 Hello everybody! In this video, I'm going to tell you how to flash a Wi-Fi router, why people do it, and when a router should be flashed. We will also find out where and how to download the latest firmware for a particular router model, how to flash standard and third-party firmware, and how to recover a bricked router. If you need to recover deleted data, view or restore removed browsing history. Hetman software products will help you. Follow the link in the description. Download the necessary program for free. Follow it and analyze the disk. The utility will show you the data you can recover, so you will be able to view it or get it back. In our channel and blog, you will find solutions to any problem, from installing an operating system or configuring it, to fixing possible bugs and errors or optimizing mobile gadgets. Our specialists will answer any questions you ask in your comments, under the videos or articles. Every day the internet is becoming a more and more indispensable part of our lives. That is why high-quality and fast internet connection becomes a key to success. It is common knowledge that when connecting to the internet, you might face all kinds of issues that seem to disagree with the paramount goal of having a fast and reliable connection. One of such issues can be related to errors in the router's firmware. When faced with such problem, most users tend to contact a service center. However, you can just as well flash the router without leaving your place. I will show you how to do it with the example of a tippling router. However, as most routers have similar functionality, this tutorial will help you in dealing with other models regardless of the actual manufacturer. The only thing that may really differ is the interface of the settings menu. When you buy a router from a shop, don't be too confident about its having the latest software on board. You may not know when exactly it was produced and how much time it spent lying on the shelf. Routers supplied with all the versions of their built-in software usually have security vulnerabilities. What is router firmware? Firmware is a piece of microcode stored in the nonvolatile or permanent memory of a computer, tablet PC, smartphone, GPS navigation system or any other digital device. In other words, it is a kind of an operating system which is made up of a huge number of small applications. This microcode, firmware, is stored in the permanent memory of a device, and the process of its upgrading is known as reflashing. Why flash a router? You should flash a router only when it is really necessary. As most experts say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. There is no need to repair what works properly. Yet, it is recommended to upgrade the router firmware when you notice failures or freezes, when Wi-Fi turns on and off completely on its own, or when Internet connection gets lost all the time. Besides, it makes sense to upgrade the microcode if newer versions feature certain technical changes which you need for fine-tuning your router, or if they introduce support for some new standards. If there is a new version of the firmware fixing an important security issue, for example in the Wi-Fi protocol, or your router has its interface in English or other language only, and you would like to change the interface language, you may also need new firmware to unlock your router or unbind it from a certain service provider. Often, people install alternative firmware which comes supplemented with new drivers and applications, such as IPTV, VoIP, Proxy, Torrent Clients, Webcams, Modem Support, etc. But, as long as your router works without any serious issues and new firmware versions don't contain any considerable changes, there is little sense in upgrading it. By the way, if you notice that your router provides a weak Wi-Fi signal in a wireless network, it doesn't mean that it needs reflashing. The router may be positioned in the wrong way, or other factors may affect the level of signal. What you should know before flashing and looking for a compatible firmware version. First of all, it should be understood that possible mistakes when upgrading your device may deprive you of your warranty and make the device inoperable, without any hope to repair it. To begin with, you should know the device model and its hardware version. The easiest way to learn them is to have a look at the sticker on the bottom side of the device. You can see the module, address, hardware version and other information. For example, my router's hardware version is 9.1. When you know the model and hardware version, it's time to look for compatible firmware. To do it, go to the official website of the router manufacturer. Look for a tab with the name Support and give the router model in the search field. Then click the Support link and select the hardware version. Then click on the tab Firmware below. Look for the latest firmware version with the language you prefer and click Download. After that, extract the file to any convenient directory. That's all. The only thing left to do is to install it onto the router. Flash in the router Before you start flashing the router, disconnect it from the provider and the network so that there is no interference. Then connect the router to the computer with a network cable which usually comes supplied with the device. It is not recommended to flash a router by Wi-Fi. The network cable should be plugged into the LAN port of the router. Now, you should enter the web interface of the device. To do it, use your computer to open any browser and type in the router's IP address which you've just found on the sticker. Usually it's like 192.168.11 or 192.168.01 and so on. In the window that opens, enter the login and the password to access the settings. By default, these are admin and admin, and you can see it on the same sticker. After you open the router settings, it's time to create a restore point. Go to the tab System Tools and look for backup and restore. Click on the Backup button and specify the path where you want to save the file containing the settings. Here is an important piece of advice. No matter what you are trying to do with the router software, it is recommended to create a restore point for the settings. It should be done to have a chance of recovering the current settings in case anything goes wrong. This simple precaution can save not only your time in mental health but also your money, which you would have to spend on paying the ISP engineers for bringing your router back to life. Finally, the flashing process itself. Go to the tab System Tools and look for firmware upgrade. Click on it to select the firmware file you have downloaded. Then click Upgrade. You will have to wait until the process is over. Here is one more important thing. While the router is being flashed, you shouldn't do anything with it. If you do, you can trigger a failure when the old firmware is removed and the new version is not installed yet. If it happens, there are very little chances to recover the device at home. When the flashing operation is complete, the router will reboot and wait for setup operations, but now with