Zyxel Keenetic: firmware and router update

Where to download Zyxel Keenetic firmware

Keenetic 4G generation III is a multifunctional Internet class=”aligncenter” width=”1905″ height=”897″[/img]The firmware for “Zixel Kinetic” and any other router is on the official page.
It is recommended to take them there. If you don’t find it, you can take a chance and look on third-party resources, but be sure to check for viruses. Everything you need is located on the website https://www.zyxel.com/ru/ru/support/download_landing.shtml. Enter the specific model of your device and download a type called “Firmware”. It is advisable to download the latest version. There are usually two options: version 1.0.0 and NDMS version v2.00. We look at the date of creation of the software and download it. Just in case, several options are loaded, if any.

The downloaded file is packed into an archive, from which you need to extract data with the .bin extension.

Where can I get the firmware file?

In order to download the firmware for routers of the Zyxel Keenetic series, you can go to the Zyxel Download Center https://zyxel.ru/support/download. To do this, select your model in the list of products on the page:

Zyxel Keenetic Lite
Zyxel Keenetic Giga
Zyxel Keenetic 4G

Zyxel firmware files on the official website

And click search. The various firmware files intended for your device will be displayed. In general terms, there are two firmware options for Zyxel Keenetic: 1.00 and second-generation firmware (still in Beta version, but works stable) NDMS v2.00. Each of them is present in several versions; the date indicated here will help to distinguish the latest version. You can install both the usual firmware version 1.00 and the new version of NDMS 2.00 with a new interface and slightly expanded functions. The only disadvantage of the latter is that if you are looking for instructions for setting up a router on this firmware for the latest provider, then they are not available on the network, and I have not written them yet.

Once you have found the required firmware file, click the download icon and save it to your computer. The firmware is downloaded in a zip archive, so before starting the next step, do not forget to extract the firmware in bin format from there.

How to update the firmware of a Zyxel Keenetic router

Connecting and setting up the ZyXEL Keenetic router model Lite II

Firmware installation on Zyxel is quite easy. There are several ways to do this procedure.

The main method is to use an Ethernet cable connection. You can reflash via Wi-Fi, but it is not recommended.

Firstly, the flashing time is long, and secondly, something can happen to the equipment if the wireless network signal is lost and the process is interrupted. This option is used as a last resort.

Via the Internet online

This is a method for those who have a stable Internet connection on their Zyxel router, but for some reason need to flash it. Go to the control panel, then go to the “System” tab. Find the “System Information” block on the right. If there are updates for the device, the “Updates” line will say “Available”. Click on the link.

At the bottom, click the update button and wait for it to download and install. Everything happens automatically. At the end of the process, the word “No” is visible in the window next to the “Updates” line.

Also, during this procedure, sometimes an error occurs - “The maximum allowable firmware size has been exceeded by x kbytes.” You can simply try to reboot the router, and if that doesn’t work, use another method.

Via mobile application

The Zyxel router is controlled remotely using a smartphone. For this purpose, there are Android programs ZyXEL Keenetic NetFriend or Zyxel My.Keenetic on the Play Market. The first option allows you to update the router software, the second changes the Wi-Fi settings. We proceed as follows:

We download, launch and see a window informing us that the device is connected and ready to use. Just click OK.
Connect to your wireless network.
Next we choose a provider.
Enter the username and password provided by your Internet service provider. If other information is provided, we enter that as well.
The “Device Update” button should appear in the next window.
The installation process will begin, and when everything is ready, an advice message will appear.

Offline without direct internet access

Another popular method of flashing firmware for the Zyxel Keenetic router is using a file without using the Internet.

It was indicated above where the Zyxel firmware files are downloaded from; the archive is unpacked to any convenient location on the computer.

We enter the control panel of the router. According to the standard, the IP address 192.168.1.1 is entered into the address bar, and the word admin is entered in both fields.

Now go to the “System” section, click on the “Configuration” tab. Find the firmware line and click on it. The File Management window opens. Click “Browse”, select the unpacked file with the .bin extension. Click “Replace”. Confirm the file replacement by clicking OK.

Next you need to wait a couple of minutes. Then in the “NDMS Version” block we see a different version of the installed firmware.

