Mweb range extender

I've turned the range extender into a useful Edimax EW-7438RPn V2.
I would appreciate it is someone could try this and report back with a 'virgin' unadulterated MWEB device, since mine has now gone through 4 different firmwares...

Preperation:
Plug the device in where you can reach it.
install tftp32 on your windows box
Download http://www.edimax.com/images/Image/F...grade_tool.zip
Extract the zip, the rename the exe to zip, then extract the zip again.
Copy EW7438RPNv2_Edimax_1.11_upg.bin to fw.bin
place fw.bin in the tftp32 tftp folder.
change your PC's LAN IP address to 192.168.1.1
connect LAN cable directly to ethernet port on device


Steps:
1) Switch off device
2) Keep WPS button in while switching on device - This should put the device in TFTP receiver mode, using bootloader IP address 192.168.1.6
3) tftp ipload fw.bin
4) wait 3 minutes, device should auto reboot. If not, just switch off & on again
5) Notice that there is a new, unsecured wifi network SSID, starting with "EDIMAX.."
6) Connect to this AP, you should get an ip address in the 192.168 range, your dhcp assigned router is the ip address of the device.
7) Browse to the device and continue with mode selection and setup.


The device is actually quite useful as a wifi <-> ethernet bridge (In my case for a canon printer with seriously **** wifi). It should be greate to connect things like PS3s (also crappy wifi) and other kit that doesn't have built in wifi to your network.

Believe it or not, the device can be used as a full (ish) Access Point!

Also, I tried to see if we can turn this into something interesting by self compiling the firmware, but the vendor supplied toolchain setup makes me want to gouge my eye out with a pen, and in any case, only 2 mb flash is pretty limited.

Enjoy
//
The Sproggg
 
Think my issue is the extender is kaput. Checked with wifi analyzer, the wifi signal comes up for a few seconds, and then disapears. Can't get it to go into bootloader mode. With PC in non static IP mode, it assigns the PC an IP in 169.254 range.
 
Just want to say thanks for the folks who contributed to this thread. Was able to restore to stock firmware and get a usable and decent extender.

I had some rooms that were only getting 1mbs, with the extender they now get 10mbs and a stable ping. Not great for copying large files or anything, but a substantial improvement for internet use.
 
This thread just keeps on getting extended.

I've tried TFTP route, but this thing is frying my mind. I then decided to try and run the edimax upgrade tool. This ran quite nicely until the tool requested a "6 digit key" - I Googled "Edimax 6 digit key" and somehow spotted that it is the last six digits of the MAC (printed on the extender). I entered it and voila I got past this screen - only to be asked for "EW-7438RPN V2 Password" and they are friendly enough to mention that the default is 1234. I entered 1234 and get a message "password failed". I didn't change this and I'm able to access the web interface setup mode (192.168.2.2 > username: admin > password: 1234).

Any suggestions?
 
PStemmet said:
Hey guys

Same here, thanks to @geniass and @Hoster for sharing the love!

For those still struggling, don't follow @spatulacat's youtube example just yet (although I was very tempted at some point :)

Here are some tips that I picked up after my 12th attempt was finally successful:

Make sure to check on your TFTP server that the .bin file has indeed been copied. In my case only the FW_Upgrade file copied, resulting in the old firmware to be executed every time. For some reason I had to change the name V1.00(AANK.3)C0.bin to something shorter. Only then did the TFTP server copy it. I changed it to V1.00C0.bin, but you can probably change it to whatever as long as it contains the .bin extension.

; echo "`tftp -g -l /etc/fw_upgrade -r fw_upgrade 192.168.2.100; tftp -g -l /etc/fw.bin -r V1.00C0.bin 192.168.2.100`"

Then run

; echo "`chmod +x /etc/fw_upgrade; ls -al /etc`"

and then

; echo "`/etc/fw_upgrade upg /etc/fw.bin`"

and make sure that the start (; echo "`) and end (`") paramaters are included in that last line.

