Expired

II. Resetting & Router Firmware

Expired

Vigor Routers - DrayOS Firmware Recovery using DrayTek Firmware Utility

Products:
Vigor 2620Ln
Vigor 2760
Vigor 2762
Vigor 2763
Show all

Keywords:
TFTP
factory default
firmware
reflash
Show all

If your DrayTek Vigor router is not operating normally, then it is very likely that it can be successfully returned to normal operation by performing a firmware upgrade, using the DrayTek Firmware Utility. The DrayTek Firmware Upgrade Utility is a DrayTek specific TFTP utility designed for use with DrayTek products.

If a DrayTek Vigor router is in an inoperable state either due to a failed firmware reflash or any other reason, the router can be manually put into TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) mode - this is a function separate from the main firmware that makes it possible to reflash the firmware when the router is not able to start up normally.

When a DrayTek Vigor router is in TFTP mode, its IP address is 192.168.1.1, it will respond to Ping and TFTP connections from the DrayTek Firmware Utility.  

There are two firmware file types that can be sent to the router:

TypeExampleDescription
ALL File v2860_3891_576D17.all The firmware will be upgraded to this version and retain all existing settings
RST File v2860_3891_576D17.rst The firmware will be upgraded to this version and the router will be reset to its factory default settings

Firmware Recovery Pre-requisites

  • Download the correct Firmware for your DrayTek Vigor router
  • Download the DrayTek Firmware Utility
  • Windows computer with Ethernet port and Administrator account - required to set IP address & configure Windows Firewall

DrayTek Firmware Recovery Procedure

Firmware recovery is easiest to complete in this order, which this guide will be covering at each step:

  1. Configure the computer's Ethernet port IP address settings
  2. Run and configure the DrayTek Firmware Utility
  3. Open a Command Prompt window and start a constant ping to the router's TFTP IP address
  4. Power up the router in TFTP mode and connect the router to the computer
  5. Send the firmware to the router
  6. Wait for the router to restart with the new firmware


Step 1 - Configure PC IP address

Disconnect the computer that will be sending the firmware from its networks, both Wired - disconnect the cable, and Wireless - disable the wireless adapter or enable Airplane mode.

Set up the computer's Ethernet adapter IP address with these details:

IP address 192.168.1.10
Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
Default gateway no Gateway IP address set
DNS servers no DNS IP addresses set

For guidance on how to change the IP address in different Windows operating systems, see this guide.


Step 2 - Set up the DrayTek Firmware Utility

Upon starting the DrayTek Firmware Utility, it will pop-up a warning that recommends to disable the computer's firewall. Just click OK to bypass the warning, the Windows Firewall should only be disabled if the Firmware Utility fails to send.

In the Firmware Utility, click "..." for the Firmware File to select the firmware that will be sent by the utility, where the type of firmware to be sent can be selected:

ALL File (Reflash & retain settings) - Navigate to the directory that the firmware is located in, select the firmware and click Open:

RST File (Reflash & reset settings) - Firmware with .rst extension. Change the file type to "(*.rst)" to select the file, then click Open:

With the firmware selected, configure these settings and move on to the next step:

 

Vigor 2830, Vigor 2820, Vigor 2920, VigorIPPBX 2820
Vigor 2710, Vigor 3200, VigorPro 5510
& earlier models

Vigor 2862, Vigor 2926, Vigor 2762
Vigor 2860, Vigor 2760 (DrayOS)
Vigor 2830n V2, Vigor 2925, Vigor 2952
Vigor 3220, VigorBX 2000
& later models
Router IP 192.168.1.1 192.168.1.1
Password leave this blank leave this blank
Port 69 69
Time Out 5 5
Supported Block Size
Fastest: 1468
Most Compatible: 512
512
1468 - Recommended
1454
1024
512

 


Step 3 - Ping the router's TFTP IP address

Open the Windows Start menu (Start key) or open the Windows Run prompt (Start+R keys) and type "cmd" then press enter to open the Windows command prompt.

At the command prompt, type "ping -t 192.168.1.1" and press enter. This will start a constant ping to the TFTP IP address, which is useful to determine when the router's TFTP server is ready to accept firmware.

The pings to 192.168.1.1 will not receive a response, which is normal at this stage. Leave this running and move on to the next step.


Step 4 - Activating TFTP Mode

Remove the router from its normal fitted position and connect it directly to the PC running the DrayTek Firmware Utility.

TFTP mode is activated by powering up the Vigor router while the Factory Reset button is pressed in. This requires a pen tip or paperclip to press the recessed reset button.

