Should I always choose "install" over "sysupgrade" to install from OEM firmware?

Hi. I want to install OpenWRT on a Cudy M3000 router. It lists two different images - one for install and other for upgrade. From what I can gather, install is for installing OpenWRT from within existing OEM firmware, and sysupgrade is for upgrading from within OpenWRT. So I should pick the install option, right?

What confuses me a bit is in my other Cudy router (WR1300), both install and sysupgrade images are the same. So does that mean Cudy uses OpenWRT by default in WR1300 but with a different UI? And it uses some other custom firmware in M3000, so install and sysupgrade are different images?

Is the following a safe general assumption for all routers?

If install and upgrade images are different, then choose install for OEM firmware --> OpenWRT, and upgrade for OpenWRT --> OpenWRT. But if they are the same, then it doesn't matter.

I just want to double check because I read somewhere that choosing the wrong install image might brick the router. Thanks.

Cudy uses signed firmwares. First you install cudy signed intermediate openwrt that permits installing final openwrt sysupgrade.
https://www.cudy.com/de-de/blogs/faq/openwrt-software-download (goigle drive folder has intermediate images)

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Oh right, yes I forgot about that. But then why is there even an install image listed in the hwdata page?

They both point to same file. Instead take latest (24.10.1 as of today) sysupgrade from firmware-selector.openwrt.org

They are not the same in M3000. Kindly take a look here. One is openwrt-24.10.1-mediatek-filogic-cudy_m3000-v1-initramfs-kernel.bin and the other is openwrt-24.10.1-mediatek-filogic-cudy_m3000-v1-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin.

From what I understand, I should first install the official Cudy version of OpenWRT (intermediary), then install the latest OpenWRT sysupgrade from that. But why is there a different install bin file there?

Thats for serial install as per commit message, go with cudy generic procedure.

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I see. Thanks a lot. For future references (in case of other routers), can you verify if the assumption I made in the post is correct?

If install and upgrade images are different, then choose install for OEM firmware --> OpenWRT, and upgrade for OpenWRT --> OpenWRT. But if they are the same, then it doesn't matter.

if cudy provides signed image in their gdrive easiest way is to use cudy genetic procedure

Okay. Thanks for the info!

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