Flashing Buffalo WHR-G54S router

The device is supported in OpenWrt 0.9 (White Russian) and later. You need to install the openwrt-brcm-2.4-<type>.trx firmware images using the TFTP method only! This is because the installed Buffalo Firmware loader may require or perform some kind of decryption and expects a filename with a .ENC extension instead of the standard .bin or .trx.

If you have a newer hardware revision (this being written on 8/21/2006), you should use the current SVN, as there are some bricking issues on older builds of OpenWrt. (Note: RC6 seems OK). There is also different hardware versions with almost same serial. (Also on old one) So DO NOT copy nvram from router to another or you can get brick because of memory settings.

This device is based on the Broadcom chipset so the openwrt-brcm-<type>.trx image is required.

• connect ethernet to a LAN port
• pull the power plug
• press and hold the reset ("INIT") button
• start the TFTP (as below)
• plug the power back in
• let go of the button.

The power light does *not* flash on this unit, but the diag does. This unit keeps the IP address that it was set to while in this mode. Factory setting is 192.168.11.1. If using a recent Kamikaze, try 192.168.1.1 instead.

I recommend the atftp tftp program. The usual tftp program in most distributions is netkit-tftp, which didn't work for me. The commands needed for atftp is:

atftp 192.168.11.1
tftp> mode octet
tftp> trace

Then do the reset prcedure described above, and while the device is "booting" (in the early boot stage) do:

tftp> put openwrt-xxx-x.x-xxx.trx

TFTP commands:

tftp 192.168.11.1
tftp> binary
tftp> trace
tftp> rexmt 1
tftp> timeout 60
tftp> put openwrt-xxx-x.x-xxx.trx

If you get something like

• 
  

  					 sent WRQ <file=openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx, mode=octet>
  	 sent WRQ <file=openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx, mode=octet>
  	 sent WRQ <file=openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx, mode=octet>
  	 sent WRQ <file=openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx, mode=octet>
  	 sent WRQ <file=openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx, mode=octet>
  	 sent WRQ <file=openwrt-brcm-2.4-squashfs.trx, mode=octet>
  	 ...
  	 Transfer timed out.
  	 
  	

then just try again.

After this, wait for the device to reboot and you should be set.

For More Detail See Source