EasyTomato Installation Guide

Last modified: January 22, 2013
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Installing EasyTomato is simple, and you only need to do it one time, for the life of your router.

You don’t need to be a wireless wizard to do this. You will only be installing two files on the router. The whole process takes about 10 minutes.

Read this document first, to see how easy the installation process is. If you still feel uncomfortable about performing the installation, find a more technically experienced person to help you.

If, after studying this document, you believe that you will be unable to perform the procedure, you can purchase pre-installed routers from Relief Lab.

NOTE This document assumes that you are performing the installation on a Windows machine and are using Firefox version 10. You can install EasyTomato with other operating systems and browsers, but you will see slightly different dialogs at some places in the installation process.

What happens during the installation

The process involves installing two firmware files on your router (“firmware” is the name for a software program that controls routers).

First you install a mini-version of the DD-WRT firmware, then you replace the DD-WRT firmware with the EasyTomato firmware. The intermediary DD-WRT firmware makes it possible for your router to recognize and install EasyTomato.

When you are done, your router is running the EasyTomato firmware. Neither the intermediary DD-WRT firmware nor the original Asus firmware is present on your router at this point.

TIP Whenever you are asked for a password and user name during the installation, always enter admin as both username and password.

Requirements for installing EasyTomato

There is only one requirement: Your router must be an Asus RT-N16.

If you try to install EasyTomato on the wrong type of router, you could render the router inoperable and possibly irrecoverably damage it.

CAUTION! DO NOT attempt to install EasyTomato on any router that is not an Asus RT-N16. Attempting to do this could permanently damage the router. See the information provided below about how to determine if you have an Asus RT-N16 router.


Obtaining the installation files

Before you begin the installation, you need to download the two firmware files that you will be installing.

• 1st_Flash_ddwrt.trx (this is the DD-WRT image file)

• 2nd_Flash_EasyTomato.trx (this is the EasyTomato image file)

You can download these files as a zip from the EasyTomato website: www.easytomato.org/downloads

 Preparing for the installation: Best practices

Before you begin, print this document and make sure that you have the installation files. You will not have internet access during the installation.

It’s a good idea to read through the entire procedure before you begin, so you’ll have an idea of what you’ll be doing.

During the installation, it is important to make sure that the router does not lose power. For this reason, it is best to perform the installation in a stable environment and not in a location with rapidly and unpredictably shifting conditions, such as a disaster zone.

If you are performing this installation as part of a router upgrade, keep the original router as a backup.

If you are operating in a remote location or if internet access is mission-critical, always have a backup router ready for use in the event of problems.

Performing the installation

Make sure that you have secure access to power and the internet.

  1. Confirm that your router is an Asus RT-N16. For information on how to check this, see “Requirements for installing EasyTomato,” above.
  2. Make sure that the router is powered-up, turned on, and fully booted up.
  3. Connect your computer to the router with a network cable. Plug the cable into any of the yellow LAN ports. Do not connect the cable to the blue WAN port.
NOTE Do not attempt to perform the installation over a wireless connection. You could experience errors and have to recover your router if you do this.

  1. Unplug any other devices that are connected to the router.
  2. Open a browser and enter the IP address of your router ( http://192.168.1.1). The Asus firmware main screen appears, and you are asked to log in.
  3. Log in to the Asus firmware by entering admin for both the username and the password.
  4. Click the firmware version number at the top of the screen.

 

  1. The Asus Administration Firmware Upgrade screen appears. Now you will install the DD-WRT firmware on the router.
    1. In the New Firmware File field, browse to the DD-WRT installation file (1st_Flash_dd_wrt_mini_RT-n16.trx).
    2. Click Upload. The installation begins, and a progress bar appears. When the installation completes, the DD-WRT control panel appears.
CAUTION!    It is important not to interrupt the installation. Do not turn off the computer, close the web browser, power cycle the router, or disconnect the router from its power supply until the router has rebooted itself and you see the DD-WRT control panel.

  1. In the DD-WRT login screen, enter admin into all three fields > click Change Password.

  1. The DD-WRT control panel appears. Now you will install the EasyTomato file on the router.
    1. Click the Administration tab > click the Firmware Upgrade tab. If prompted, re-enter admin as both the username and the password.

    1. The Firmware Management screen appears. Select Reset to Default Settings from the drop-down menu.
    2. Browse to the EasyTomato file (2nd_Flash_EasyTomato.trx ).
    3. Click Upgrade. The installation begins, and a progress bar appears.
CAUTION! Just like when you installed the first file, make sure that your router does not lose power and that the browser does not close until the router has rebooted itself and you see the EasyTomato setup screen.

 

 

    1. When the installation completes, the Upgrade Successful screen appears. Click Continue.

  1. Now you must reset the router.
    1. Disconnect the router power cord.
    2. Press and hold the red WPS button on the back of the router, and reconnect the power cord while you are holding the button down. Do not release the button yet! (Note: The power light button on the front of the router blinks rapidly when you hold the WPS button down.)
    3. Hold the button down for 10 seconds, then release it. The router reboots itself at this point.

  1. When the EasyTomato Setup screen appears, you are done. Re-connect any cables that you disconnected before you began.

Congratulations! You just installed EasyTomato. That wasn’t so hard, was it?
Now you need to set up EasyTomato to work on your network. You’ll find the instructions for this in the EasyTomato User Guide.