Firmware update to NDMS 2.00

If you have already installed the new NDMS 2.00 firmware on Zyxel, then when new versions of this firmware are released, you can update as follows:

Go to the router settings at 192.168.1.1, the standard login and password are admin and 1234, respectively.
At the bottom, select “System”, then select the “Files” tab
Select the firmware item
In the window that appears, click “Browse” and specify the path to the Zyxel Keenetic firmware file
Click “Replace” and wait for the update process to complete

Once the firmware update is complete, you can go back to the router settings and make sure that the installed firmware version has changed.

How to restore a Zyxel Keenetic router if the firmware has failed

If the Zyxel firmware crashes due to an unsuccessful update, which often occurs when the process breaks, there is a special recovery utility.

It is called Keenetic Recovery. This tool is designed for the Windows operating system and is capable of restoring the functionality of most Keenetic models.

It is recommended to download the necessary components from the website at https://help.keenetic.com/hc/ru/sections/203198569. Unpack the downloaded archive to a convenient location on your computer and run the file with the .exe extension.

If you are updating your Zyxel Keenetic router, it is recommended to disable your antivirus and firewall for the utility to work properly. There are frequent cases of program blocking.

Next, you should follow all the steps suggested by the Keenetic Recovery “Setup Wizard”.

If this option does not work, use a more complex method:

We launch the utility from the downloaded archive.
Find the fw folder in the directory. There are firmwares for various router models. Determine the version for your device. The file itself has the extension bin.
Download the tftp server from the site https://www.tftpd64.com/tftpd32_download.html and install it on your PC.
Transfer the firmware file from the archive to the installed server folder. We throw it along the path C:\Program Files\Tftpd32.
Let's start the server.
We connect the router to the computer using a cable. Then we set the IP address in the network connection settings to 192.168.1.2, the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0.
Press and hold the router reset button, and then turn on the device itself.
Release the button when the indicators start flashing.
In automatic mode, the router must receive the firmware file from the server.
The update will occur in a few minutes, the device will restart and have a new software version.
Reset network connection settings to default.

Where are the network connection settings:

Open the Start menu and go to Control Panel.
Go to the “Network and Internet” section.
Click on the item “Network and Sharing Center” on the left.
Click on the item “Change adapter settings”.
Select the desired network and go to its properties.
Double-click on the “IP version 4” option.

DIR-620 firmware recovery uBoot ZyXEL Keenetic

Published: December 23, 2011 (as amended on September 28, 2020) Section(s): Hardware routers Views: 59604 Comments: 7

The article is addressed to DIR-620 owners who managed to reflash their routers with ZyXEL Keenetic firmware according to my instructions [read article]

Why DIR-620s are dying and who is to blame

A month after the mass death of DIR-620 converted to ZyXEL Keenetic and the general hysteria about this, I will name the main reasons for the “bricking” of animals:

Errors in product design. The RT3052 chip lacks the necessary heatsink, the use of which is recommended by the RaLink manufacturer. That is, the first reason is simple overheating.
A feature of the fourth release of firmware from ZyXEL Keenetic that independently updates the bootloader. When the bootloader is automatically changed and then rebooted, the DIR-620 begins to glow with a “yellow eye”. Most likely there are unknown hardware differences between the DIR-620 and ZyXEL Keenetic that lead to such consequences. Since the fourth release works fine on ZyXEL Keenetic. That is, the second reason is a feature of the fourth release of the ZyXEL Keenetic firmware.
Low quality production and components. DIR-620 die on any firmware, including original ones. That is, the third reason is MARRIAGE.
The tsarist government, which was unable to develop a normal router until 1917. That is, the reason is that we were born in the wrong country. Just so you know, DIR-620 is sold only in the territory of the former USSR xUSSR, in the CIS and Baltic countries.

What not to do with DIR-620

Do not install ZyXEl Keenetic firmware of the fourth release, both final and beta. These firmwares independently update uBOOT. There is a high probability that it is after this procedure that the DIR-620 begins to shine with a “yellow eye”. Either the DIR-620 is massively defective, or there are hardware differences between the DIR-620 and ZyXEL Keenetic. But with the firmware of the third release and the previous uBOOT, there is no mass death of the DIR-620 upgraded to ZyXEL Keenetic.

What needs to be done with DIR-620

If you decide to update the DIR-620 with third-party firmware, be it WIVE-NG or ZyXEL Keenetic. You must understand that you are voluntarily waiving the warranty.

