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Setup Router to OpenWRT

Current status

Current status: Only power light on

  • Routers is in recovery or failsafe mode
  • Your computer won’t automatically get an IP from it.
  • So if your Mac is waiting for an IP (via DHCP), and
  • the router doesn’t hand one out, they can’t talk to each other.
  • No IP = no ping, no SSH, no web UI.

Set computer IP

Change the IP to a static IP:

  • Router: 192.168.1.1
    • Default static IP in OpenWrt
  • Your Mac: 192.168.1.2
    • Manually assigned so it's on the same subnet

Both devices are on the 192.168.1.x subnet

  • This allows direct communication between them — like SSH or ping — without needing DHCP or internet

Change PC's ethernet

  • Set your PC's IP manually to 192.168.1.2, subnet 255.255.255.0.

Bootmode

Get your router into bootmode/failsafemode:

  • Power off router
  • Press the reset button rapidly and power back on router
  • If Internet and Wi-Fi LEDs are blinking alternately, you are in boot loop or incomplete boot

Failsafe mode

Failsafe mode is a minimal rescue boot mode built into OpenWRT.

  • The router is soft-bricked (e.g., you can't access web/SSH, but it’s not fully dead)
  • Bad config locked you out
  • LuCI or dropbear are misconfigured
  • Startup scripts are broken

It lets you:

  • Reset configurations (firstboot)
  • Manually fix configs via command line
  • Reboot clean and regain access

Steps to activate:

  • Power off router
  • Hold the WPS/Reset button (back of the router).
  • Plug in power while still holding the button.
  • Watch the Power LED:
    • Initially solid.
    • Then it should start blinking rapidly (not the slow blink it does during normal boot).
  • Release the button as soon as it starts blinking fast.
  • Wait 5–10 seconds.
  • On your Mac, confirm IP address is still in 192.168.1.x range.

Then try:

ssh root@192.168.1.1

Next steps

Still in bootmode

Then, soft-bricked beyond failsafe

TFTP Recovery

TFTP, or Trivial File Transfer Protocol, is a communication protocol for transmitting or receiving files in a client-server application

  • Netgear R6220 has TFTP recovery built in
  • Re-flash the firmware (OpenWRT or stock) over Ethernet
  • 192.168.1.10
cd /path/to/firmware.chk
tftp
tftp> connect 192.168.1.1
tftp> binary
tftp> put firmware.chk

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