I decided to write some instructions to go with my other article on unbricking the V5. I noticed, looking at the stats for this site, that the majority of visits were for this post. As I said in that article, I could not find (at that time) any info on how to fixed a bricked V5.

These instructions will not only apply for the V5, but the earlier Linksys wireless routers as well.

First of all, the aerials have to be removed. The base of each aerial is cover by a ‘hood’. To remove the hood, twist it and pull (at the same time) it away from the unit. The picture above shows the hood partly off (on the bottom aerial), and then just needs to be slid off the end of the aerial.
The aerials themselves can now be unscrewed.

The WRT54G is not held together by screws, but by plastic tabs. Cheap, but effective. It can be a bit tricky, but there’s a knack to it.

Look at the picture below:

With the base facing towards you, place your hands on either side of the unit (note: my photo only shows one hand as I had to use the other to hold the camera and take the pic!), and place your thumbs on the feet of the WRT54G as shown. Then gently push your thumbs up and the top section (the blue bit) should separate from the remainder of the unit.

Easy as that!

You can then proceed to my original post and unflash the Linksys.

I have a couple of wireless routers at home. Having heard so much about the Linksys WRT54G being a good router to run open source firmware, I decided to buy one.

The firmware I put on it was DD-WRT . It has a good user base and support, and being easy to use I was quiet happy with it.

Then the fun started. Somehow, the power plug for the router was not sitting in the power point properly, so the unit was powering off/on in succession. Then the unit would not boot up. The power LED was flashing, and the port LEDs were not coming on when I plugged the Cat5 cables into them.

Oh no, have I ‘bricked’ the Linksys – two days after I have bought it? I did a bit of searching around and All the info I could find was for earlier model WRT54G routers that use a intel chip. The V5 does not.

Before I go on, please read this disclaimer:

I take no responsibility for any inaccuracies of the following information, or of any damage to you or your equipment. Whatever you do with your Linksys is done so at your own risk.

Also, have a read of this section on the DDWRT Wiki . There is some handy info and things to try before you get to the drastic stage.

This forum thread is a very handy one to read before trying anything also.

Having nothing to lose – as my Linksys router was useless, I decided to short out the same pins on the chip that replaced the intel on the V5. Note: to identify what version your WRT54G is, have a look at the bottom on the unit on the sticker. The version number will be listed there.

Because the photos I took were so bad (and didn’t realise it until after I put my WRT54G back together), the guide here better shows how to take the unit apart. The only difference is that the V5 has a different chip located on the PCB in a different position.

The chip in question is circled in the (bad) picture below, and pin 1 is pointed to.

With the power on, short out pins 15 and 16 (count from pin 1 left up to 15 & 16).

Hopefully this will bring your WRT54G back to life, and you then be able to ping it and, if so desired, resintall the DDWRT firmware.

As I said, it worked for me and I hope it does for you too.

Feel free to add your experiences with unbricking below…… ]]> http://lookforitoverhere.com/5/unbrick-wrt54g-v5/feed/ 32