Summary:
- UBNT NanoStation LOCO M2 has been moved to the "XW" platform (new chipset).
- Devices in sales channel currently are running AirOS 5.6.12, which can be upgraded to LEDE using the Web UI.
- LEDE/OpenWRT does not load using TFTP
- Upgrading to AirOS 6.06 (currently available in download area) enables firmware signature checking, which disables loading of LEDE via Web UI.
- LOCO will NOT downgrade to any earlier version of AirOS.
- UBNT devices may not be able to run LEDE/OpenWRT from now on
Explanation:
I have just gotten a batch of new LOCO M2 devices after a delay from my distributor. I was not entirely surprised to find that they have been converted to the "XW" architecture (they were "XM" devices).
I was surprised to find that they could not be downgraded to AirOS 5.5. They shipped with AirOS 5.6.12, and versions of 5.6 of AirOS have been associated with the partition table change - so they had to be downgraded back to AirOS 5.5 before OpenWRT or LEDE could be flashed.
There are no AirOS downloads available for the LOCO M2 XW older than 6.0.6 (i.e. not even the 5.6.12 they are shipping with...). I tried downloading the older XW versions available for the LOCO M5 (which has been using the XW architecture for a while), but none of them would load onto the LOCO M2 using either the Web UI or tftp. The only firmware I have been able to load on these units via tftp is the AirOS 6.0.6 firmware - no version of LEDE or OpenWRT will load.
We have already seen this signature locking in the UniFi product line already, and now we know it is moving to the "AirMAX M" product line.
As mentioned, the LOCO M5 has already moved to the XW architecture; the rest of the devices in their "M" product line will either move to the XW architecture or be eliminated (e.g. the PicoStation M2).
If we do not have a way to overcome this new signature checking "feature" in uboot, we will not be able to load LEDE/OpenWRT onto UBNT hardware.
For now, I think it is good advice for anyone looking for outdoor wireless equipment for OpenWRT/LEDE to AVOID UBIQUITI unless and until we can get this figured out.