wifihaven → Set up your router → Flint 2

Flash the GL.iNet Flint 2 (GL-MT6000)

The Flint 2 is our reference 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 2 with GL.iNet’s forked OpenWrt firmware. The wifihaven agent is not supported on that stock firmware — its firewall/UI layer and dnsmasq fork are untested against the agent’s enforcement, and 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.
SoCMediaTek MT7986A (Filogic), quad-core ARM Cortex-A53, aarch64
OpenWrt targetmediatek/filogic · profile glinet_gl-mt6000
WirelessDual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Ports1× 2.5G WAN, 4× gigabit LAN, USB-A
Stock GL IP192.168.8.1
OpenWrt IP (after flash)192.168.1.1

1. Download the OpenWrt image

Use the sysupgrade image (not initramfs). Get it from the OpenWrt Firmware Selector (search “GL.iNet GL-MT6000”): 

openwrt-<version>-mediatek-filogic-glinet_gl-mt6000-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin
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/mediatek/filogic/). The exact reference build we validate against, with its pinned checksum, is in the full Flint 2 install doc. 
sha256sum openwrt-*-glinet_gl-mt6000-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin
# Must match the checksum shown on the official download page.

2. Flash from GL stock firmware

  1. Power on the Flint 2 with WAN unplugged; plug your laptop into a LAN port.
  2. Browse to http://192.168.8.1 and set the GL admin password (you’ll only need it for the next few minutes).
  3. Go to the firmware/upgrade page and upload the sysupgrade image from step 1.
  4. Uncheck “keep settings” / “preserve config.” You want clean vanilla OpenWrt, not a GL-flavored install with leftover vendor config.
  5. Confirm and flash — ~5–10 min including reboot. Don’t power-cycle while it’s flashing.

3. First boot on OpenWrt

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

  1. Renew your laptop’s DHCP lease (or replug) to get a 192.168.1.x address.
  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='mediatek/filogic'

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 for the complete walkthrough. The Flint 2 doc also covers baseline config (country code, SQM/bufferbloat) and known apk-release quirks.

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 the reset button, plug power in while still holding, and keep holding ~10s until the power LED flashes rapidly (U-Boot recovery).
  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/router/mt6000/ (or re-upload the OpenWrt sysupgrade), then reboot.

Full recovery detail, including the TFTP fallback, is in the Flint 2 install doc.