Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH unresponsive after upgrade to Gargoyle 1.15.x BETA - 2025-03-31

[Garghoul]

My Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH was running Gargoyle Version: 1.10.X (Built 20180324-0955 git@68ce297), last upgraded with a *1.10.x-ar71xx-generic-wzr-hp-g300nh-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin file and configured in Bridge mode for a project some 5 years ago.

Since I now could no longer access its web interface via Ethernet, I did a factory reset, which then brought me to 192.168.1.1/firstboot.sh.
I then went to System → Update Firmware and used gargoyle_1.15.x-20250331-ath79-generic-buffalo_wzr-hp-g300nh-s-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin to upgrade to the latest version.

After the red DIAG LED turned off after some time, the then usually lit WIRELESS and ROUTER LEDs are now off, only those for POWER and the Movie Engine are on and the web interface at 192.168.1.1 does not connect.

My WZR was replaced on warranty around early 2012 and its model sticker reads WZR-HP-G300NH-R (-R likely to indicate the warranty replacement).
On the other sticker with the security information, the SSID starts with 0024A… and has "A2 F0B" to the right of its barcode.
Since I don't have any additional 4-character alphanumerical model code (e.g., B0B0, A0D0) as indicated at OpenWrt https://openwrt.org/toh/views/toh_fwdow ... =wzr-300hp, I am confident to have picked the correct firmware file for the older Realtek rtl8366s switch assumed to be used in my first generation device.

So, now the big question is, why did the upgrade to 1.15.x fail and how do I get access again to be able to try an older version, possibly even from prior to the ar71xx to ath79 transition?

My computer is running Linux Mint (Ubuntu based) and I am not afraid of the terminal. But since I fiddle with networking only every blue moon, I am not fluent in it and would appreciate detailed instructions.

[Lantis]

First question, did you attempt to preserve settings? That would have been a mistake. If that happened then you would attempt failsafe and reset the device again.

Assuming you did not do that, your next option is TFTP flashing.
https://openwrt.org/toh/buffalo/wzr-hp- ... %5D=g300nh

If that does not work, the only remaining option is to connect to serial.

I can’t confidently say whether you picked the right firmware or not. The logic seems plausible but who knows.

[Garghoul]

Lantis, thank you for your swift reply.

No, I didn't check the "Preserve Settings" option. Sorry for forgetting to mention it in my initial posting.
I was aware of the warnings, that this would likely cause trouble.

I'm going to try the "OEM installation using the TFTP method" as per your provided link.

Any recommendation if I should first try to use the last old style image
gargoyle_1.13.0-ar71xx-generic-wzr-hp-g300nh-squashfs-tftp.bin
or go ahead with one of the new style
gargoyle_1.14.0-ath79-generic-buffalo_wzr-hp-g300nh-s-squashfs-tftp.bin or your latest
gargoyle_1.15.x-20250331-ath79-generic-buffalo_wzr-hp-g300nh-s-squashfs-tftp.bin?

My understanding was that the old style "wzr-hp-g300nh" is the equivalent to now the new style "wzr-hp-g300nh-s" naming convention and the old "wzr-hp-g300nh2" is now corresponding to "wzr-hp-g300nh-rb".
Am I wrong with that?

[Lantis]

That seems correct.
To improve the likelihood of success (as we don’t know if Gargoyle is the culprit yet), I’d be inclined to TFTP flash it with plain OpenWrt first. Maybe 23.05.5?
If that is successful, you can then attempt to sysupgrade to Gargoyle 1.15.x after.

[pythonic]

My understanding was that the old style "wzr-hp-g300nh" is the equivalent to now the new style "wzr-hp-g300nh-s" naming convention and the old "wzr-hp-g300nh2" is now corresponding to "wzr-hp-g300nh-rb".
Am I wrong with that?

From my reading of the OpenWrt ToH pages for the devices, I think so:
- wzr-hp-g300nh-s -> wzr-hp-g300nh with "S" switch
- wzr-hp-g300nh-rb -> wzr-hp-g300nh with "RB" switch

The wzr-hp-g300nh2 looks to be a different device which now has images named wzr-hp-g302h-a1a0.

From the description flashing an "S" image on an "RB" device is likely to end up in failsafe mode but without any actual network (TFTP or serial recovery only); flashing an "RB" image to an "S" device seems likely to end up in failsafe but at least with networking. I'd be trying to confirm which switch chip your device actually has before further attempts at recovery.

I've also wondering whether the "-R" on your model label might actually suggest an "RB" switch chip instead of the "replacement"...

[Garghoul]

This is really quite confusing

[From my reading of the OpenWrt ToH pages for the devices, I think so:
- wzr-hp-g300nh-s -> wzr-hp-g300nh with "S" switch
- wzr-hp-g300nh-rb -> wzr-hp-g300nh with "RB" switch

The wzr-hp-g300nh2 looks to be a different device which now has images named wzr-hp-g302h-a1a0.

If memory serves from back in the days, there was initially the
wzr-hp-g300nh and the *ar71xx-generic-wzr-hp-g300nh-* images for it.
After some time it was discovered that those images suddenly didn't work any longer on newer wzr-hp-g300nh with apparently a different Realtek Ethernet switch and after some time the *ar71xx-generic-wzr-hp-g300nh2-* images additionally appeared for it.

Very shortly after having received my warranty replacement unit in, as I believe, early 2012 - but it could have been even still in mid/late 2011, I had learned about Gargoyle and switched from the stock Buffalo to it right away, using the *ar71xx-generic-wzr-hp-g300nh-* images for it ever since without any problems, up to at last 1.10.x from 2018-03-24. Then the router got shelved for the last 4 or 5 years.

