And last question.
Is it possible that your router is US (not EU/UK) version?
In this case try to use US firmware for recovery.
Definitely eu. I checked the sticker on the bottom too.
Same result thoughi. I just tried 3 different us firmwares. File transfer completes very quickly, but then the router just sits there with its power light on, nothing flashing, doesn't do anything, if I reboot after a few minutes, same thing, only the power light.
The C6 is an older device and it may not be a bad idea to try another power supply as the capacitors in that one might have dried up - which would interfere with programming the firmware and also make the router unreliable.
Sometimes the firmware is missing the LuCI package so you can't access it via a web browser - which can be mistaken for failure. In that case you would have to ssh in and then install LuCI.
Well anyways sorry it sounds like you had a rough go. I bought 2-3 C7's just in case I bricked one but was okay. I like the linksys EA8300's dual firmware - easier to load OpenWrt on and avoid TFTP route.
In that case there would be some flashing lights though, so it seems like it won't be that.
1 Like
Just been watching this video, and seen that a serial to usb dongle thing is only a fiver on amazon....so i might give this a shot and if i can get it working i'll give the c6 to my mate.
If i were to try this, fixing it via serial....are the commands all the same for the c6, as the tp link router he's using.....thinking specifically about when he starts "erasing the old firmware" etc.....would I need to change anything there? I'm assuming that the erase command he's using in putty clears data from a certain range, whihc might ve different for the c6?
just found the info on https://openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/archer_c6_v2
Recover via serial and tftp (working uboot)
Set the IP of the tftp server to YOURIP. Ensure firewall (port 69, UDP) is open.
Start tftp server, e.g.
sudo dnsmasq -kd -p 0 -C /dev/null -u nobody --enable-tftp --tftp-root=/PATH/TO/BIN/FILE/
Please Note: Partitioning For US and EU Versions is different! The example below flashes the firmware in the corresponding partition address for the EU version(0x9f030000). If you are flashing the US version, 0x9f030000 is actually the u-boot partition. Using the below example as is in a US version Archer C6/A6 will overwrite the u-boot partition. When Flashing the US version, substitute 0x9f030000 with 0x9f050000 in the code shown below.
setenv serverip YOURIP tftpboot 0x80060000 openwrt-19.07.2-ath79-generic-tplink_archer-c6-v2-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin -> Bytes transferred = 4653342 (47011e hex) <-- if another version is used, change the size in the commands below to match the new size erase 0x9f030000 +47011e cp.b 0x80060000 0x9f030000 0x47011e bootm 0x9f030000
Yeah..... this ain't happening.... I've just taken it apart and seen how tiny the solder points are. Im not bad with a soldering iron, but these are crazy small, and they also have other tiny components right next to each solder point, even tinning the points to start with has proved impossible. It's officially in the bin now haha.
Thanks again for everyone for helping though, really is nice to find somewhere that people just want to help.
I just happened to read the Archer C60 V2 page and saw,,,
Please note however that this page will refuse to install firmware uploaded with a long filename. To bypass this limitation, download the relevant factory-flash bin-file and then rename the file to something shorter like firmware.bin before uploading.
It made me wonder if your device has the same behaviour.
Yeah it was the same for the C7 v2. I looked over the C6 info page and it didn't mention that for loading OpenWrt - although it did mention it for reloading the original factory image. Worth a shot. From the C7 device page:
Installation using web interface
Please note however that this page will refuse to install firmware uploaded with a long filename. To bypass this limitation, download the relevant factory-flash BIN-file and then rename the file to
firmware.binbefore uploading.
https://openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/archer_c7#installation_using_web_interface
I am no expert but I heard that C6 needs some kind of stripped image so maybe that's a problem?
I have a C6 too and thought about going back to stock after experiencing poor wifi strength with openwrt but gave up after I found there there were no concrete instructions for restoring back to stock.
Hopefully the WiFi improves with updates so there's no need to go back to stock.
There exist method to return stock firmware from openwr command line with specially prepared image. See this topic for details. Or you can get ready image from here.
thanks again, but trouble is I can't get serial access. I did open the thing up, but the solder points for the pins are spread apart, and they're so tiny, I'd find it impossible to solder anything to them. I can't run the commands any other way, as programs are not responding to connections via ethernet. So I'd assume that, if i WERE able to solder to the tiny points and attach a serial dongle, I'd have been able to fix it this way. Good info for anyone else who might have this issue in the future.
For myself though, the lesson elarned is never to flash anything blindly without reading through the correct processes first and making sure you know how to reverse or repair it before you try.
Did you check the post that @123serge123 linked above? it's not with serial access. It says you need to ssh into router and run a command to write the linked "c6v2restore.bin" file.
OP has a device that doesn't seem to have a system running. No lights flash to suggest networking is alive, etc.
oh right, silly me!
Yes, unfortunately I can't ssh, it just fails to connect. Only thing that seemed to be at least half working was that tftp was saying the file was sent, but the router wasn't responding to any files I threw at it. I think serial or jtag would be the only resolution... but from what I have read, even then, there are some wireless keys or something that are unique to each router, and if they have been lost/ corrupt, then even with those methods, most I could hope for is a wired router.
Thanks all the same. All input is still appreciated.
I've definitely given up now though. Fixing it is way beyond my skills haha.
The new c6 arrived and its actually working out ok having it on channel 48, even with my main home wifi on channel 36.
Yes, it's difficult to solder without enough skills. But you can try use usual needles to connect usb-ttl adapter. Without soldering. By hand. Involve wife/child/friend as free hands 
At first step it will be enough to see bootloader log during recovery procedure. In this case you need to connect GND/RX of adapter to GND/TP_UART_OUT of the board only.
This topic was automatically closed 10 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.