Running OpenWRT on the Plusnet Hub One (& BT Home Hub 5a)

[#1]

Please answer the question I posted earlier. We need to clarify exactly how you installed LEDE. If you used the OpenWRT procedure, it will break the wifi with any version of LEDE since 30 November.

http://openwrt.ebilan.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=180

Did you originally use the OpenWRT procedure making use of the  'openwrt-lantiq-xrx200-BTHOMEHUBV5A-install-uImage-initramfs' install image to mistakenly install LEDE 17.01.0 from stock BT firmware?

Then  did you immediately used the LEDE installation image and tried to execute the 'prepare' script without restoring stock BT firmware - this would be one reason why the wifi is not working.

As pointed out you should restore stock BT firmware to the hub. Then start over and install LEDE again using the LEDE installation image.  Wifi should then work.

wifi works fine in LEDE 17.01.0 r3205 btw.

Regarding your WAN port issues, I suggest you read the first two posts in this thread

http://openwrt.ebilan.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=196

[#2]

Did you originally use the OpenWRT procedure making use of the  'openwrt-lantiq-xrx200-BTHOMEHUBV5A-install-uImage-initramfs' install image to mistakenly install LEDE 17.01.0 from stock BT firmware? Yes. I didn't realise at the time that the process had changed for newer builds.

Then  did you immediately used the LEDE installation image and tried to execute the 'prepare' script without restoring stock BT firmware - this would be one reason why the wifi is not working. I did because the lede u-boot kept booting into lede

I restored back to the BT image last night then used "openwrt-lantiq-bthomehubv5a_ram-u-boot.asc" followed by "

tftpboot 0x81000000 lede-lantiq-xrx200-BTHOMEHUBV5A-installimage.bin; bootm 0x81000000

then I prepared and sysupgrade to " lede-lantiq-xrx200-BTHOMEHUBV5A-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin"

[#3]

Thank you for confirming you did indeed restore the stock BT firmware and completed the correct procedure to install LEDE 17.01.0 (r3205) .  Everything should work, so it is puzzling you are still reporting wifi issues, such as perhaps the 'Wifi' menu is missing from 'LUCI -> Network' menu ?

Do you recall checking the wifi was working when you restored stock BT firmware? 

Yesterday, you posted a portion of system log showing the ath10k errors.  Was this was taken before you restored the BT firmware to reinstall LEDE again?   If yes, can you post the system log since you reinstalled LEDE?

It may be better to visit the Ebilan forum and start a new thread describing your wifi problem.  One of the LEDE developers frequents the forum and may have an explanation for your puzzling wifi issue.

ps. this is probably stating the obvious, but wifi is disabled by default in OpenWRT/LEDE.  It can easily configured and enabled in 'LUCI -> Network -> Wifi' of course.

[#4]

I did originally see wifi under Network > Wifi which like you said was disabled by default. I screwed up the settings and thought I'd just reinstall then did some digging and found that only the squashfs version allows factory reset so tried to "upgrade" to that and that failed then things went pear shaped and I lost track of the different methods I used. I've got a nanddump copy but no alignment as it wouldn't create them at the time. I take it if these are gone I'm stuffed! Any chance the nanddump could contain these alignments?

The problem this time is that the option is not there at all. I'm going to try and restore again. I've booted using "lede-lantiq-bthomehubv5a_ram-u-boot.asc", tftp booted using "lede-lantiq-xrx200-BTHOMEHUBV5A-installimage.bin" and I'm currently restoring the original BT firmware. Tried using the BT loader "VR9") and it generated errors so I'm using the slower method.

[#5]

When you tried to use the VR9 BT bootloader, and if you were specifically witnessing 'T T T T...' errors, it may not be obvious, but did you remember to change the IP address of the TFTP server from 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.10  (it is briefly documented in section 2.5 of install PDF) ?

I don't quite understand your comment about nanddump and 'no alignment'. I will admit I am not a linux expert.  As  long as you did create the nanddump file using the 'nanddump' command, you should be fine if the final file size is between 133,000,000-134,000,000 bytes.

fwiw, I think if you had used the LEDE install image, you could have installed the squashfs version on top of your ubifs version, without the need to restore BT firmware, using this command similar to:   

sysupgrade -n lede-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin

The -n switch deletes all settings.

[#6]

Sorry, I should have clarified. I meant the calibration data.

In all cases, I've managed to restore to the BT firmware and this time started up until I could get an IP and login to see the BT webpage complaining about broadband probs. Then I rebooted. I did manage to tftpboot but what I couldn't do is restore. It went very fast but did not do block restores albeit much quicker. The OpenWRT slower method takes ages but does restore all 1015 blocks and does other things as well before completing successfully.

I'm going to try and follow the steps in the pdf guide again. It suggests that once the BT loader is unlocked you can tftboot to install lede but I've just tired it and it it ended up booting into the BT FW again.

