The PHICOMM routers are kind of, you know, sucks with stock firmware and nobody knows if there are any backdoors or malware hidden in it. Plus, the stock firmware is lack of 3rd party software support as well as some scientific plugins to browse the internet freely. The best solution so far to flash the router with custom firmware. Among which, Merlin is probably the best choice.

Ok, I assume you've already got your K3 route at hand, and let's get started.

  1. Download the files listed in the link at the bottom of the article and unzip them.
  2. Download tftpd from the internet and put it in the same folder with all the ROM files.
  3. Change your ethernet IP to 192.168.2.2 and connect your computer to the router by cable.
  4. Power on your router and wait for it fully boot up. You can check it by browsing to the admin page http://192.168.2.1
  5. Run RouteAckPro.exe and click "Enable telnet". You'll receive a message saying acknowledge received. This way, you enabled the hidden telnet feature of the stock firmware. Since the latest K3 is shipped with a new version of Broadcom CFE, the CFE way of flashing ROM without verification is no longer available anymore.
  6. Telnet 192.168.2.1 to enter command line mode and run the following command:
cd /tmp
tftp -g -r k3_root.bin 192.168.2.2
cat k3_root.bin >/dev/mtdblock6 && reboot
  1. The router will reboot automatically and you'll see a system is being updated message on the screen. Wait until the router fully booted and enter the admin page at http://192.168.2.1 set a password (anything you like) and reboot.
  2. Use any ssh client to log into your router by using username admin and the password you set in the previous step.
  3. Type the following command:
cd /tmp
tftp -g -r K3_Melin_12.06.trx 192.168.2.2
cat K3_Melin_12.06.trx >/dev/mtdblock6 && reboot
  1. The router will reboot automatically as usual. But this time you should change your ethernet IP setting back to DHCP to get an IP from the router 'cause Merlin uses a different IP pool from openwrt.
  2. You're ready to play with Merlin now. Do remember to do a factory reset before use, it can keep you away from many mysterious problems.

Enjoy.

All files can be found here: LINK
Credit: tianbaoha@right.com.cn, laode1987@right.com.cn