I bought a brand new GL.iNet GL-AX1800 Flint. Its factory vendor image is based on OpenWrt 23.05. It’s fully open, in that I can ssh into it, and even get an “advance mode” GUI, which is basically LuCi. I thought that would make upgrading it to the standard images here a breeze.
I was wrong.
The OpenWRT web site offers me to download factory images in BIN and UBI format, as well as kernel images in ITB format. None of those formats seem to be flashable. The vendor GUI simply refuses to flash them. If I switch to LuCi or try to use the command line sysupgrade, they claim the image isn’t for this device. If I try to force it the device reboots, but then loads back into the same image it was running before. It doesn’t even delete the config.
I get that flashing UBI images is not supported by 23.05, but I’m now stuck with the vendor’s image.
The device does not appear to have a device page, and I couldn’t find a workaround.
With many GL.inet devices running their "almost OpenWrt" firmware, you in most cases simply flash with the sysupgrade image, without using the factory image at all. Not sure if that is the way with GL-AX1800. But remember to de-select the "keep settings" in flash, as settings are not compatible.
This forum port suggests the device-specific way to use the GL-inet recovery http flash interface (advice in https://docs.gl-inet.com/router/en/4/faq/debrick/) with flash the factory.ubi image to 1800:
The good news is that the sysupgrade image indeed would flash. The bad news is that the router afterwards wouldn’t boot. I’ve seen it happen before, and usually doing a hard-factory reset solves this, but this time I can’t for some reason. I suspect the reset button doesn’t work.
I’ll have to look into it, and I’m wavering between opening up the device and looking at the button (and, optionally, a UART) or just returning it.
Just try the HTTP recovery flash, then. (assuming that your button works at least somewhat.) And note that https does not work. Just http.
Ps.
what the heck is "hard-factory" reset for a modern router that hasn't fully booted? There is nothing to be short-circuited by the button or anything like that. Usually the "reset" is nowadays just a programmed script doing some partition cleaning. If the router hasn't booted properly, it is quite likely that no reset action gets triggered by the button.
What I mean is that I’ve seen many cases in the past where flashing a new firmware does not reset the config, despite asking it to, which causes the same outwards effects (i.e. - the router not seeming to respond due to invalid config). In those cases, doing the factory reset recovers access to the router.
In this case, this does not appear to be the case, which means that it’s, indeed, possible it’s not booting at all.
I eventually got it working. The sysupgrade image did brick it, and I was not aware of the uboot flashing method before.
So the steps I had to take (for future confused like me, and probably I would have better taken from the very beginning):
Connect a computer to the router with exactly one port.
Enter uboot flashing mode by having the reset button pressed while plugging in the device. Keep it pressed until the LED starts and then stops flashing
One more post for the archive regarding opening the router up. There are two screws (No. 2 Philips) under the two legs with rubber feet. There is no screw under the sticker (the depression is the plastic injection point). After removing the screws I was unable to open the actual body. I don’t know whether that was because there are more screws I’ve missed or because something is clipped in place really well.
With many GL.inet devices running their "almost OpenWrt" firmware, you in most cases simply flash with the sysupgrade image, without using the factory image at all. Not sure if that is the way with GL-AX1800. But remember to de-select the "keep settings" in flash, as settings are not compatible.
That's why when you migrate the AX-1800 from GL-Inet firmware to vanilla Openwrt you must flash with U-Boot and a FACTORY.UBI Image.
After that you can upgrade openwrt to newer openwrt with attended sysupgrade (and keep settings).