The "GO" tab will then be greyed out for a few mins indicating that it is doing the upgrade. Try IP 192.168.1.2 after 5mins and voila!, it should open the GUI showing the new firmware and config.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Hi There, sorry to resurrect this thread, but I'm indeed still struggling.
Firstly: I'm using TFTPD64 as my server (Windows 7) and if I click on browse, I can see both the files in the directory.
I'm sure if there is a further step to upload these files to the server, but assume the server only grants access to them?
I've modified the code to refer to my .bin filename and kept the original FW_upgrade file unchanged.
I enter the "http://192.168.2.2/mp.asp" page and enter the code as follows:
; echo "`tftp -g -l /etc/fw_upgrade -r fw_upgrade 192.168.2.100; tftp -g -l /etc/fw.bin -r FW.bin 192.168.2.100`"
(the underlined name being my .bin file)
After a couple of seconds the command is repeated on the page (in red).
I enter the second line and after a couple of seconds a list of different file names is shown in red.
I then proceed to enter the last line and within seconds (not minutes) the line is repeated in red and the greyed out "GO" button is black again.
After that everything remains unchanged and it doesn't seem like the firmware was flashed.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi all, just a quick THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH for the solution presented in this thread. I had one of these repeaters when MWeb first started handing them out and was close to committing suicide out of frustration. Found this thread a few days ago and within 30 mins was up and running... All contributions most greatfully appreciated. You all have an awesome 2016. Be struck with success and never recover!!
 
nadimm said:
Can't seem to access the Web interface on 192.168.1.2 or. 2.2.
Click to expand...

Same here, for the life of me it doesn't bring up a web page.

I get a brief ping response from 192.168.2.2 that shortly disappears never to return again.

Is the reset process of holding the WPS button the only one?
 
[email protected] said:
Hi Mets, in your edited code, are you sure that 192.168.2.100 is your tftp server ip (your pc)?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's my pc - I setup a static IP on that address and set my default gateway as 192.168.2.2 (the extender).

I start off by resetting the extender (holding down the WPS key) and wait until I'm able to ping the IP again.
I start my TFTP server (I've tried TFTPD64 and Solarwinds TFTP Server).
I bind the 192.168.2.100 address to server and I'm sure the root folder contains my 2x files
I enter the mp.asp page and paste the code into the text box.
Everything seems to work (I get the same code that I entered in red under the V1.01 # below the text box), but on step 9
I get the confirmation within about 5 seconds and then the "Go" button turns black again.

I have no idea where I'm going wrong. Is there any way to see if the files were successfully uploaded to the extender?

If you can check my code (I've copied and edited in a notepad file) and maybe see if there is anything wrong:

The upgrade file is the lates Edimax upgrade for this extender and the name is the same as it is in the root*
; echo "`tftp -g -l /etc/fw_upgrade -r fw_upgrade 192.168.2.100; tftp -g -l /etc/fw.bin -r EW7438RPNv2.bin 192.168.2.100`"
The next line was left unchanged and copied from this thread
; echo "`chmod +x /etc/fw_upgrade; ls -al /etc`"
The next line is the corrected line as per @Hoster
; echo "`/etc/fw_upgrade upg /etc/fw.bin`"

*I've tried this line with the latest Zyxel firmware with the exact same result
 
Ok, I'm still struggling with this extender - I've tried all the tricks I could find both here and on the net. I'm trying to make sense of the different commands and actions - I'm a total noob in this regard and the answer is probably something very obvious to someone with more knowledge. I've never set up a tftp server and entering command lines is a bit foreign to me.

What I'll try to do here is give a summary of EVERYTHING I've tried and maybe someone can spot my mistake and assist the following person without repeating all the steps. This is for the Edimax firmware, but as mentioned the Zyxel firmware does the same.

Preparation:
Enable TFTP Server on Windows 7
Change the network adapter settings as follows:
IP: 192.168.2.100 (Static)
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.2.2 (Extender's default IP)
Download the latest firmware file from Edimax (EW-7438RPN V2)
Extract the .zip and change the .exe file to .zip in order to extract the .bin file containing the firmware
Download the fw_upgrade file as provided by @Geniass on this thread
Download and install TFTPD64 - Copy both the "Firmware".bin file and fw_upgrade into the TFTPD64 directory

Setup TFTPD64 via the "Settings" tab:
"Global Tab"
Only TFTP Server is selected (tick box)
"TFTP Tab"
Base directory - Browse and select TFTPD64
TFTP Security - Set to "Standard" (or None)
Advanced TFTP Options - Select only: "Option negotiation", "Show Progress bar", "Translate Unix file names" and "Allow “\” as virtual root"
Advanced TFTP Options - Now also select "Bind TFTP to this address" and enter the pc's static ip (192.168.2.100)
Click "OK" and allow TFTPD64 to restart as required
Re-open the TFTPD64 program and make sure of the following fields:
Current directory: C:\TFTPD64 (must be the same as set in "base directory" above)
Server interface: 192.168.2.100 (must be the same as "Bind TFTP to this address"
Minimize TFTPD64 BUT DO NOT CLOSE