U-Boot 2010.06-LANTIQ-v-2.2.46 (Dec 06 2013 - 02:39:45 on tester@clean-machine)

CLOCK CPU 500M RAM 250M
secure boot
DRAM:  125 MiB
NAND:  ONFI flash detected
ONFI param page 0 valid
NAND device: Manufacturer ID: 0x01, Chip ID: 0xf1 (AMD S34ML01G1)
128 MiB
Bad block table found at page 65472, version 0x01
Bad block table found at page 65408, version 0x01
In:    serial
Out:   serial
Err:   serial
Net:   Internal phy(GE) firmware version: 0x841b
vr9 Switch

[#7]

"I did manage to tftpboot but what I couldn't do is restore. It went very fast but did not do block restores albeit much quicker."

Thinking out loud, I wonder if there is an issue with the particular USB flash drive you are using?

"....you can tftboot to install lede but I've just tried it and it it ended up booting into the BT FW again."

I think the prepare script should have erased the BT firmware, so something clearly not quite right.

[#8]

Good news guys. Booted using "lede-lantiq-bthomehubv5a_ram-u-boot.asc" then tftpbooted into "lede-lantiq-xrx200-BTHOMEHUBV5A-installimage.bin", used the prepare script then sysupgraded to "lede-17.01.0-r3205-59508e3-lantiq-xrx200-BTHOMEHUBV5A-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin"

It took a while but I now have wifi and everything seems OK thus far. Thank you all very much indeed for taking the time to assist. Much obliged 🙂

Not sure why the VR9 never worked but the slower method seemed to work. I don't know if this is a bug in the 17.01 release but if I reboot the router while a cable is connected physically to my computer I get a kernel panic message and it goes into a reboot loop until I remove the cable then it boots up fine. I don't want to tempt fate by upgrading to a snapshot release lest I lose luci and get stuck again 🙂

[#9]

Kernel panic is a known issue with certain ethernet connected devices though I only occasionally witness it when using the install image with one particular HH5a wired to an old PC with Intel 100mbps integrated ethernet port.  (mentioned in section 7.1 of PDF).  I don't believe it has been completed resolved even with latest snapshots.

LUCI has to be manually installed for snapshots btw.

http://openwrt.ebilan.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=145#p1152

[#10]

Hi,

Wondered if anyone could help me, I have been trying to load openwrt from a windows PC and everything seems to go OK according to the instructions in the PDF file for windows until I get to loading openwrt-lantiq-xrx200-BTHOMEHUBV5A-install-uImage-initramfs using tftpd32.exe, when I click on 'put' a bit comes on saying 'block 0' or something like that then nothing else seems to happen, there is no indication of transfer from the lights in the LAN sockets and the windows network performance thing does not show any traffic over LAN.

Have tried moving the openwrt-lantiq-xrx200-BTHOMEHUBV5A-install-uImage-initramfs into the tftpd folder but no difference and tried the network cable in different sockets on the HH5 but no change.

As I have now turned everything off will I have to start from scratch to try anything else.

[#11]

I presume you have copy and pasted the 'tftpboot' command to the PuTTY session.  Dialogue boxes don't usually appear when I press the 'Put' button.  Try starting 'tftpd32.exe' using 'Run As Administrator' option to see if it makes any difference.

[#12]

I haven't pasted the 'tftpboot' command to the PuTTY session as I hadn't got that far in the instructions, as far as I can tell tftpd hasn't sent anything to HH5 yet.

I am not sure what to do next as have just tried starting the HH5 again (didn't short sel2 to ground) and putty is showing:

ROM VER: 1.1.4
CFG 06
NAND
NAND Read OK

DDR autotuning Rev 0.3d
DDR size from 0xa0000000 - 0xa7ffffff
DDR check ok... start booting...

and the HH5 appears to be doing a normal boot judging by what the lights are indicating.

Do I need to put Openwrt-lantiq-bthomehubv5a_ram-u-boot.asc in again with putty or can I just try loading openwrt-lantiq-xrx200-BTHOMEHUBV5A-install-uImage-initramfs again at this point, with tftpd running as admin.

[#13]

I presume you are using the latest v3.1 PDF instructions for Windows users.

http://openwrt.ebilan.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=138

Start again and complete ALL the steps.

Yes you do need to execute the 'tftpboot' command in PuTTY, because it is this command which actually pulls the initramfs file from the tftpd32 server.

Have you also considered installing LEDE instead of older OpenWRT ?

http://openwrt.ebilan.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=7

(Look for the 'LEDE for HH5a' v1.4 PDF)

[#14]

Thanks for the info, I had been thinking that the file had to be copied over by tftpd first before doing that step, will try again when I get home. I am using the v3.1 instructions.

I was having trouble deciding about which to use and recalled reading something about wifi not working one of the later versions so thought the openwrt one sounded safer.

[#15]

Tried the install again several times using both the LEDE files and the openwrt ones.

After entering the tftpboot' command in PuTTY for the relevant file I get a line of 'T' slowly coming up in putty then get 'retry count exceeded' along with some other stuff and it starts again with the 'T's.

Tried running tftpd32 as admin and moving the image files into the same folder as tftpd32 but just get same thing. Checked IP for the LAN port on the laptop and seems OK and tried a different cable, should the connection and data lights be working on the LAN port as nothing shows. The only indication I get that something is happening is the lights on the HH5 switch from green to red when the tftpboot line is entered.