Revert TP-LINK MR3020 to Factory Firmware

If at any point you feel like going back to the factory firmware of the TP-LINK MR3020 from OpenWrt, then follow these steps.

1. Download the stock firmware from here.
2. Remove the first 0x20200 (131,584 bytes or 257*512) from the original firmware:
   dd if=mr3020-original.bin of=mr3020-modify.bin skip=257 bs=512
3. Transfer the firmware image to /tmp on the device and revert back to the original firmware
   sysupgrade /tmp/mr3020-modify.bin

The OEM firmware from TP-LINK for the TL-MR3020 with the boot part removed is also available here if you don't have access to dd to modify the firmware yourself. Just search for TL-MR3020-V1 and download the file to your computer.

If you have decided to flash dd-wrt, then there is a archive download here that you can flash via the web GUI to revert back.

TP-LINK MR3020 and OpenWrt

The TP-LINK MR3020 is an inexpensive device that is highly versatile and powerful enough for daily use. Another great feature is that it consumes very little power to run. TP-LINK's stock firmware is not that bad either. However, if you want to really unleash this as an access point then flashing it with OpenWrt will do such that.

To start, download the OpenWrt firmware from here. At the time of writing this the current version is openwrt-ar71xx-generic-tl-mr3020-v1-squashfs-factory.bin then login to the router's web GUI (default address is 192.168.0.254, login/password is admin / admin) and flash the firmware image like a regular firmware update. Wait for the progress bar to finish twice, at which point the device will reset itself, and you can now proceed with the basic configuration as with any OpenWrt first install.

If you feel like you would like more of a GUI experience, then try dd-wrt. The install process is very similar, you need to download a webflash image for first installation.