How to Flash Your Wi-Fi Router?


As the Internet is increasingly becoming an inseparable aspect of our lives, having a high-quality and fast Internet connection are significant requirements for success. It is well known that when connecting to the Internet, you may encounter a variety of problems that appear to conflict with the primary aim of having a quick and stable connection. One of these problems might be caused by faults in the router firmware.

When faced with an issue like this, most people go to a repair facility; however, you can flash the router without leaving your house.

Let us demonstrate how to do it using a TP-Link router as an example; however, this method will work with any model.

What is a Router Firmware?

Firmware is a chunk of microcode stored in a computer, tablet PC, smartphone, GPS navigation system, or any other digital device's nonvolatile (permanent) memory.

To put it another way, it's a type of operating system made up of a large number of little apps. This microcode (firmware) is stored in a device's permanent memory, and reflashing is the process of updating it.

  • You should only flash a router if it is absolutely essential. If it isn’t busted, don't fix it (there's no need to fix what works well), as most experts advise.

  • However, if you observe failures or freezes, if Wi-Fi switches on and off on its own, or if your Internet connection is often lost, you should upgrade the router firmware.

  • Furthermore, upgrading the microcode makes sense if newer versions include technical modifications that you require to do for fine-tuning of your router, if they provide support for new standards, or if there is a new version of the firmware that fixes an essential security concern. For example, in the Wi-Fi protocol, or if your router's interface is only available in English or another language, and you want to alter it.

  • To unlock your router, you may also require updated firmware. Alternative firmware is frequently installed, along with new drivers and apps (IPTV, Voip, Proxy, torrent clients, webcams, modem support, etc.).

However, there is little use in upgrading your router if it is working properly and new firmware versions do not offer significant improvements. Just because your router is broadcasting a poor Wi-Fi signal doesn't imply it has to be reflashed. The router may be positioned in the incorrectly, or other factors may affect the signal level.

Steps Involved in Flashing a Router

Follow the steps given below if you need to flash a router.

  • Step 1 −Before you begin flashing the router, make sure it is disconnected from the Internet and the network. This will make sure that there is no interference. It entails unplugging any wires from the WAN/Internet and LAN/Ethernet ports.

  • Step 2 −Then, using a network cable that generally comes with the router, connect it to the computer. Wi-Fi flashing of a router is not encouraged. The network wire should be connected to the router's LAN/Ethernet port.

  • Step 3 −You should now access the device's web interface. To do so, open any browser on your computer and enter the router's IP address, which you can see on the sticker. It is usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. However, it might also be tplinkwifi.net or tplinklogin.net. To access the settings, enter the username and password in the box that appears: These are admin and admin by default, and you may see them on the same sticker.

  • Step 4 −It's time to establish a restore point after you've accessed the router settings. Look for Backup & Restore under the System Tools menu. Select the Backup option and navigate to the location where you want to store the settings file.

  • Step 5 −Furthermore, it is suggested that you create a restore point for settings regardless of what you are trying to perform with the router software. It should be done so that the current settings may be recovered if something goes wrong. This simple precaution will save you not only time and mental health but also money, as you will not have to pay the ISP experts to restore your router back to life.

  • Step 6 −Finally, there's the flashing itself. Look for Firmware Upgrade under the System Tools menu. Select the firmware file you downloaded by clicking on it, then click Upgrade. You must wait till the procedure is completed.

There's one more item to consider. You shouldn't do anything with the router while it's being flashed. If you do, the old firmware will be uninstalled, but the new version will not be installed yet, resulting in a failure. If this occurs, there are slim prospects of recovering the device. When the flashing operation is complete, the router will reboot and wait for setup operations - but now with new firmware.

How to Restore Router Configuration?

After the router has been updated successfully, you can go back to the previous settings. And it's at this point that the file you created before to the flashing procedure becomes helpful.

  • Select System Tools / Backup & Restore from the drop-down menu.

  • Choose a file by clicking on it.

  • Click Restore and provide the path to the previously produced file.

That's all, the flashing operation is now complete, and you can see how simple and quick it was. It does, however, necessitate your whole attention, since one erroneous action might cause the gadget to malfunction.

If the flashing is done correctly, the device should function promptly and consistently without any faults, offering the signal quality that the manufacturer guarantees.

Updated on: 11-Apr-2022

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