Manual for Flashing a OM2P-HS V2 Router with OpenWrt

Installing and Using OpenWrt
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Note: This guide was created based on personal experience and available references. Official documentation could not be found, My apologies if any sections are misplaced or unclear, i figured this was the only way to share and place this knowledge.

This guide provides step-by-step instructions to flash your OMP2-HS V2 with OpenWrt firmware using the ap51-flash tool and npcap. Ensure you have the following prerequisites before starting:

Windows PC: With an Ethernet port configured with IP 192.168.100.8 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0.

  • Firmware files:
    • Initial flash: openwrt-19.07.9-ar71xx-generic-om2p-squashfs-factory.bin
    • Latest upgrade: search for the latest upgrade on the wonderful OpenWrt firmware selector.
  • Tools:
    • ap51-flash-2022.1-i686-npcap.exe
    • npcap 1.79.exe

Steps to Flash the Router

1. Install npcap

  1. Run npcap 1.79.exe and follow the installation instructions.
  2. Ensure that npcap is installed correctly.

2. Prepare the ap51-flash Tool

  1. Download and extract ap51-flash-2022.1-i686-npcap.exe to a folder on your PC.
  2. Open Command Prompt and navigate to the folder containing the ap51-flash tool.

3. Identify the Ethernet Interface

  1. Run ap51-flash-2022.1-i686-npcap.exe to list available network interfaces.
  2. Note the number corresponding to the Ethernet interface connected to the router.

4. Flash the Router

  1. Open Command Prompt in the folder where ap51-flash-2022.1-i686-npcap.exe is located.
  2. Run the command to flash the router with the initial firmware:

ap51-flash-2022.1-i686-npcap.exe [Ethernet Interface Number] openwrt-19.07.9-ar71xx-generic-om2p-squashfs-factory.bin

Replace [Ethernet Interface Number] with the number identified in step 3.

  1. You will see error messages about writing to the pcap socket, proceed to the next step

5. Power On and Connect the Router

  1. Connect the router to the Ethernet port closest from the power cable.
  2. Power on the router.

6. Wait for Flash Completion (flash complete, device ready to unplug)

  1. Monitor the Command Prompt for the message indicating the flash is complete.
  2. The router will reboot with the new OpenWrt firmware.

7. Change ethernet address on windows again

  1. Change it to 192.168.1.8

8. Switch ethernet cable on router to the port farthest away from power adapter

9. Upgrade to the Latest OpenWrt Firmware

  1. After the initial flash is complete, connect to the router's web interface.
  2. Open a web browser and navigate to http://192.168.1.1.
  3. Log in to the OpenWrt interface (default username is root and the password is blank).
  4. Go to System -> Backup / Flash Firmware.
  5. In the "Flash new firmware image" section, click Choose File and select your latest downloaded formware.
  6. Click Flash Image and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the upgrade.
  7. Wait for the router to reboot with the latest OpenWrt firmware. 5 mins or so.

Troubleshooting

  • Error Messages: If errors persist, check the npcap installation and ensure the correct Ethernet interface is used.
  • Connection Issues: Verify that the Ethernet cable is properly connected and the router is powered on.

Following these steps will ensure your router is flashed with OpenWrt firmware successfully. Enjoy the enhanced features and customization that OpenWrt offers!

Credits:
All credits go to the developers and contributors of these programs; I only made this manual and tested it on 2 devices.

1 Like
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it's OM2P, right ?
already fixed the typo in the topic for you, the post you need to change yourself.

it's (currently) 23.05.4
https://firmware-selector.openwrt.org/?version=23.05.4&target=ath79%2Fgeneric&id=openmesh_om2p-hs-v2

2 Likes
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Thank you for your contribution :slight_smile: I've changed the manual to be more dynamic and future proof by removing the statement of latest version.

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Can I use this for the Wiki page?

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Yes of course!

How is OpenWrt treating links to GitHub pages? Then I will edit the text or add a message with official links to the respective products.

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I cannot get this process to work and have spent many hours trying. I have about 15 OM2P-HS units I would like to get flashed to OpenWRT. Mostly V2 and V4.

The problem I experience I believe is with the firmware BIN file, all I get from the flash utility "is of type 'OM2P' that we have no image for" and it doesn't flash.

I have tried multiple versions of the factory OpenWRT bin file for the OM2P-HS and even tried OM2P as it is based on the same Ath79, but no go either.

Someone else with the same issue back in 2023 with no fix.

As your post is from 2024, how were you able to get this to work?

Thanks for any help.

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Hi Ardunt,

For the V2

Flash only this image with exact the same version:
openwrt-19.07.9-ar71xx-generic-om2p-squashfs-factory.bin

Then later, upgrade OpenWrt via the web interface.

As far as I understand, any higher version will not flash via the tool, I have never found out why.

Please let me know if this works for you.

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Thanks for that.
Is it OK to use ar71xx firmware for an ath79 device?

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ar71xx is the predecessor, you'll end up with ath79 once you've upgraded, just make sure you reset the settings during upgrades, even if you haven't done any configuration.

1 Like
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Having customized the OM2P (factory OS) in the past, be advised, that because of limited RAM you might run into issues, when using newer openwrt. Depending upon packages used, of course.

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Yes, RAM is okay though. Available ROM with the latest version of OpenWRT (Storage) is less than 1MB. Enough for basic configuration but that's it.

Unless you remove LUCI, then there are plenty of options.

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Thanks winos, that specific firmware version has worked.
Thanks for your help.

1 Like
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Thanks for the tip on available ROM