Plug the extender into the wall socket and connect it directly to the pc via ethernet cable
Hold down the WPS (key) button for 10-seconds (until "Power LED starts flashing slowly) = Reset

ping the extender (ping 192.168.2.2) via command line until a successful response is received

Open browser
Enter "http://192.168.2.2/mp.asp"
A page opens containing a text box with a "GO" button next to it (V1.01 # is also visible below the text box)
Enter the following line into the text box:
; echo "`tftp -g -l /etc/fw_upgrade -r fw_upgrade 192.168.2.100; tftp -g -l /etc/fw.bin -r EW7438RPNv2.bin 192.168.2.100`"
EW7438RPNv2.bin - This name must be exactly the same as the .bin file the TFTPD64 directory
Press "GO" - There is a slight pause and then the command is repeated in red below V1.01 #
Enter the second line in the text box:
; echo "`chmod +x /etc/fw_upgrade; ls -al /etc`"
Press "GO" - There is a slight pause and then a list of files are indicated in red below V1.01 #
The following files are included near the bottom of the list: fw_upgrade and EW7438RPNv2.bin
Enter the third and last line in the text box:
; echo "`/etc/fw_upgrade upg /etc/fw.bin`"
Press "GO"

Now here is where everything changes for me. Most of the successful people says that there is a 4 to 5 minute delay and then the "GO"
button turns back to its available state. Mine takes about three seconds and returns to black - the command line is again repeated in red below the text box.

This is step by step what I've tried (numerous times) - Is there anything you guys are doing differently?
 
I flashed my extender with the Zyxel firmware (using the mp.asp input box procedure) and its miles better now. However, I want to flash the Edimax firmware now but having issues. Any pointers on doing this? Using the above mentioned procedure doesn't seem to work if you are already on Zyxel firmware.
 
cant seem to flash from Zyxels firmware to Edimax

Elaai said:
I flashed my extender with the Zyxel firmware (using the mp.asp input box procedure) and its miles better now. However, I want to flash the Edimax firmware now but having issues. Any pointers on doing this? Using the above mentioned procedure doesn't seem to work if you are already on Zyxel firmware.
Click to expand...

I'm struggling with the same issue. @Elaai @geniass

the mp.asp script file on the Zyxel firmware wont allow those 'echo' commands, making it impossible to upgrade to any other type of firmware.

I've tried flashing older version of the Zyxel firmware to see if that exploit still existed, but no luck with those commands yet. The web interface from the zyxel firmware allows the firmware to be updated via file upload, but it wont allow EDIMAX's firmware to be used.:twisted:
 
Just a word of thanks to everyone that contributed to this. Successfully flashed firmware on my old repeater after many hours of head scratching this weekend.
The main stumbling block was that I didn't download the fw_upgrade file mentioned in the original guide. I was trying to use the fw_upgrade included in the firmware package. WRONG!
Also, just a note to anyone else trying this, you shouldn't need to mess around with IP addresses and DHCP and whatnot for TFTP to work. I just used an IP address for TFTP that was on the same subnet as the repeater, 169.xxx.xxx.xxx if memory serves correctly.
The hardest part is literally transferring the files.
 
Sproggit said:
I've turned the range extender into a useful Edimax EW-7438RPn V2.
...
Enjoy
//
The Sproggg
Click to expand...

I know this is an old thread, just wanted to thank Sproggit. Followed your directions exactly and it worked. The device I had was never touched since I received it about a year ago but your directions were spot on. Worked first time.
 
Many thanks to Sproggit & sh3rIIf

Successfuly flashed untouched MWEB extender with Edimax firmware version EW-7438RPn_v2_v1.21_Firmware_Upgrade_tool.zip

Step 3 wasn't clear enough
Sproggit said:
Steps:
1) Switch off device
2) Keep WPS button in while switching on device - This should put the device in TFTP receiver mode, using bootloader IP address 192.168.1.6
3) tftp ipload fw.bin
Click to expand...
When I used tftpd32 built-in client, options are as follows:
Host: 192.168.1.6
Port: 69
Local File: (point to your local file)
Remote File: fw.bin
Block Size: Default

Click on 'Put' button. After router reboots a new unprotected "Edimax Setup 04" SSID shows up. Unplug LAN cable, as PC adapter will not get DHCP configuration over here, you must configure device over WiFi connection. Default IP address is 192.168.9.2.
 
Last edited:
urgh...guys i'm lost....
did all...and more posted on here....managed to flash but now i can't connect to the thing?
how do i find it? the IP that is....change to .2 ip range where i found it previously but now it's gone :(

crying over here
 
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