Cannot reset to default settings

[lollapalooza]

Last week I installed latest version (1.6.1) on my NetGear WNDR3700v2, and it worked like a charme for mamy days.

This was the configuration:
- WAN side: get connection (DHCP) from existing 2.4 GHz WiFi (let's call it "MAIN") - IP: 172.16.1.40/24.
- LAN side: different subnet (192.168.1.1/24), both for wired and WiFi (SSID "SECONDARY" on 2.4 and 5 GHz).

At a certain point I wanted to enable AES on LAN side WiFi, and checking on the forum I found a link to this page:
http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/uci/wireless#wpa.modes

According to this page I modified my /etc/config/wireless file by putting "psk2+tkip+aes" in the right sections.

Still everything was working correctly...

After that (damn me!!) I wanted to revert back to original configuration, so I took away "+tkip+aes" from the configuration, but I think I made a mess somewhere else, because it stopped working.

I tried the following:
- Delete /etc/config/wireless and created a new one with wifi detect command
- Reset to default via Gargoyle web interface
- Re-upload latest Gargoyle firmware
- firstboot
- Recovery mode -> upload latest Netgear Firmware -> reset to defaults - upload latest Gargoyle firmware.

I also noticed something strange: the very first time I installed the Gargoyle firmware, the default SSID was Gargoyle.
Now, after every configuration reset or firmware re-installation (even after the last step), the default SSID is OpenWrt.

I think that there is one or more configuration files that are not deleted by factory reset (nor by installing again the Netgear firmware)... That's the only reason for the "OpenWrt" SSID I can think of.

The problem is to figure out what is/are the files.
Any idea?

Is there any reset procedure that is "deeper" than the factory reset?

Now I cannot use the router as Client+AP...
If I use the router in "client" mode everything works fine: the router acquires the IP from WiFi, and wired LAN works very well.

If I set the wireless as "Client + AP", the router behave like loosing the 2.4 GHz band: it does not catch the WiFi signal (from MAIN) and does not broadcast the 2.4 GHz SSID. It still does broadcast the 5 GHz SSID, and wired/wireless (5 GHz only) LAN works correctly (even the DHCP server), but of course there's no connectivity to the WAN side.

[StopSpazzing]

Try a 30/30/30 reset.

Google it if you don't know what this is as you should have done this after before and after flashing to gargoyle.

factory reset just restores default settings on most routers. If there corrupted memory in nvram this will not fix the issue.

Instead of manually editing files, next time use the GUI.

Another note: if you are using wireless N, to support the standard properly your WPA/WPA2 needs to AES encrypted if using a password.

[lollapalooza]

Dear StopSpazzing,
It is just by googling (a lot) and reading the forum that I fount most of the "solutions" that I have tried, but wito no luck.
I also tried a 30/30/30 reset, but still no luck.

And guess what?
Maybe you didn'not read thoroughly my post, because the one you mentioned it's exactly the reason why I had to manually edit the files.

I know that I need to use AES encryption in order to fully comply the N standard, but the GUI does not show "AES" in the encryption drop down menu.

Anyway I found a solution... I installed DD-WRT and it's perfectly working, even though it's more complicated to configure.

[StopSpazzing]

One thing you didn't mention was if you redownloaded the 1.6.1 firmware and verified its checksum, or if you just "re-uploaded the Gargoyle Firmware" because if you downloaded the file that wasnt exact match to original you could get all sorts of issues. My guess is you just reuploaded the file you already had, making the same problem come back.

[lollapalooza]

I reuploaded the same firmware... the same file I uploaded the first time and that was working properly.

I also tried to download again the file from the website and re-upload to the router, but still no luck.

My guess is that (for some reason) when I modified that file (and that's the only one that I have modified) some other stuff in some other place has changed.... and it's a memory area that isn't cleared when resetting or uploading new firmware.

[StopSpazzing]

I reuploaded the same firmware... the same file I uploaded the first time and that was working properly.

I also tried to download again the file from the website and re-upload to the router, but still no luck.

My guess is that (for some reason) when I modified that file (and that's the only one that I have modified) some other stuff in some other place has changed.... and it's a memory area that isn't cleared when resetting or uploading new firmware.

It's called nvram, a 30/30/30 reset clears it when done properly.

[lollapalooza]

Unfortunately it didn't work.
As I wrote, the only solution I found is to install DD-WRT...

[n0pin]

You could try running "mtd -r erase rootfs_data" command to remove settings, but this still doesn't explain how they survived flash of stock firmware .

[lollapalooza]

I don't really know (and I can't find an explaination) how something survived after many resets, firmware flashes, firstboot procedure, etc...

But now I'm fine with DD-WRT