# Adding Support For Imou HX21 **URL:** \ **Category:** For Developers\ **Created:** [November 12, 2025, 7:55pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973 "2025-11-12T19:55:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/user_avatar/forum.openwrt.org/byjahidul/32/118075_2.png) [@byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/byjahidul)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 7:55pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/1 "2025-11-12T19:55:49Z")
This router also known as Imou LC-HX3001 is a very affortable router with MediaTek MT7981BA. Hardware specification: SoC: MediaTek MT7981B 2x A53 Flash: Foresee F35SQA001G 128 MB SPI-NAND RAM: 256MB DDR3 Ethernet: 4x 10/100/1000 Mbps Switch: MediaTek MT7531AE WiFi: MediaTek MT7976C Button: Reset, Mesh Power: DC 12V 1A SSH access gain method of LC-HX3001 does not working with HX21 so i created a new restore configuration conf for HX21. Also i created a pull request for this device. Lastet Snapshot installed tested. Gain SSH access: Method 1: 1. Connect UART Adapter to the router 2. UART pins are enabled, set the root password with passwd command start the dropbear instance on port 22 Method 2: 1. Login into web interface, and restore the router with SSH enabled configuration. 2. After reboot Default Web interface password will be 12345678 SSH password is empty SSH enabled conf link below. Thanks [Mega.nz](https://mega.nz/file/ilpETS5Q#9Vv4YOwEtUTNEKUfRHWszi_INEo_jHywIoa8wtNhqvE) > **[GitHub - byjahidul/Imou-HX21](https://github.com/byjahidul/Imou-HX21)** > > Contribute to byjahidul/Imou-HX21 development by creating an account on GitHub. ---
**Author:** ![anon63541380](https://forum.openwrt.org/letter_avatar/anon63541380/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@anon63541380](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/anon63541380)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/2 "2025-11-12T20:46:52Z")
Can you get console boot log (or dmesg from ssh) from the device? There were somfe indecisive attempts to support this device in the past. ---
**Author:** ![byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/user_avatar/forum.openwrt.org/byjahidul/32/118075_2.png) [@byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/byjahidul)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/3 "2025-11-12T21:12:30Z")
Here’s the boot log [https://pastebin.com/MgXTEZ6D](https://pastebin.com/MgXTEZ6D) ---
**Author:** ![anon63541380](https://forum.openwrt.org/letter_avatar/anon63541380/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@anon63541380](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/anon63541380)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 9:16pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/4 "2025-11-12T21:16:23Z")
Looks quite ok.... Can you try to ftftpboot + bootm openwrt iniramfs kernel from a similar filogic device via u-boot? ---
**Author:** ![byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/user_avatar/forum.openwrt.org/byjahidul/32/118075_2.png) [@byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/byjahidul)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/5 "2025-11-12T21:22:01Z")
i have complied openwrt snapshot using its previous version LC-HX3001 configs from immortalwrt repo and its working fine and stable. ---
**Author:** ![anon63541380](https://forum.openwrt.org/letter_avatar/anon63541380/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@anon63541380](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/anon63541380)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 9:34pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/6 "2025-11-12T21:34:03Z")
Nice, want to try to port that back to OpenWrt? [https://github.com/immortalwrt/immortalwrt/commit/9777c5e853b6ecb1677c0e138a8a39b07e3bd59a](https://github.com/immortalwrt/immortalwrt/commit/9777c5e853b6ecb1677c0e138a8a39b07e3bd59a) ---
