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How to Install KlipperWRT on Creality Box?

The Creality Box isn’t the most useful piece of hardware. But you can get more out of it by installing KlipperWRT and turning it into a Klipper controller. In this guide, I will show you how to install OpenWRT on the Creality Box, then convert it to Klipper.

What is KlipperWRT?

KlipperWRT is an OpenWRT linux distro which is mostly used with network devices like routers. Because most of the time these routers don’t have a lot of computing power, the distro needs to be as efficient as possible. This is the main reason OpenWRT is a good choice as a base for installing Klipper on the Creality Box.

Why Install KlipperWRT on the Creality Box?

The Creality Box specs are quite underwhelming, and Creality chose to use this box as a bridge between the internet and their 3D printers. You can connect the Creality Box to your printer and send STL files from Creality Cloud directly to your machine. Besides that, you can also connect a Webcam to the Creality Box and watch over your print.

If you decide to upgrade the Creality Box with KlipperWRT, you will be able to use the device as a Raspberry Pi replacement and run Klipper directly from it. Klipper will allow you to print faster with your 3D printer and you will also be able to control the printer using a Web Interface, directly from your computer.

Besides that, after you install Klipper on your 3D printer, you can use features like Pressure Advance and Input Shaper, which will greatly improve your print quality.

Steps to install KlipperWRT on the Creality Box

Connect the Creality Box to a network

The first step is to connect the Creality Box to a network via Wi-Fi or via a LAN cable. I used the Creality Cloud app to connect on my Wi-Fi access point. You just need to install Creality Cloud and follow the steps in the app to connect to your network.

After you connect to Wi-Fi, you need to find out what IP is used by your Creality Box. You can check this by connecting to your router, but I use the WIFIMan app which automatically scans my network and lists the IPs of my machines.

After you find your IP, you can move to the next step.

Flash KlipperWRT firmware

After you found the IP address of your Creality Box, open up a browser and open the Admin interface using the following address, after you change the IP to your own.

http://192.168.0.14/adm/system_command.shtml

The default username is admin and the password is admin. After the login, you will land on this page:

CrealityBox Admin interface | How to Install KlipperWRT on Creality Box?

Download the OpenWRT firmware, extract the archive, then navigate to Administration -> Upload Firmware. Click on Choose File, select the .bin firmware you just downloaded and click on Apply. The firmware will be uploaded to the box.

CR 10 Smart Flash Stock Firmware | How to Install KlipperWRT on Creality Box?

After the firmware is uploaded, you will get a failure message: “Not a valid firmware. Bag Magic Number: “/var/tmpFW” is no valid image”. Ignore the message and continue to the next step.

Not a valid firmware message | How to Install KlipperWRT on Creality Box?

Open up the system command terminal. In my case, the address is http://192.168.0.14/adm/system_command.shtml. In this terminal, we need to run the following command:

mv /var/tmpFW /media/mmcblk0p1/cxsw_update.tar.bz2

After you run this command, we need to reboot the Creality Box. Just type the following command, then enter.

reboot

The Creality Box will be rebooted, and after about 5 mintes, the printer will broadcast a new Wi-Fi network called KlipperWRT. On your computer, connect to the KlipperWRT Wi-Fi network and open the LUCI interface which is running on port 81. In my case, the address is http://192.168.0.1:81/.

Connect KlipperWRT to Wi-Fi

Navigate to Network ->Wireless then click on the Scan button to scan for Wi-Fi networks.

Scan for Wi FI networks in KlipperWRT | How to Install KlipperWRT on Creality Box?

Select the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to, and click Join Network

Select the Wi Fi network you want to connect to | How to Install KlipperWRT on Creality Box?

In the next screen, ensure that you configure everything like in the image below, then click Submit. The Create/Assign Firewall Zone should be set on WWAN.

Wi Fi settings for KlipperWRT | How to Install KlipperWRT on Creality Box?

Finally, click on Save & Apply to save the newly created connection and connect to the Wi-Fi network.

Save and apply the KlipperWRT connection | How to Install KlipperWRT on Creality Box?

Now you can disconnect from the KlipperWRT Wi-Fi network and connect back to your default Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi box will connect to your Wi-Fi. If everything is right, the LuCi webpage can be opened with the new IP.

You can now go to Services-> Terminal -> Config and change the Interface to WWAN, then save your changes. This will allow you to use the integrated terminal, and install KlipperWRT.

Install Klipper

In your Terminal window, paste the 1_format_extroot.sh script from GitHub and wait for the installation to complete.

cd ~
wget https://github.com/ihrapsa/KlipperWrt/raw/main/scripts/1_format_extroot.sh
chmod +x 1_format_extroot.sh
./1_format_extroot.sh
image | How to Install KlipperWRT on Creality Box?