the new firmware. Restoring router settings. When the router has been upgraded successfully, you can restore the settings it had before. And this is when the file you have created before the flashing operation comes in handy. Go to the tab System Tools, Backup and Restore. Click on Choose File. Give the path to the previously created file and click Restore. That's all. The flashing procedure is over, and you can see that it's quite simple and quick. However, it requires all your attention, because a single step taken wrong can break down the device. If flashing was performed properly, the device should work quickly and reliably without any failures, and provided the quality of signal as guaranteed by the manufacturer. You can also install third-party firmware for your router, for example DDWRT. DDWRT is a free alternative firmware for wireless routers. It includes special functions which are not available in original firmware versions. These include Kai Network, Demon-based services, IPv6, a wireless distribution system, radius, supercharge options and hardware modification support for SD cards. The official website of my routers manufacturer says that official firmware can be replaced with third-party stuff, for example with DDWRT. However, the company will not undertake to provide service or technical support for a device with third-party software and cannot guarantee its reliability. The damage done to the device as a result of using third-party applications will cancel your warranty. Why would you need third-party router firmware? If you feel you can't get enough from the functions offered by the standard web interface of your router, you can install third-party software. Yet, if you don't know why this kind of firmware is necessary, it is a clear sign you don't actually need it. DDWRT firmware is a Linux-based operating system. Even with default settings, it has a very wide functionality that cannot be compared to the factory-supplied firmware. It features such components as an FTP server, SAMBA, WOL and many other things. With a web interface, you can access detailed statistics and see the traffic load for the local network, wireless network and the primary internet connection, as well as the load on the router's processor and memory. If you can figure the router for installation of additional packages, you can turn your router into a home media server. Connect a hard disk with the turn client installed on it and enable HTTP-based IPTV broadcasts that you can watch by Wi-Fi. If you have a television supporting DLNA standard, you can connect it to the router and watch IPTV as well as watch films from the hard disk. Flash and third-party firmware follows the same steps as in the case with the standard software for your router. Start with downloading the firmware. To do it, visit the official website and click on Download. Type your router module in the search field and download the firmware that corresponds to the hardware version of your device. You will see three files. The first and the last file are what you need to flash your router. The second file will be required to roll the router back to the standard firmware. After the download is over, open a browser, enter the web interface of the router, go to the tab System Tools, Firmware Upgrade. Select the first downloaded file and click Upgrade. Wait for the process to finish and enter the web interface again. The address for accessing the router may change into 192.168.11. Enter the login and the password Admin and Admin. Then switch to the tab Administration, Firmware Upgrade. Again click Choose File and specify the path to the second file. Wait until the flashing process is complete. The job is done. The third-party firmware is now installed. As you can see, this firmware offers a wider range of functions. This kind of software can even boost Wi-Fi signal to the maximum level that your router can support. If you want to do it, go to the tab Wireless and check the box Advanced Settings. In the line TX Power, you can see the output rating of 20 dBm. For the standard firmware, this value is maximum, but with the new software, you can set it even higher. This way you can improve Wi-Fi signal for some routers. To change the interface language, just go to the tab Administration, Management, scroll down and choose the required option in the line language. By contrast with the standard firmware, you don't have to look for software with particular language options. And finally, recovering a router after a bad flash. The easiest way is to reset the device to factory settings. However, in most cases, it's not going to help you if you try to install incompatible software. If this is the case, you will have to use an alternative method. It doesn't work for every model and success is not guaranteed, so use it on your own responsibility. To use this particular method, you will need the factory supplied firmware, with your hardware version and localization, and an application called TFTPD. This is a free utility and you will find the download link in the description below this video. Extract the archive and rename the file, at first specifying the hardware version and module of your device. You can see an example on the screen. Version, module, recovery bin. It is also important to specify the hardware version. When you do it, place the renamed file into the folder containing the TFTPD application. After all these steps, you should change only one root of value, refresh its IP address. For a Windows 10 computer, open Settings, Network and Internet, Network and Sharing Center. Click on your network, select Properties and open IPv4. Type in the following IP address 192.168.166. And for some models, it can be different – 192.168.066. If both addresses failed, try using 192.168.086. Set the mask as 255.255.255.0 and return to working with the TFTPD application and the firmware file. Make sure that the router is connected to a computer or laptop with an Ethernet cable within a local network. Run the TFTPD application with administrator rights. In the window that opens, you will see a field entitled Server interface, where you should select the IP you have given in the network settings before. When you select it, click on the button Show DI error. There must be the renamed firmware file that you have placed into the same folder with the TFTPD application. If you do everything right, it is time to power up your router, then press and hold the button WPS Reset. At this stage, the upgrading process is displayed on the screen. If it isn't happening, turn off the router, hold the WPS Reset button and turn the router on again. You are almost done. Just wait until the upgrade process is complete and the router reboots automatically. When the process is over, you should be able to access the device settings again. If everything works fine, don't forget to open the local network settings and change the option Use the following IP address back to Obtain an IP address automatically. And that's all for now. I hope you find this video useful. Hit the Like button and subscribe to our channel. Leave comments to ask questions. Thank you for watching. Good luck.