**Author:** ![byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/user_avatar/forum.openwrt.org/byjahidul/32/118075_2.png) [@byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/byjahidul)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 9:38pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/7 "2025-11-12T21:38:26Z")
i have already created a pull request here > > > This board is also known as Imou LC-HX3001 > > Hardware specification: > SoC: Me…diaTek MT7981B 2x A53 > Flash: Foresee F35SQA001G 128 MB SPI-NAND > RAM: 256MB DDR3 > Ethernet: 4x 10/100/1000 Mbps > Switch: MediaTek MT7531AE > WiFi: MediaTek MT7976C > Button: Reset, Mesh > Power: DC 12V 1A > > Gain SSH access: > Method 1: > 1. Connect UART Adapter to the router > 2. UART pins are enabled, set the root password with passwd command start the dropbear instance on port 22 > > Method 2: > 1. Login into web interface, and restore the router with SSH enabled configuration. > 2. After reboot Default Web interface password will be 12345678 SSH password is empty > > Flash instructions: > 1. Connect to HX21, backup everything, especially 'Factory' part. > 3. Write new FIP: mtd write openwrt-mediatek-filogic-hx\_21-bl31-uboot.fip FIP > 4. Set static IP on your PC: IP 192.168.1.254/24, GW 192.168.1.1 > 5. Serve OpenWrt initramfs image using TFTP server. > 6. Wait for TFTP recovery to complete. > 7. After OpenWrt has booted, perform sysupgrade. > 8. To write new BL2 Install mtd-rw > opkg update && opkg install kmod-mtd-rw > insmod mtd-rw i\_want\_a\_brick=1 > mtd write openwrt-mediatek-filogic-imou\_hx21-preloader.bin bl2 ---
**Author:** ![anon63541380](https://forum.openwrt.org/letter_avatar/anon63541380/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@anon63541380](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/anon63541380)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 11:41pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/8 "2025-11-12T23:41:35Z")
You are too fast... mega expires, i think youll need to make it a wiki page. (dont tell me you did it before yesterday 🤣 } ---
**Author:** ![byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/user_avatar/forum.openwrt.org/byjahidul/32/118075_2.png) [@byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/byjahidul)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/9 "2025-11-13T00:31:26Z")
lol i have never done it before, maybe i will if it got merged. ---
**Author:** ![anon63541380](https://forum.openwrt.org/letter_avatar/anon63541380/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@anon63541380](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/anon63541380)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 7:17am UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/10 "2025-11-13T07:17:07Z")
Old thread (maybe somebody willing to test follows it) > [@Request for OpenWrt Support: Imou HX21 Router (MediaTek MT7981BA)](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/request-for-openwrt-support-imou-hx21-router-mediatek-mt7981ba/236092): > > Hello OpenWrt Community, I'm reaching out to request potential OpenWrt support for the Imou HX21 router. I recently performed a teardown and have gathered the following hardware information, which I hope will be useful for anyone considering porting OpenWrt to this device. Key Hardware Specifications: Main CPU: MediaTek MT7981BA (Filogic 820) WLAN/Wi-Fi Chip: MediaTek MT7976CN RAM: 256 MB ROM (Flash): 128 MB (ESYSONS S32F1GM) Based on the SoC (MT7981BA) being supported by OpenWrt for othe… ---
**Author:** ![Nehal](https://forum.openwrt.org/letter_avatar/nehal/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@Nehal](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/Nehal)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 10:04am UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/11 "2025-11-17T10:04:18Z")
i tried it and its working fine. ---
**Author:** ![mehbubsifat](https://forum.openwrt.org/letter_avatar/mehbubsifat/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@mehbubsifat](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/mehbubsifat)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 10:36am UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/12 "2025-11-17T10:36:36Z")
I tried it, and everything is good so far, but the WAN LED shows "ON" when not connected. ---
**Author:** ![byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/user_avatar/forum.openwrt.org/byjahidul/32/118075_2.png) [@byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/byjahidul)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 10:24pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/13 "2025-11-17T22:24:02Z")
Here’s the Test build hopefully everything should be working > **[21.18 MB folder on MEGA](https://mega.nz/folder/rwACVCTS#J_fwZ3cprTtj6Y1W23n4tg)** > > 5 files ---