[From the description flashing an "S" image on an "RB" device is likely to end up in failsafe mode but without any actual network (TFTP or serial recovery only)

That seems to describe the current situation, but it doesn't make any sense.
Since with the release of 1.14.0 there is no longer a *-wzr-hp-g300nh2-* image, the logical conclusion must be, that it now became the *_wzr-hp-g300nh-rb-* one.
And therefore, if the old style *-wzr-hp-g300nh-* image now got renamed to *_wzr-hp-g300nh-s-*, there is no apparent reason, why it suddenly shouldn't work any longer with the older RTL8366S Ethernet switch, *-wzr-hp-g300nh-* always did for all those years past.

[I'd be trying to confirm which switch chip your device actually has before further attempts at recovery.

That actually is the big elephant in the room.
I have no idea how to find that out other than unsoldering the metal shielding/heat sink from the PCB - and I don't have the equipment for it, since all those key components are hidden beneath, as can be seen here https://openwrt.org/toh/buffalo/wzr-hp-g300h#photos.

The only differences on my circuit board are:
- on the back, in the bottom right corner the production code to the right of the ЯU label says /039K instead of /0/ 8K
- on top of the PCB for the large memory chip at the bottom, I got a Zentel AS12D4QETP -65 instead of a Hynix HY5DU…
- and my board's serial number starts with 2010A28… rather than 2010521…, which could actually be the date, since this would match the production code 2010-10-28 inside the upper shell from its mould.

I am actually starting to wonder if there isn't some kind of naming mismatch with the new style images and the *_wzr-hp-g300nh-s- images are for devices with the -RB switch and vice versa.
The way things turned out so far in this endeavour, nothing makes any sense right now

[Garghoul]

Well, the good news is, that TFTP Recovery worked by following the steps here https://openwrt.org/toh/buffalo/wzr-hp-g300h#linux, but only with the last old style gargoyle_1.13.0-ar71xx-generic-wzr-hp-g300nh-squashfs-tftp.bin image.

It failed with openwrt-23.05.5-ath79-generic-buffalo_wzr-hp-g300nh-s-squashfs-tftp.bin, as did an "Upgrade Firmware" from Gargoyle 1.13.0 using gargoyle_1.14.0-ath79-generic-buffalo_wzr-hp-g300nh-s-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin, just like before, when I initially tried the upgrade from Gargoyle 1.10.x to the latest 1.15.x.

I am sooo confused right now

Fact is, that the old-style -ar71xx-generic-wzr-hp-g300nh- images worked with the originally used RTL8366S Ethernet switch and failed on later devices which secretly came with the RTL8366RB successor.

Since my device was working with those Gargoyle images since around version 1.4.x or 1.5.x, it cannot have the RTL8366RB.

Starting in https://forum.openwrt.org/t/buffalo-wzr ... 2/107521/7 josteink demonstrates, that his WZR-HP-G300NH B0B0 uses the "Realtek 8366SR switch ID 0x8366" and he ends up needing the "wzr-hp-g300nh-s series of images".
He also states that with the _wzr-hp-g300nh-rb- image he had ended up "(not up on network, serial console required)".

And this statement on https://openwrt.org/toh/buffalo/wzr-hp- ... stallation

"A0D0: Use “wzr-hp-g300nh-rb”-type images. (“wzr-hp-g300nh-s”-type images will boot, but will enter failsafe mode without network support. If you did that, you will have to use serial terminal to flash firmware and recover).
"B0B0: Use “wzr-hp-g300nh-s”-type images. (“wzr-hp-g300nh-rb”-type images will boot, but will constantly enter failsafe mode)."

doesn't make it any easier. I ended up not having network support, yet didn't need to use the serial access to recover.
And if "will constantly enter failsafe mode" happens, will access for TFTP recovery then still be possible?

Since I don't have header pins for the serial port, solder equipment and a USB-to-Serial cable/adapter, I don't want to take the risk to try a -g300nh-rb- image on my device, brick it and then be unable to recover. And "constantly enter failsafe mode" should be indicated by some blinking or flashing DIAG LED, should it not?

For all intents and purposes, the new style -ath79-*-g300nh-s images should work on my device as well, but for reasons unknown they don't.
And here I am at the end of my wits

[Lantis]

It’s hard to advise any further, and I agree that without serial you’re at a bit of a decision point which will either pay off or get you really stuck.

Unpopular option, replace the hardware. It’s old, there’s better stuff out there for reasonable (and unreasonable) prices.
But I know that is not always possible.

[pythonic]

With the old ar71xx target, the one image could be made to handle both switch variants and this seems to have been done once the "S" vs "RB" switch issue was identified (per OpenWrt device page). With the transition to the ath79 target this is no longer feasible so there are images for each switch type. So I think it is possible that your device has the "RB" switch rather than the "S" switch.

If my understanding is correct about later ar71xx images supporting both switch types, it is possible that the boot log might report which switch chip was found.

According to the OpenWrt device page the -nh2 device always was distinct (different CPU and wireless chip) from the -nh device and presumably to reduce confusion in the ath79 target context the -nh2 device images now use the device model name from the Japanese market variant (wzr-hp-g302h).

[Garghoul]

Ahh, nice, gargoyle-router.com now back alive again

If my understanding is correct about later ar71xx images supporting both switch types, it is possible that the boot log might report which switch chip was found.

That seems to be the only reasonable logical step left to take right now.
Quickly glancing through Gargoyles menu, I didn't see an option for it.

The question now is, how do I get to the boot log?
And here I would need step-by-step instructions, please.