Is my WNDR3700 bricked?

[bro]

Hi

After accidentally cutting the power of the WNDR3700, it no longer seems to boot properly.

The power light is constant amber. Every 14th second, all the LAN ports blink amber, the and power light is turns off for half a second.
When connecting a network cable to one of the LAN ports, there are no lights on either side (router or NIC on computer).
When pressing the factory reset, there are no changes to the lights at all, just keeps on it's 14 second interval of changes lights.

I presume it's really bricked. Am I right?

[jmizoguchi]

See router reset on my sig below and try few method

If still the same and you can not access router nor get ip from the router then you have brick unit

If unit is still under warranty I would suggest to contact support for RMA return
My.netgear.com

[bro]

Hi

I've tried reseting multiples times but nothing changes, so I guess I'll have it replaced.

Thanks

[Simon0]

The WNDR3700 can go into an endless loop when you cut power just as it is saving/writing to flash. If that happens, you need to put it into recovery mode and "tftp" upload a fresh firmware. I use it in AP mode and turn off nearly everything, so it tends to be safer to cut power. I don't have/forgot the instructions at the moment to do it.. but if you search for it you can find it easily.

An alternate, "less reliable" way is the the recovery tool on the software CD that they include.. not sure if they still include it though... I bought it when it a few months after it came out.

[theforce81]

This is not something I came up with, but here are the instructions:


So you've bought a shiny new wireless router for your home network and loaded it with DD-WRT. Like myself, you've decided it's just not for you and you'd rather return to the factory firmware. I've read through the forums and still found the guides a little confusing. So here's how to restore the stock or factory firmware on your Netgear WNDR3700 router in five simple and easy to understand steps.

Before you begin you will need to gather these resources:
1. A push pin, safety pin or needle.
2. A copy of the latest WNDR3700 firmware which you can download [HERE]

Note that this guide was written for the Netgear WNDR3700-100NAS Revision: 02R1 using Windows 7 64-bit. This will work for any WNDR3700 router currently running DD-WRT.


Step 1: Setting Your Static IP Address

It is important that you setup a static IP address on your computer. Navigate to: "Start" -> "Control Panel" -> "Network and Internet" -> "Network and Sharing Center" -> "Change adapter settings" (left side). Now right click on your local area connection and open up the properties window. Select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and click on properties. Enter the following information then click "OK".

Quote:

IP address: 192.168.1.2
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway: <leave blank>
Preferred DNS server: <leave blank>
Alternate DNS server: <leave blank>



Step 2: Placing the Router Into Recovery Mode

Start by turning off the router using the power button on the back of the device. Now, using the small object of your choice, press and hold the "Restore Factory Settings", also known as the Reset button located on the bottom of the router (there is a red ring around it). While holding the rest button, turn the router back on. Continue to hold the reset button for approximately 45 seconds then release it.

** NOTE: Before you release the reset button, just be sure the power LED light on the router is flashing. If it isn't, continue to hold it for about another 15 seconds until it is flashing.


Step 3: Enable the TFTP Client in Windows

If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, you will need to enable the TFTP client. To do this, navigate to: "Start" -> "Control Panel" -> "Programs" -> "Programs and Features" -> "Turn Windows features on or off" (left side). From there, scroll down until you spot "TFTP Client". Check the box if it isnt already and click "OK". Exit the control panel.


Step 4: Flash the Firmware

Start by opening up a command prompt. From there you will want to type "cd desktop" in order to change your working directory to your desktop. Assuming of course that is where you saved the firmware download. Now for the fun bit. In the command window type:

Quote:
tftp -i 192.168.1.1 put WNDR3700-V1.0.4.68NA.img


** NOTE: Be sure to use the appropriate name of the file you are trying to flash. It may be a later version then the one I used as an example.


Step 5: The Waiting Game

This would be the perfect time to go grab a drink or hit the washroom. You need to be patient. Do not turn off, restart, unplug cables or otherwise interact with your router. It may take a little while; this is normal! Watch the power LED light on the front of the router. It should remain orange throughout the process. Once it is complete, it will turn green. At this point you may proceed to point your browser to "192.168.1.1" and continue to setup your router.

This was done by Jaxxit on the DD-WRT forum!

[Simon0]

TFT upload can be a pain, the small window of opportunity for the tftp upload is quite small. In the old dd-wrt/tomato/openwrt days, I had to do it so often that it was easier if you used a windows bat/cmd file that uses a ping loop that auto detects the right moment for the upload. and I had instructions within the batch file so as I wouldn't forget... those were the days... unfortunately I've misplaced the batch file I used... it pretty much mirrors your instructions, though....

[jlewter]

It's not that bad to do a recovery on the 3700.
When I had to do it (was flipping between ddwrt and ng firmware) It took a few goes, but after you do it once it wasnt a big deal.

I think recovery mode is also done by turning the unit on with reset held in until the power light starts flashing green.

So it will half come on, then the power light will flash orange, some led's will start lighting up again (like it's coming on) and then it will start flashing green. Just keep it down until it's flashing green .

You should prepare your pc TFTP line so that when your router power light starts flashing all you do is press enter.

[nubyOz]

Last resort for me once was to short some pins of the the flash memory chip on a router.
Note: This is only recommended
1. if you have exhausted ALL other options repeatedly AND
2. Are out of warranty support options (nothing to loose) AND
3. Know which pins to short.

Not for the faint hearted, it is only advised if you face the certainty of a brick out of warranty.

[Simon0]

Originally Posted by nubyOz

Last resort for me once was to short some pins of the the flash memory chip on a router.
Note: This is only recommended
1. if you have exhausted ALL other options repeatedly AND
2. Are out of warranty support options (nothing to loose) AND
3. Know which pins to short.

Not for the faint hearted, it is only advised if you face the certainty of a brick out of warranty.

Pin shorting is used to corrupt the firmware checksum so that the bootloader would kick into recovery mode. What if the bootloader gets irrecoverably corrupted by the pin short. Then only a jtag cable will fix things.

As long as the bootloader is not corrupt, it should be possible to be placed into recovery mode.

[jlewter]

Just keep holding the pin in until it starts flashing green.

From there you have a lot of time.