Using OpenWRT with TP-Link WR841N

TP-LinkWR841N_OpenWRT.md

📘 Installing OpenWRT on TP-Link TL-WR841N (v14)

⚠️ Warning: Flashing custom firmware may void your warranty or brick your device if not done correctly. Proceed with caution.

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✅ Prerequisites

• TP-Link TL-WR841N v14 router
• Ethernet cable (to connect your PC to the router's LAN port)
• OpenWRT .bin firmware from the following repository:
  📎 https://github.com/tosiara/openwrt-wr841n-v14/releases

If you are upgrading from OpenWRT, follow the sysupgrade steps below.

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🔧 1. Download the Firmware

Download the correct firmware for your use case:

Here's the markdown table you requested:

Configuration	File Name	Size
Default	openwrt-ramips-mt76x8-tplink_tl-wr841n-v14-squashfs-sysupgrade-default.bin.gz	3.41 MB
Tiniest-luci	openwrt-ramips-mt76x8-tplink_tl-wr841n-v14-squashfs-sysupgrade-tiniest-luci.bin.gz	3.26 MB
Tiniest	openwrt-ramips-mt76x8-tplink_tl-wr841n-v14-squashfs-sysupgrade-tiniest.bin.gz	2.9 MB

• Rename the downloaded file for convenience:

mv  openwrt-ramips-mt76x8-tplink_tl-wr841n-v14-squashfs-sysupgrade-default.bin.gz  openwrt-image.bin

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💻 2. Connect to the Router via Ethernet

• Connect your PC to a LAN port on the router.

• Set a static IP on your PC:

  • IP: 192.168.1.100
  • Netmask: 255.255.255.0

• Confirm the connection by pinging the router:

ping 192.168.1.1

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📤 3. Transfer the Firmware to the Router

• Use scp to copy the firmware image to the router's /tmp directory:

scp openwrt-image.bin root@192.168.1.1:/tmp

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🔐 4. SSH into the Router

• Connect to the router via SSH:

ssh root@192.168.1.1

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💾 5. Flash the Firmware

• Run the following command on the router to flash the firmware:

sysupgrade /tmp/openwrt-image.bin

⚠️ The router will reboot automatically after flashing.
Do not unplug or power off the router during the process.

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✅ 6. After Reboot

• Wait for about 2 minutes, then reconnect via SSH:

ssh root@192.168.1.1

If the login succeeds, OpenWRT has been successfully installed.

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