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Router Recovery Guide

Recovery procedures for D-Link DIR-1960 A1 mesh nodes running OpenWrt.

Recovery Options Overview

Situation Recovery Method Difficulty
Bad configuration, OpenWrt boots Failsafe Mode Easy
OpenWrt broken, bootloader works D-Link Recovery GUI Easy
Recovery GUI fails TFTP Recovery Medium
Complete brick Serial Console Hard

Prerequisites

Keep these files available for recovery:

openwrt-repo/targets/ramips/mt7621/
├── openwrt-24.10.4-ramips-mt7621-dlink_dir-1960-a1-squashfs-recovery.bin  # For bootloader recovery
└── openwrt-24.10.4-ramips-mt7621-dlink_dir-1960-a1-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin  # For normal upgrades

Download recovery image if missing:

wget -P openwrt-repo/targets/ramips/mt7621/ \
  https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/24.10.4/targets/ramips/mt7621/openwrt-24.10.4-ramips-mt7621-dlink_dir-1960-a1-squashfs-recovery.bin

Method 1: Failsafe Mode

Use when: OpenWrt boots but configuration is broken (can't access network, bad firewall rules, etc.)

Failsafe mode boots OpenWrt with minimal configuration, allowing you to fix or reset settings.

Steps

  1. Power off the router

  2. Connect Ethernet cable from your PC to a LAN port (not WAN)

  3. Power on and watch the LEDs closely

  4. Enter failsafe: When the power LED starts flashing rapidly, press and release the reset button repeatedly (or hold it, depending on timing)

  5. Configure your PC with static IP:

# Linux
sudo ip addr add 192.168.1.2/24 dev eth0

# Or use NetworkManager
nmcli con add type ethernet con-name failsafe ifname eth0 ip4 192.168.1.2/24
  1. Connect via SSH (no password in failsafe):
ssh root@192.168.1.1
  1. Choose recovery action:

Option A: Reset to defaults (wipes all configuration)

firstboot && reboot -f

Option B: Mount filesystem and fix configuration

mount_root
# Now you can edit files in /etc/
vi /etc/config/network
# When done:
reboot -f

Use when: OpenWrt won't boot, but the bootloader is intact (most common recovery scenario)

The D-Link bootloader has a built-in recovery web interface.

Steps

  1. Power off the router

  2. Configure PC with static IP:

# Linux
sudo ip addr add 192.168.0.11/24 dev eth0

# Verify
ip addr show eth0

Or via NetworkManager GUI: - IP: 192.168.0.11 - Netmask: 255.255.255.0 - Gateway: leave empty - DNS: leave empty

  1. Connect Ethernet cable from PC to any LAN port (not WAN)

  2. Enter recovery mode:

  3. Hold the reset button (small hole on back)
  4. While holding reset, power on the router
  5. Keep holding until the blue LEDs start blinking (~10 seconds)

  6. Release the reset button

  7. Access recovery GUI:

  8. Open browser to: http://192.168.0.1

  9. You should see D-Link recovery page

  10. Upload recovery image:

  11. Click "Browse" or "Choose File"
  12. Select: openwrt-24.10.4-ramips-mt7621-dlink_dir-1960-a1-squashfs-recovery.bin

  13. Click "Upload" or "Upgrade"

  14. Wait for completion:

  15. Progress bar will show upload status
  16. Wait for "Upgrade successfully" message

  17. DO NOT power off during this process (~2-3 minutes)

  18. Router reboots to stock OpenWrt:

  19. Change PC IP back to DHCP or 192.168.1.x

  20. Access router at http://192.168.1.1

  21. Restore mesh configuration:

# Either flash custom image:
scp images/mesh-node3-sysupgrade.bin root@192.168.1.1:/tmp/
ssh root@192.168.1.1 "sysupgrade -n /tmp/mesh-node3-sysupgrade.bin"

# Or run Ansible deployment:
make deploy NODE=3

Troubleshooting Recovery GUI

Can't reach 192.168.0.1:

  • Verify PC IP is 192.168.0.11/24
  • Try different LAN port
  • Check cable connection
  • Ensure LEDs are blinking (recovery mode active)
  • Try different browser or clear cache

Upload fails:

  • Use the -recovery.bin file, NOT -sysupgrade.bin
  • Try a different browser (Firefox often works best)
  • Disable browser extensions
  • Try smaller file first to test connectivity

Router doesn't enter recovery mode:

  • Hold reset button BEFORE powering on
  • Hold for full 10 seconds until LEDs blink
  • Try with only power and one LAN cable connected

Method 3: TFTP Recovery

Use when: D-Link recovery GUI doesn't work

The bootloader can also fetch firmware via TFTP.

