How to Downgrade or Install Custom Firmware

How to Downgrade or Install Custom Firmware main image How to Downgrade or Install Custom Firmware image

This guide details how to install custom firmware or downgrade to an earlier version of TelcOS Melaleuca.

Overview

  1. Copy the firmware file to the router using the Secure Copy command - scp
  2. Use the sysupgrade command with the force flag, -F, supplying the filename as the parameter.

Example of a complete command sequence

  1. scp /home/firmware.bin root@192.168.1.1:/tmp/up.bin
  2. ssh root@192.168.1.1
  3. sysupgrade -F -n /tmp/up.bin

In the first command we copy the custom firmware file from our computer to the T1's RAM, supplying the root user password when prompted.  In the second command we log in to the T1 via SSH so we can run the command in step 3.  Finally we execute the sysupgrade command.  -F means to ignore any firmware image validation checks, so be careful to use firmware that will actually boot and run on your device, or you will be performing a bootloader recovery.  The -n option is recommended in this type of situation, it just means do not preserve any settings, i.e. perform a clean installation.

At this stage you should notice the T1 rebooting; give it a few minutes to complete the installation then try to access your device.  We encourage our customers to excercise their freedom to experiment with third party firmware and we participate in the upstream communities that help develop this software, however we do not provide direct support for third party firmware.