Just wanted to do a quick check : Website says cant install non-UBI version, but then right under it says we can install version without UBI to be able to revert to stock firmware. After reading a lot I am confused as the material may be out of sync with changes.
Is there a way to install temporarily, such that reversion to stock os is possible or not?
What is the best way to install in each scenario as of Jul 2022 to help avoid bricking the device
Scenario 1 Temporary install ?
Scenario 2 Permanent install ?
Lastly why is the RT 3200 still on Snapshot, what is "snapshot version" ?
Welcome to the forum. I have never flashed or even owned RT 3200. My recommendation is to avoid it until a stable release becomes available. Debricking a router is time consuming and tedious, and should be avoided.
If you want the non-UBI version, the only way is to go for a version from nearly a year ago since that's the only version that will work as non-UBI. Wouldn't recommend that because the current version has some fixes you definitively want to have. It's certainly possible to try the buggy one year old non-UBI version and roll back if you don't like it, though. I don't know why anyone would want that, but it's possible.
My suggestion would be: Go for the regular current UBI variant, not for the old non-UBI.
As to which actual software version to take or why there is a snapshot suggestion: There's just no stable release for the RT3200 because it's making its way directly into the upcoming 22.03 release, which is right around the corner.
So just follow the dangowrt instructions, update to whatever this happens to install, and run an Attended Sysupgrade to latest master through LuCI web UI at the end.
I wouldn't wait for 22.03 stable to be released. Current master is just too good "as is" compared to RT3200 stock firmware. But of course update to 22.03 stable once it's there.
How permanent is the flash on UBI ?
Can this be reversed with a flash programmer/connecting through serial, or is this impossible?
When you say around the corner when and do you mean a stable UBI version or non UBI version?
Thanks for your inputs !
If you read the link I provided, it is possible to go back. I don't understand why you would want to go back though. OpenWRT is rock solid on this device.
Forgive me if this is a dumb question, as I'm still new to OpenWRT.
I've read through that guide a few times, but I'm still a bit confused. Do you just install his binaries, and then those binaries automatically configure the device as UBI? The part about backing up the OEM firmware is straightforward, but I'm concerned I'm missing something on how to flash to the latest OpenWRT UBI snapshot and don't want to brick my router right out of the gate.
I had already read through the wiki page and the dangowrt Github guide, and was still confused, which was why I posted here originally. If anyone else that ends up here is also still confused about when and how the device gets converted to UBI, this post by hnyman explains in more detail exactly what is going on. I also found this video that shows another walkthrough on how to install OpenWRT on an RT3200.