Setup TFTP Server (Linux)

# Install TFTP server
sudo apt install tftpd-hpa

# Configure
sudo tee /etc/default/tftpd-hpa << 'EOF'
TFTP_USERNAME="tftp"
TFTP_DIRECTORY="/srv/tftp"
TFTP_ADDRESS=":69"
TFTP_OPTIONS="--secure --create"
EOF

# Create directory and copy firmware
sudo mkdir -p /srv/tftp
sudo cp openwrt-repo/targets/ramips/mt7621/openwrt-24.10.4-ramips-mt7621-dlink_dir-1960-a1-squashfs-recovery.bin /srv/tftp/
sudo chmod 644 /srv/tftp/*

# Start TFTP server
sudo systemctl restart tftpd-hpa
sudo systemctl status tftpd-hpa

Configure Network

# Set static IP (common TFTP recovery addresses)
sudo ip addr add 192.168.0.66/24 dev eth0
# or
sudo ip addr add 192.168.1.66/24 dev eth0

Trigger TFTP Recovery

  1. Connect Ethernet to LAN port
  2. Hold reset while powering on
  3. Bootloader will broadcast TFTP request
  4. Monitor TFTP server logs: sudo tail -f /var/log/syslog | grep tftp

Note: Exact TFTP filename and IP may vary. Serial console access helps identify what the bootloader expects.

Method 4: Serial Console Recovery

Use when: All other methods fail (complete brick)

Warning: Requires opening the router and soldering. May void warranty.

Requirements

  • USB-to-TTL serial adapter (3.3V, NOT 5V)
  • Soldering equipment
  • Terminal software (minicom, screen, picocom)

Serial Connection

Serial Adapter Router J1 Header
TX RX
RX TX
GND GND
Do NOT connect VCC

Serial Settings

  • Baud rate: 115200
  • Data bits: 8
  • Parity: None
  • Stop bits: 1
  • Flow control: None

Connect via Serial

# Using screen
screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200

# Using minicom
minicom -D /dev/ttyUSB0 -b 115200

# Using picocom
picocom -b 115200 /dev/ttyUSB0

Bootloader Commands

Power on the router while connected via serial. Press keys to interrupt boot:

# Common bootloader interrupts:
# - Press any key
# - Press 'Enter' repeatedly
# - Press '4' for TFTP recovery (device-specific)

# Once in bootloader, common commands:
printenv                    # Show environment variables
tftpboot                    # Boot from TFTP
reset                       # Reboot

Note: Full U-Boot console on D-Link devices may require a password stored in flash. Failsafe mode (press 'f' during boot) may be accessible without password.

Prevention: Best Practices

Before Flashing

  1. Verify checksum:
cd images/
sha256sum -c mesh-node3-sysupgrade.bin.sha256

  1. Test on one node first before deploying to all

  2. Keep recovery image handy:

ls -la openwrt-repo/targets/ramips/mt7621/*recovery*
  1. Backup current configuration:
make snapshot NODE=3

During Flashing

  1. Use stable power - consider UPS
  2. Don't interrupt - wait for full completion (2-3 minutes)
  3. Use -n flag for custom images (config is baked in):
sysupgrade -n /tmp/mesh-node3-sysupgrade.bin

After Flashing

  1. Verify boot:
ping 10.11.12.3
ssh root@10.11.12.3 "uname -a"
  1. Check services:
ssh root@10.11.12.3 "batctl o"  # Mesh status

Quick Reference

Recovery IPs

Mode Router IP PC IP
Failsafe 192.168.1.1 192.168.1.2/24
D-Link Recovery 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.11/24
Normal OpenWrt 192.168.1.1 DHCP or 192.168.1.x/24
Mesh Node 1 10.11.12.1 DHCP or 10.11.12.x/24
Mesh Node 2 10.11.12.2 DHCP or 10.11.12.x/24
Mesh Node 3 10.11.12.3 DHCP or 10.11.12.x/24

Recovery Files

File Purpose
*-recovery.bin D-Link bootloader recovery GUI
*-sysupgrade.bin Normal OpenWrt upgrades
*-initramfs-kernel.bin RAM-based recovery/testing
mesh-nodeN-sysupgrade.bin Custom mesh image with config

Emergency Commands

# Reset to defaults (from failsafe or SSH)
firstboot && reboot -f

# Flash recovery image (from working OpenWrt)
cd /tmp
wget http://192.168.1.100/openwrt-...-recovery.bin
sysupgrade -n /tmp/openwrt-...-recovery.bin

# Check flash health
dmesg | grep -i ubi
cat /proc/mtd