A guided TFTP Server recovery tool for macOS
If an ImmortalWrt flash went wrong, prepare the Mac, firmware file, IP settings, and recovery check before retrying. Keep the process calm and model-specific.
TFTP: a simple local file-transfer method. In recovery, the router may ask your Mac for one firmware file.
Recovery mode: a temporary rescue state used when the router cannot start normally. It usually exposes only the basics needed to accept firmware.
Bootloader: the small startup program that runs before the normal router system. Many recovery flows are controlled by it.
Static IP / same subnet: a temporary Mac address such as 192.168.1.254 so the Mac can talk to a router waiting in recovery mode.
What to do: check the router label and hardware revision, then download matching recovery firmware. Why: mismatched firmware is a common cause of failed recovery. You should see: a filename, model, and hardware revision that clearly match.
What to do: temporarily set the Mac Ethernet IP to the address required by the guide, such as 192.168.1.254. Why: this lets the Mac communicate with the router while it is in recovery mode. You should see: Ethernet connected, with the Mac IP and router recovery IP in the same local network range.
What to do: select the firmware file and let Router Recovery wait for the router request. Why: the router recovery window may be brief, so the Mac should be ready first. You should see: the app waiting for the router request or showing that a request was detected.
What to do: follow the model guide, usually power off, hold Reset or WPS, then power on. Why: the router must enter recovery mode before it can request or accept firmware. You should see: the documented LED pattern, a brief network response, or the app detecting a firmware request.
ImmortalWrt recovery is the process of restoring a router that cannot boot normally after a failed flash or configuration problem. In many cases the recovery path is inherited from the router bootloader and is similar to OpenWrt-style recovery.
ImmortalWrt is an OpenWrt fork, so many concepts are familiar: device targets, firmware images, LuCI, failsafe, and recovery workflows. Still, always match the exact ImmortalWrt build to your device.
A frequent pair is router 192.168.1.1 and Mac 192.168.1.254. Other routers ask for 192.168.0.66, 192.168.0.100, or vendor-specific values.
Place the firmware in the folder served by the app, start the recovery check, then power the router into recovery mode while connected by Ethernet. Watch for the router request rather than repeatedly changing files blindly.
Use the file name and image type requested by your device. Some bootloaders require a specific filename; others request any matching file from the served folder.
If recovery does not start, recheck the temporary Mac IP, Ethernet port, firewall, firmware filename, and whether the router actually entered recovery mode.
Often the concepts are similar, but the device model and bootloader decide the exact recovery steps.
No. Use the exact build and image type for your router model and hardware revision.
It helps run the TFTP server and organize the recovery environment on macOS.