When pressed, the reset button will make an audible clicking sound as the button is depressed.

TFTP Procedure Steps

  1. Connect power to the router
  2. Switch off the router using the power switch
  3. Press and hold the Factory Reset button
  4. While still holding the Factory Reset button, turn on the router with the power switch
  5. The router will power up, taking a few seconds to load the TFTP mode
  6. All of the LAN LEDs will blink on briefly, indicating that the router's LAN ports are now active
  7. The router's LEDs will flash in an alternating pattern as shown in the tabs below
  8. Let go of the Factory Reset button, the router will stay in TFTP mode for around 2 minutes, after which the router will reboot into normal operating mode

Most DrayTek Vigor routers

The 3 LEDs on the left will blink rapidly in unison:

Vigor 2760

The ACT and USB2 LEDs will blink rapidly in unison:

Vigor 2762

The ACT LED will blink rapidly:

Vigor 2762Vac

The ACT and adjacent LED will blink rapidly in unison:

Vigor 2862 & 2926

The LEDs blink in a star pattern, with the center LED staying lit:

Vigor 2952 & 3220

All LEDs except the center three LEDs will blink rapidly in unison:

Step 5 - Sending Firmware to the router

Once the router has booted into TFTP mode and is connected to the computer, watch the pings to the router's TFTP IP address - 192.168.1.1 should begin responding to pings after a few seconds, at which point the firmware can be sent:

Important Note - No response to pings
1. Check that the computer IP is set to an IP address in the 192.168.1.x range
2. Try the router's normal LAN IP address instead of the TFTP mode default address - this may require changing the computer's IP address to match the subnet

 In the DrayTek Firmware Utility, click the Send button and watch the status, it should look like the animation below:

Important Note - Troubleshooting Sending problems
    1. Check that the Block Size is correct for the model (see table in Step 2)
    2. If the progress bar gets stuck part-way, be patient and it will usually continue
    3. If it doesn't continue after pausing, wait for the Firmware Utility to abort the sending attempt. Restart the router in TFTP mode and try again
    4. If the Sending progress bar does not fill at all:
        i. Check the computer's Firewall configuration
        ii. Try a smaller Block Size
    5. Ensure that the computer has no other network adapters such as Wireless networking active   

Once the firmware has been sent, the Firmware Utility will pop-up a "Waiting" window - this checks for connectivity to the router at the IP address that the firmware was sent to.

  •  If the Vigor router had standard .all firmware sent to it, click "Skip" and proceed to the next step.
  •  If the Vigor router had .rst firmware sent to it, the router will go back to its factory default IP address of 192.168.1.1. Wait for the Firmware Utility to detect connectivity to the router, at which point the router's web interface will be accessible.

 

If a Windows Firewall message pops up, the firmware sending procedure may be able to send successfully even without being allowed access, but if you find the firmware is not sending, click Allow Access for the Firmware Utility.


Step 6 - Wait for the router to restart with the new firmware

Once the firmware has been sent to the router, wait for it to load the uploaded firmware file
Older routers such as the Vigor 2820 and Vigor 2830 can spend up to 5 minutes upgrading firmware.
Newer routers such as the Vigor 2860 and Vigor 2862 can finish upgrading within 1-2 minutes.

Do not power off the router until it has rebooted with the new firmware and is back to normal operation

Once the router has restarted, the ACT light should blink once per second, indicating that it is operating normally:

  • If the Vigor router had standard .all firmware sent to it, the router will be accessible on the IP address it was on prior to the reflash with all original configuration present. Connect it back up to the network and use the router as normal.
  • If the Vigor router had .rst firmware sent to it, the router will be back to its factory default configuration, with an IP address of 192.168.1.1. Connect it back up to the network and reconfigure the router.

Troubleshooting

If the upgrade process shows this error message when attempting to send firmware then the utility has not been able to successfully send the firmware to the Vigor router.

If this occurs, try these steps which should allow the Firmware Upgrade Utility to send to the router successfully:

  • Check that the "Router IP address" setting is correct in the DrayTek Firmware Utility and that the computer sending the firmware has an IP address on the same network as the router's TFTP address of 192.168.1.1
  • Make sure that the firmware file is still present on the computer and that it is the correct one for the model
  • Connect the computer directly to the router's LAN port
  • Disable the Windows Firewall or any other software firewalls running on the computer
  • Try starting the DrayTek Firmware utility with administrator rights by right clicking on the icon / application and selecting "Run as Administrator"
  • Try using a different computer if none of the above works

How do you rate this article?

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1