**Author:** ![acoul](https://forum.openwrt.org/user_avatar/forum.openwrt.org/acoul/32/72604_2.png) [@acoul](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/acoul)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 3:09pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/14 "2025-12-28T15:09:07Z")
very interesting, promising & welcoming device supporting openwrt out-of-the-box ! are there any photos of the internal circuity-board, especially the place where the serial pins reside ? any estimate on the gains of the additional antenna compared to other similar devices offering only four antennas ? **Edit** : there is a picture on the [relative page](https://openwrt.org/toh/imou/hx21#serial) of the device I noticed that on the [OEM bootlog](https://openwrt.org/toh/imou/hx21#oem_bootlog) the board used is MediaTek MT7981 RFB > Machine model: MediaTek MT7981 RFB > > [0.718904] xhci-mtk 11200000.xhci: xHCI Host Controller > > [0.731730] xhci-mtk 11200000.xhci: Host supports USB 3.2 Enhanced SuperSpeed while on the [OpenWrt bootlog](https://openwrt.org/toh/imou/hx21#openwrt_bootlog) the board used is Imou HX21 > [0.000000] Machine model: Imou HX21 also under the [basic configuration](https://openwrt.org/toh/imou/hx21#basic_configuration) USB port is also mentioned > configure USB port ---
**Author:** ![byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/user_avatar/forum.openwrt.org/byjahidul/32/118075_2.png) [@byjahidul](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/byjahidul)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2025, 12:29pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/15 "2025-12-29T12:29:39Z")
> [@acoul](#): > > 1200000.xhci: Host supports USB 3.2 Enhanced SuperSpeed There is not much noticiable gain with that extra antenna and this board doesn’t have an usb port. ---
**Author:** ![miraj\_hossen](https://forum.openwrt.org/letter_avatar/miraj_hossen/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@miraj\_hossen](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/miraj_hossen)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/17 "2026-10-11T20:52:15Z")
![Screenshot from 2026-10-12 01-39-01](https://forum.openwrt.org/uploads/default/original/3X/d/1/d1fb202e30e7b341a670e5189a849070629e4796.png) I am trying to flash OpenWrt onto my router (Model: HX21, Software Version: V1.0.6), but when I try to upload the firmware via the stock web interface under "System Settings -\> Firmware Update -\> Restore Configuration / Manual Update", it throws the following error: > _Failed to recover the router because of invalid uploaded files. Please re-upload the file._ It seems the stock firmware is rejecting the custom OpenWrt bin/ssh file. ---
**Author:** ![frollic](https://forum.openwrt.org/user_avatar/forum.openwrt.org/frollic/32/30113_2.png) [@frollic](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/frollic)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/18 "2026-10-11T21:17:41Z")
> [@miraj\_hossen](#): > > It seems the stock firmware is rejecting the custom OpenWrt bin/ssh file. are you referring to [https://openwrt.org/toh/imou/hx21](https://openwrt.org/toh/imou/hx21) ? ---
**Author:** ![miraj\_hossen](https://forum.openwrt.org/letter_avatar/miraj_hossen/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@miraj\_hossen](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/miraj_hossen)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 9:26pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/19 "2026-10-11T21:26:08Z")
Yes, exactly! I am looking into the Imou HX21 device. Since the stock web interface rejects custom binaries with the 'invalid uploaded files' error, what would be the proper workaround or step-by-step approach mentioned in the documentation or community experience to get OpenWrt installed successfully on this model. ---
**Author:** ![frollic](https://forum.openwrt.org/user_avatar/forum.openwrt.org/frollic/32/30113_2.png) [@frollic](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/frollic)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/20 "2026-10-11T21:27:26Z")
it would be the page I linked to, or serial. ---
**Author:** ![miraj\_hossen](https://forum.openwrt.org/letter_avatar/miraj_hossen/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@miraj\_hossen](https://forum.openwrt.org/u/miraj_hossen)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 9:34pm UTC](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973/21 "2026-10-11T21:34:59Z")
Are you referring to the 'Connect UART Adapter to the router' process? [Next page](https://forum.openwrt.org/t/adding-support-for-imou-hx21/242973.md?page=2)