And since you don’t need a warranty, be sure to install a cooling radiator on the RT3052 chip. It’s better to let it work, even without a warranty, than to die from overheating, but with a warranty device. You can see how to install a radiator in my article [read article]

Restoring the bootloader and firmware of DIR-620

If you managed to flash your device with the firmware of the fourth release “KEENETIC-V1.00[BFW.4]D0”, it doesn’t matter whether it’s final or beta. I strongly recommend rolling back to the third release firmware and restoring uBOOT.

Exactly in this sequence. First we roll back the firmware to the previous one, and only then restore uBOOT. The reason is that the fourth release firmware automatically updates the uBOOT bootloader. And no matter how much you change it, the firmware will restore it on its own. Firmware of the third release does not do this. Therefore, first we roll back the firmware, then the bootloader.

Restoring stable firmware from ZyXEL Keenetic

According to the majority, the most stable firmware is V1.00(BFW.3)D0 dated June 21, 2011. You can download the modified version for DIR-620 from the page https://deadc0de.ru/downloads.html, take firmware P.7 or from here (this same firmware). Next, through the ZyXEL Keenetic web interface System -> Firmware

We install the tailoring. Click “Browse”, Select the firmware file ***.bin ; Click “Update” and wait for the firmware process to complete.

Recovering the uBOOT bootloader

Currently there are two stable working loaders for DIR-620. This is the original uBOOT from D-Link 1.0.6 and 3.3.2 from Zyxel. Bootloader firmware from ZyXEL makes it possible to restore the router without opening it if the firmware fails. You can use TFTP for recovery [read article], this feature is not available in the original bootloader from D-Link.

I remind you! If a failure occurs while flashing the bootloader (shutdown, power surge), the router can only be restored using the programmer. It is not possible to restore the bootloader via the ZyXEL Keenetic web interface. To restore it, you will need a flash drive formatted in EXT3. I did this from Ubuntu

, but any other Linux distribution will do, up to Live-CD.
Download the bootloader of your choice from D-Link [here] from ZyXEL [here]. Unpack and copy the contents (system folder and mtd0 file) to the USB flash drive. In the ZyXEL Keenetic web interface, open System -> Journal, insert our flash drive and observe: PREPARE TO FLASH...
removing /var/tmp/mtd*... copying mtd0 to /var/tmp/... OK. flashing mtd0 (Uboot)… COMPLETE!

We wait a couple of minutes. You can smoke or drink coffee :-). Then turn off the router (unplug the power supply from the socket), take out the flash drive, and turn on the router. Attention!!! Do not overload the router software with an installed flash drive (prepared for uBOOT firmware)!

That's all. The bootloader has been restored. Stable firmware installed. Have a nice work.

Keenetic 4G II: firmware without downloading software

This method is extremely simple and is suitable for absolutely all users, including beginners. Since the owner of the Internet center does not have to search for and save the firmware on the PC. You only need to perform a few sequential steps and the software will be successfully updated almost automatically. The main condition for being able to perform this procedure is that the router must already be connected and configured to work with the Internet. Otherwise, you will have to use the second firmware method, which will be discussed later. So, what actions do we need to perform in order to flash the firmware without downloading the software:

Launch the router web interface. Enter the IP address in the address bar. You can find it on the label attached to the bottom of the router.
In the welcome window you must enter your username and password. This information can also be found on the sticker.
Once you get to the device menu, you need to select the “System” tab.
Next, we will be interested in the “System Information” item, where we need to find and select “Updates”. Opposite you will see a link that says “Available”. Click on this link.
Now you need to click on “Update”.
We are waiting for the process to be completely completed.
The router should automatically reboot.

Zyxel Keenetic 4G firmware: how to prepare

Before flashing Zyxel 4G firmware, you need to perform some preparatory steps. Experts recommend resetting to factory settings. This is especially true for devices of the Kinetic Giga 2 and Omni models. For other Kinetic models, it will also be desirable to reset the parameters, but even if the user decides not to perform the procedure, it will not be so critical. Resetting the parameters will make it possible to avoid many unpleasant moments during the update and during the flashing process.

Restoring Zyxel Keenetic settings

After unsuccessful flashing and resetting the settings, you can restore the Zyxel Keenetic router in the same section, only now you will need to click on the “Select file” button for each of the files, insert the saved settings backup document, and click on the “Replace” button

In the new Keenetic, restoring old parameters also occurs in the same place as creating a backup - in “General Settings”. Just click on “Replace” and select the copy file from your PC