At first, I was planning to buy the Xiaomi 4A Gigabit Edition from Xiaomi’s official website, but unfortunately, the new version is no longer supported, so I’m considering buying the Xiaomi AX3000T instead. Will I encounter any issues when setting it up?
I will purchase it from Xiaomi's official website. What exactly does U-Boot do? (What are its advantages and disadvantages compared to a normal bootloader?)
I don’t want to brick the device. Is there a specific version and any program or code line to minimize errors?
How can I differentiate between Winbond, ESMT, or Foresee NAND flash chips?
Does OpenWRT work stably? Which version? (Does it work on all of them? What’s the difference with snapshots?)
Likely reason for OpenWRT recreating normal u-boot bootloader is that hardware was enough documented to repeat bringup procedure in open software plus u-boot being modular one can easily extend u-boot like enable blind dual-boot from flash and tftp etc things u-boot naturally can do, while factory one is fixed function and has to be researched like a black box - ie press all buttons maybe it netboots maybe it resets config etc.
Since you acquire SSH connection to the router you can identify flash chips in old openwrt oem firmware bootloag eg dmesg, logread, cat /proc/mtd etc.
OpenWrt is stable in this device.
Read this for further details on compatibility: OpenWrt support for Xiaomi AX3000T - #1424 by alexq
If you're able to read and understand instruction you shoukd have no issues.
U-Boot Mod is is an alternative bootloader provided for this device which changes the the preloader and boot files (BL2 and FIP partitions).
It provides slightly faster boot time, 10mb more flash space with recovery installed and the trust of open source code.
In the international version (RD23) it reduces flash writes as bootcount is required to avoid a soft brrick after 6 reboots due the stock bootloader logic, u-boot mod bypasses the problem completely.
I'd say buy a chinese variant (rd03), their most up to date firmware all can be flashed without opening the device and there is no need/temptation to mess with the bootloader.
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Everything @RHBH mentioned is correct, but just a small note:
- Although all existing hardware variations of the AX3000T are currently supported when the stock bootloader is used, BUT not all hardware variations are supported yet with the OpenWrt U-Boot bootloader.
Be careful with OpenWrt u-boot.
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Do I have to open it up to find the name of this NAND flash chip?
It seems like you're suggesting I should install U-Boot. After installing U-Boot, I can upload the file to 192.168.1.1, and it gets installed. Does the NAND chip make a difference for U-Boot, or does it only matter for the OpenWRT software?
I installed this, but it's not working properly or not opening. Is there any way to recover it if it becomes a brick?
If you're still on the stock bootloader, see this:
stock firmware can be found in this section already
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For example, if the U-Boot was damaged during installation, will this method restore it to its previous state? Does this method only work when the device is bricked while installing OpenWrt?
Does the NAND chip make a difference for U-Boot, or does it only matter for the OpenWRT software?
Please don't get me wrong, but considering all your questions, I suggest you proceed with the stock bootloader for now and install OpenWrt on the stock bootloader. Later, when you review 3k posts in the AX3000T forum and find answers to your questions, you can decide how to proceed.
Some of your questions don't have straightforward answers, and there are a lot of "but".
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What I really want to ask is, if it becomes a brick, it won't be left with me, right?
If you stick with the stock bootloader, it is possible to restore the AX3000T after a soft brick in most cases, and it is fairly easy to restore stock firmware without requiring special knowledge. That's why I suggested you not switching to the OpenWrt U-Boot.
jFYI: I'm also using the stock bootloader on my AX3000T and still believe that the OpenWrt U-Boot bootloader is for enthusiasts who really know why they need this custom.
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Just keep the stock bootloader as @alexq suggested above. If you brick it, you should be able to unbrick it without the need to take it apart to use UART recovery.
Also, to be on the safe side, either install an snapshot image (be aware it does not include LuCI and you will need SSH and CLI to install the web UI) or wait for 24.10.0-rc7 (or final release) to be released in one or two weeks (which include support to the latest hardware revision with AN8855 switch).
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Is there a difference between SNAPSHOT and 24.10.0-rc6? Which one would you recommend?
If you dont want to test for next year go with 24.10 pre-relases.
Be aware that 24.10.0-rc6 does not support some recent hardware revisions (specifically AX3000T with etherent switch whit Airoha AN8855 chipset), and installing it on an AX3000T with this chipset may softbrick your device.
As said above, support to AN8855 chipset has been added a few days ago, right now it is available only in the SNAPSHOT builds. So, if you do not know which chipset your device has, do NOT use 24.10.0-rc6 and wait for 24.10.0-rc7. Hope this is clear.
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