wifihaven → Set up your router → Flint

Flash the GL.iNet Flint (GL-AX1800)

The Flint (GL-AX1800) is the smaller, cheaper GL.iNet router. It ships GL.iNet’s own firmware — this guide flashes it to vanilla OpenWrt, the only configuration wifihaven supports, then hands off to the agent install.

Why flash? GL.iNet ships the Flint with GL.iNet’s forked OpenWrt firmware. The wifihaven agent is not supported on that stock firmware — on the GL stock build the agent can’t install and can’t block. Flash vanilla OpenWrt first; don’t run the installer on GL stock.
The Flint is not flashed the same way as the Flint 2. The Flint boots from NAND, so the first flash off GL stock must use a factory image — not a sysupgrade image. Only after you’re on OpenWrt do you use sysupgrade images for future upgrades.
SoCQualcomm IPQ6000, quad-core ARM Cortex-A53, aarch64
OpenWrt targetqualcommax/ipq60xx · profile glinet_gl-ax1800
WirelessDual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax, AX1800)
Ports1× gigabit WAN, 4× gigabit LAN, USB 3.0 (no 2.5G port)
Supported sinceOpenWrt 25.12.0
Stock GL IP192.168.8.1
OpenWrt IP (after flash)192.168.1.1

1. Download the OpenWrt image

For the first flash you need a factory image. Get it from the OpenWrt Firmware Selector (search “GL.iNet GL-AX1800”): 

openwrt-<version>-qualcommax-ipq60xx-glinet_gl-ax1800-squashfs-factory.bin   ← via GL admin UI
openwrt-<version>-qualcommax-ipq60xx-glinet_gl-ax1800-squashfs-factory.ubi   ← via U-Boot web recovery

The squashfs-sysupgrade.bin image is for later upgrades only — do not use it for the first flash off GL stock.

Verify the checksum before you flash — a wrong image can brick the router. Check the SHA-256 of your download against the value the Firmware Selector shows (and the sha256sums file under downloads.openwrt.org/releases/<version>/targets/qualcommax/ipq60xx/). The exact reference build we validate against, with its pinned checksum, is in the full Flint install doc.

2. Flash from GL stock firmware

Method A — GL admin UI (simplest):

  1. Power on with WAN unplugged; plug your laptop into a LAN port.
  2. Browse to http://192.168.8.1 and set the GL admin password.
  3. On System → Upgrade → Local Upgrade, upload the …-squashfs-factory.bin image (the factory image, not sysupgrade).
  4. Uncheck “keep settings.” Confirm and flash (~5–10 min).

Method B — U-Boot web recovery (if the GL UI won’t take it):

  1. Power off. Hold reset, plug power in while holding.
  2. Keep holding until the blue LED flashes 5 times, then turns solid white (~5s), then release.
  3. Give your laptop a static 192.168.1.2/24 and browse to http://192.168.1.1.
  4. Upload the …-squashfs-factory.ubi image and flash (~3 min).

3. First boot on OpenWrt

After the reboot the router is at 192.168.1.1 on clean OpenWrt defaults.

  1. Set your laptop’s IPv4 back to DHCP (if you set it static in Method B) and renew the lease.
  2. Browse to http://192.168.1.1 (LuCI) and set a root password.
  3. SSH in (ssh root@192.168.1.1) and confirm the firmware: 
    cat /etc/openwrt_release
# Expect DISTRIB_TARGET='qualcommax/ipq60xx'

4. Turn on Wi-Fi (it’s off by default)

Vanilla OpenWrt ships with both radios disabled and no wireless network, so right after flashing you’ll only have wired connectivity — that’s expected. Turning it on is the same on every OpenWrt router, so we keep it on one page: Turn on Wi-Fi → (LuCI or SSH). Do it before you unplug the laptop.

5. Install the wifihaven agent

The box is now on vanilla OpenWrt. Follow step 2 of the setup page to run the one-line installer, or the full OpenWrt install doc. Baseline config and apk-release quirks are covered in the Flint install doc.

Recovery if a flash goes wrong

GL.iNet’s U-Boot has a built-in web recovery. Walk it once before you need it:

  1. Power the router off.
  2. Hold reset, plug power in while holding, and keep holding until the blue LED flashes 5 times then turns solid white (~5s). Release.
  3. Plug your laptop into a LAN port and give it a static 192.168.1.2/24.
  4. Browse to http://192.168.1.1 — the GL.iNet recovery UI loads.
  5. Upload stock GL firmware from dl.gl-inet.com (or the OpenWrt …-factory.ubi), then reboot.

Full recovery detail is in the Flint install doc.