~2021) browser build to get around this problem. Stock firmware also used an A/B image layout, so it's possible that your router's secondary image may be original whereas the primary image had been updated at some point. This combined with browser issues could result in inability to access pages along with showing the "1.0.0.0" version after using the reset button.

Since you bought this device as used, it's possible that the router had previously been running an alternative firmware. Although I cannot personally confirm the correct appearance on a fully factory-fresh router, some users have reported E8450s identifying themselves only as "AX3200" after someone tried to revert to stock firmware without properly restoring some of the later data partitions on the flash chip.

Being slow to connect can refer to multiple issues. First and foremost, check the ethernet cable that you are using. A bad cable is a common culprit here, especially if it was packaged with the used device. Another common issue is the fact that the router resets the ports a few times during the boot sequence. Depending on your computer and the OS, this can cause problems and delays in initially establishing a connection. If the power LED is solid blue and has been for a few seconds, the device is ready and will respond to DHCP requests. If the LED is flashing or starts flashing within a few seconds, the device is not yet ready.

Full debugging / troubleshooting of this router does require use of the onboard serial port. Accessing the port isn't difficult if you have the cable and either a compatible connector pigtail or a really good set of test leads, but you're right to be concerned about appearance of the device after doing so. The four main screws that must be removed are under the two stickers on the bottom of the unit.

Since the router is running stock firmware, you really don't want to blindly attempt TFTP. If you use the wrong image, it can corrupt the flash content including the 'factory' partition, which is unique to each router. The stock boot chain expects to find a stock firmware file when booting from TFTP. OpenWRT will not run properly if booted over TFTP, since it expects to find its R/W area on flash. In addition, it may also be tricky to get the device to try and boot from TFTP without access to the serial console and while a viable image still exists on flash.

2 Likes
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Thanks for the response! Interesting thought about its state being the result of either a failed attempt to install alternate firmware, or a failed attempt to revert to OEM firmware. Hadn't considered that, but that would explain why I'm seeing firmware version 1.0.0. Doesn't make sense why it would be "refurbished" in that condition, but maybe someone bought one from w00t, and used that as a way to substitute one they'd previously screwed up for a working one and I just got unlucky.

As I mentioned in my post I did try using an older browser, so that's not the fix. The ethernet cable is good (it is one of mine) and I saw the same sluggishness when I tried to connect to it using the wifi password on the sticker on the bottom. It would connect but it would require several attempts whether I did it via my laptop or my iPhone before it was successful which rules out ethernet cable or ethernet port issues.

Does your statement that I "shouldn't attempt tftp" mean that tftp is active during its boot sequence? I really have nothing to lose at this point, even if I screw it up worse that doesn't matter as I'd be returning it in an unusable state either way.

I downloaded both an unsigned 1.1.something and signed 1.2.something vendor firmware I could try. I assume installing OpenWRT would be easier if I used the unsigned version. I'd just need to know what to try to get it it to attempt to boot via tftp - i.e. what IP address it tries to access the tftp server at and what the filename should be (if FW_E8450_1.1.01.272918_PROD_unsigned.img is not what it would be looking for)

If tftp is the only thing left to try short of opening it up I'm willing to give it a shot if I know what to try. If the attempt fails and it borks the router even worse it what difference does it make?

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Sadly, I don't have access to the source code of the modified BL3.1 (U-Boot) installed as part of the stock bootloader, so I can't tell if there's a hidden trigger to start TFTP without the serial console (it doesn't display any message stating that it's waiting for an incoming connection). However, it is an option in the boot menu when connected to the serial console. Typically, most of these devices would only automatically revert to TFTP boot if the image(s) in flash are all corrupt.

If your device is running stock 1.0.0.0, you will need the unsigned firmware. The signed version requires that the device be updated to a version that supports it. The last time I looked, that version and the requirement were listed on the firmware page from the manufacturer.

The stock firmware is configured to use IP address 192.168.1.1 for the router and 192.168.1.254 for the TFTP server. When performing a TFTP load operation, it expects the firmware image to have the name lede-mediatek-mt7622-MTK-AX3200-MT7531-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin

If you're using the stock firmware, then there's minimal risk to the data. However, using TFTP to go from stock to OpenWRT is risky unless you are absolutely certain you have the right file to do so. There are 2 different firmware types for OpenWRT for this device. The stock layout does not support the firmware containing the string "UBI". Although the UBI firmware is more reliable, it requires use of an installer firmware tailor made for the specific OpenWRT major release version to perform the data conversion necessary. Since the layout also changed between OpenWRT 23.x and 24.x, a different installer is needed.

It's possible you may be dealing with some unexpected hardware issue as well, but it's going to be difficult to diagnose without access to the console. I've seen other routers experience connection issues if they've taken a static zap across the wired ports, but that's less likely to show up on WiFi. Meanwhile, a bad factory partition would likely show up as issues with WiFi, but it wouldn't cause problems on wired ports other than possibly changing MAC addresses. Extended delays in responding could be due to components overheating, but if it hasn't been opened and the heat sinks haven't been removed, then this too is unlikely.

All in all, I've seen very few true hardware failures on this model. Most of the issues involving this model are software problems or data corruption issues, and the corruption has been almost entirely mitigated in the OpenWRT 24.10 firmware once the installer has migrated the device to the UBI layout. The flash chip may not be entirely reliable, but what you're reporting doesn't line up with what is usually seen on stock firmware when the data in flash rots away.

5

Was it from this listing? (Edit: no, it can't be, as your price was $20)

The units I've bought from Woot were "refurbished" (not the listing above) and had a 90-day warranty. I've never bought an "open box" so that could be your answer... although the description on this listing says says the devices were supposed to be tested and working regardless:

"The units in this event are being sold as "open box" condition. That means that they have been opened due to being a photo sample, a tested working customer return or having damaged packaging. Some non-essential items may be missing from the box. That is the reason for the reduced sale price and the reduced warranty."