When prompted to reboot, type the reboot command and access the terminal again, to paste the installation script.

cd ~
wget https://github.com/ihrapsa/KlipperWrt/raw/main/scripts/2_script_manual.sh
chmod +x 2_script_manual.sh
./2_script_manual.sh

The Kipper installation guide will start. The process takes about 20 minutes, and during that time, your will be prompted to select the type of web interface you want to use (Fluidd/Mainsail).

When finished, remove the scripts with the following command:

rm -rf /root/*.sh

That’s it. Now you can import the printer.cfg file of your 3D printer, and start using Klipper on the Creality Box

Video Guide for KlipperWRT

Since I wrote this guide, a video showing the installation process was posted on YouTube. Feel free to check it out if you get stuck.

Wrapping up

I hope this guide has been helpful for you in adding more use to your Creality Box. In a future article, I will show you how to install Klipper on the CR-10 Smart which already has a Creality Box inside the printer. You can also join the 3DPrintBeginner Forum where there’s a dedicated thread for Klipper Firmware, with Klipper enthusiasts ready to help.

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  1. Ihrapsa is on sabbatical so I have taken over maintenance of the project. You’ll find a working version of the install script here.

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24 Comments

  1. and how do i install klipper on the pritner after that ? in the video it says it will work with printers already have klipper .

  2. Hi , I followed all the installation instructions till the very end , after running script 3 , rebooting , and then logging back to openwrt.local , it takes me back to the main page the we started with NOT to klipper page ;. how to do i get klipper to startup ?

  3. This seems to have bricked my Creality Box. I did the update and then did a reboot in the web interface. After that everything is dead except the yellow light on the right on the box.

    1. Now I used the latest version openwrt_snapshot_wb-01_k5.10.127-factory.bin from gitHub and followed the steps. This time I removed at last step before rebooting rm -rf /root/*.sh.
      Now it works.

  4. what am I missing? Went through the connecting process multiple times, and can not get a local IP address for the pad. I never shows connected to my local network, so I can’t access it to go through the klipper install preocess.
    When you connect to the PAD, it shows no internet available, if that makes a difference.

    The preocess I used is:
    1) Put in the card, hook up printer, do a long reset.
    2) next screen, connect to the pad, connects but shows no internet, go back to screen, and select “join network”, and connect to my router as usual. No errors show up, but the box is not on my local network, shows 10.10.10.100.

  5. Can you use this with more than just Creality Printers? I want Klipper for my new SWx2, and am looking at options.

  6. do you have to flash the ender 3 V2 mainboard with any kind of firmware, other than the box itself? as you do with the pi it seems,

    1. I’m trying to figure this out too. I’ve leapt ahead and installed KlipperWrt to a creality box and that’s been fun but am a little at a loss as to how to have it talk to my printer. I get I need to import a printer.cfg file but do I need to flash the printer with klipper too? I didn’t get any opportunity to choose mainsail/fluidd during the install phase either so maybe that script is out of date now. My main objective is to be able to control my printer from my lan instead of having to go through creality cloud so I don’t need extra features/speed that flashing my printer would provide (at this time anyway). I guess I have some more reading to do. Golly I’m having fun tho!

  7. I followed the steps, and after typing the reboot command and waiting over an hour or so, tried resetting manually, the box is inaccessible. It no longer shows sends out the Creality Box wifi signal or any wifi signal at all. It loops between no lights on then the right-most light turning on red for a couple seconds, then repeats. What happened? Is the box bricked?

        1. It would seem this info is outdated. I followed the instructions on the git and it worked fine. You should do the same.

    1. Still having the same issue and can’t get back into the box. It pops up on my devices as KlipperWRT but shows no internet access and I can’t get back into the admin settings since reboot. PLEASE HELP!

      1. I had the same issue while attempting – it seems the linked openwrt base image https://3dprintbeginner.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/OpenWRT-Factory.zip is old and as the second script progresses it updates something that breaks the platform.
        The latest version from https://github.com/ihrapsa/KlipperWrt/tree/main/Firmware/OpenWrt_snapshot seems to be working but the first two times I tried to download, I only got 250Kb or so, not the entire 8.xMb file.

      2. To fix the boot loop, remove the SD card while booting.
        After logging into LUCI and opening terminal, reinsert SD card, re-run format script.

        Use the firmware update menu to upgrade the firmware with the latest snapshot image (not -factory) and it should not give any indication of error while doing this process…

        Then try the step 2 script

  8. hello,
    i’m getting message that my router fails to connect and apply the changes…
    what should i do?