5 steps to custom firmware on you Asus RT-N66U
Published at 6 April 2015
“ASUS RT-N66U” is well-known for its reliability and performance, and is considered one of the best consumer routers on the market. However, if you find its software a bit limited, you can easily install third-party firmware to make it even better. And if you do everything right, you’ll be up and running within 30 minutes.
WARNING: This post is for informational purposes only and is intended for people who know what they are doing. If the terminology seems scary or foreign at any point, I recommend finding a more comprehensive guide, or keeping the original firmware on your router. If something unexpected happens along the way, or if a user error occurs, you may have to reinstall the original firmware. In extreme cases, it could render your router unusable. Read the steps carefully before you decide to go ahead, and if you choose to follow the steps, do so at your own risk.
5 steps to TomatoUSB
Download the latest version of Shibby’s TomatoUSB (currently build5x-128-EN). “Asus RT-N66u 64k” is the one that works on RT-N66U, and download the file with AIO (All in one) in the name. [http://tomato.groov.pl/download/K26RT-N/]
Clear the NVRAM on the router - hold down the WPS button and restart the router. Hold WPS for 10 seconds to clear the NVRAM.
Boot the router in recovery mode - hold down the RESET button and restart the router. Hold RESET for 10 seconds.
Ensure that your PC has an IP in the 192.168.1.X series. Go to 192.168.1.1 in your browser. You will then go to the web-based tool on the router.
Choose the file you downloaded from Shibby, and upload it. You can track the status at the bottom of your browser. Once it’s uploaded, you will get a message in your browser, and you will see that the router starts blinking.IMPORTANT: NOW YOU MUST WAIT FOR ABOUT 15-20 MINUTES, AND LET THE ROUTER WORK ON ITS OWN. The router takes a long time to install the firmware, and there is no way to see the progress except that the router restarts when it’s done. Then you can go to 192.168.1.1 again, and start setting up your new router. The username is root. The password is admin. You should change this as soon as you start setting it up, to secure your router.
