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I was working on a project that 'debricks' my bricked router(WRT54GL). Since this is my first time with Serial communication on any device, I have some questions to ask.

WRT54GL Pinout

This is the pinouts for the router that I would like to debrick. I am planning to connect those pins with my Raspberry Pi 4 with GPIO pins.

I have found out that Raspberry Pi supports UART connection by default. However, Raspberry Pi has only one pair of RX(GPIO 15) and TX(GPIO 14). This is the point that I get some confusion and decided that I should ask you about this question.

Question 1. What is the name of that 10 Pin layout from my router? Does this have any name? or is it just a 'Serial' layout?

Question 2. If I connect the RX(GPIO 15) and TX(GPIO 14) from my Raspberry Pi to this router RX_0 and TX_0 only(yes with RX_1 and TX_0 both unconnected), would it work? (I assume not) or do I have to pair all two TXs and RXs between Raspberry Pi and router?

Thank you for reading my long question. If there is or are any problems with my question, please let me know. I will be happy to modify or delete this question.

tlfong01
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Gooday2die
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  • it is a pin header layout ... not specific to serial, or to anything else ... probably 1/10 inch spacing – jsotola Feb 02 '20 at 02:12
  • would it work? ... depends on whether the "debrick" procedure uses one or two serial ports – jsotola Feb 02 '20 at 02:16
  • @jsotola Thank you for the name of the pins. So do you mean that if the procedure is done in single serial port it would possibly work but if done in dual ports it would not? – Gooday2die Feb 02 '20 at 02:20
  • depends on the procedure really ... if you need two ports, but only one at a time, then you may be able to switch cables back and forth ... neither of your questions relate to the RPi – jsotola Feb 02 '20 at 02:20
  • (1) Is your router "Linksys WRT54GL Wireless-G Wi-Fi Router? Is it about 20 years old?, (2) Rpi4B has 5 hardware serial ports, and you can easily add perhaps 10+ more USB to serial ports. (3) Try search this forum for more info on serial/UART. – tlfong01 Feb 02 '20 at 02:23
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    @jsotola Sorry if this question is unrelated to Raspberry Pi. Since I was going to use Raspberry Pi as a connector device for the serial communication; I posted this thread here. – Gooday2die Feb 02 '20 at 02:24
  • Most of your question is about your device - not specific to the Pi, and we have no way of knowing what is needed or if it would work. the Pi4 has 6 UART (although only 4 are practically usable) https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/a/107780/8697 – Milliways Feb 02 '20 at 02:24
  • References: (1) "Cisco/Linksys WRT54G User Guide" https://downloads.linksys.com/downloads/userguide/WRT54GL_V11_UG_C-Web.pdf (2) "How many serial ports are there in Pi3?" https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/96697/how-many-serial-ports-are-on-the-pi-3, (3) You can search in this forum for my 10+ answers. (4) BTW, I used the same router as yours way back in 2001. At that time Cisco and Nortel (and Nokia) are rising stars, and I was a huge fan for them But of course those were the days my friend. Now I only know HuaWei and ZTE.(Well, also the small guys like TP-Link. Cheers. – tlfong01 Feb 02 '20 at 02:34
  • (1) In 2001, I learnt most of the network technical terms from the above Cisco router user guide which to me was sort of a tutorial and dictionary. You need to know most of the terms used there, in order to understand what the network guys in this forum are talking about, including the basic one, such as WPA, SSID, DHCP, static IP, ... (2) A more comprehensive list: LAN, WLAN, Wireless G, broadband, router, DDNS, MAC, firewall, VPN, DMS, QoS, SSId, WPA, WPA2, SPI, NAT, DMZ, Static IP, DHTP, DMZ, Router IP, SubNet Mask, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, gateway, host name, domain name, ... Cheers.. – tlfong01 Feb 02 '20 at 02:56
  • And this tutorial shows how to use and troubleshoot Rpi4B's multiple on board and USB serial/UART ports: "tlfong01's UART Tutorial/LoopBack Program v1.0": https://penzu.com/p/898abc20. Happy programming. Cheers. – tlfong01 Feb 02 '20 at 03:02
  • @tlfong01 Thanks a lot for your information. I had no idea what to search for nor where to start studying this subject. Thanks a lot again for your help. Have a nice day. – Gooday2die Feb 02 '20 at 03:37
  • Ah, you can start google/wiki/tube "serial". Or start reading MagPi, then start blinking a LED. In the mean time also start reading for anything you don't understand: To learn prerequisite basic knowledge and skills to troubleshoot WiFi routers, you can start with the following: (1) https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/, (2) https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/. Happy learning. Cheers. – tlfong01 Feb 02 '20 at 04:10
  • In case you atually know all the basic stuff I mentioned above, or you are too impatient to read, then I recommend to start with the dd-wrt thing: (1) "DD-WRT - Wikipedia":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DD-WRT DD-WRT is Linux-based firmware for wireless routers and access points. Originally designed for the Linksys WRT54G series, it now runs on a wide variety of models. DD-WRT is one of a handful of third-party firmware projects designed to replace manufacturer's original firmware with custom firmware offering additional features or functionality. Read wki and tube more ddrt. – tlfong01 Feb 02 '20 at 05:56
  • More ddrt tubes: (2) The Linksys WRT54GL is STILL a Best-Seller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kE6Bya3X4w

    (3) Install DD-WRT on Linksys WRT54GL v1.1 & Repeater Setup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66sALJK_H3Q

     – tlfong01 Feb 02 '20 at 05:57
  • About the 10 pin duPoint connector. Never mind what is the name of the connector, it is a common 10 pin for 2 COM ports you might find in old PC mother boards. You just hack the router's firmware, using the geek's tricks. – tlfong01 Feb 02 '20 at 06:00
  • (4) Yet one more YT: :"Hack You Router! Install DD-WRT!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJmJDtBZh94, As the handsome YT funny guy says, dd-wrt it is hard for non geeks, but it is a very good learning experience for Rpi newbies who don't know nothing about WiFi.. And as I used to say, it is another thing to put under your Rpi belt, so that your bad Anono friends won't LOL you that much, and perhaps begin to respect you more than you deserve! :) Happy router hacking. Cheers. – tlfong01 Feb 02 '20 at 06:13
  • @tlfong01Thanks a lot for your information. These would be enough to help me with debricking my dead WRT54GL. – Gooday2die Feb 02 '20 at 06:35
  • @Gooday2die, You are welcome. Happy debricking! Cheers. – tlfong01 Feb 02 '20 at 07:14

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