I would like to try out OpenWRT, but I don’t want to brick my router. How easy it’s to switch back and forth between OpenWRT and glinet firmware?
Will I encounter problems if I simply upload the latest firmware of each through the Update section in wGUI of the other?
How easy it’s to install each through uBoot?
Any risk of bricking the router?
I might have to go back to glinet firmware after trying out OpenWRT.
I have Braum.
That means you’re completely away from gl-inet support, so it’s as difficult as you install and set up Ubuntu or other Linux on your server machine.
However, in 3 respects it is a better learning environment than starting from scratch.
1, gl-inet has carefully checked that native OpenWRT is “installable” on this router, and gl-inet products are relatively popular in the OpenWRT community, so there are few failures.
Practicing what you don’t fully understand often leads to hardware destruction and loss of money. However, there are many people in the OpenWRT community who work with Blume with OpenWRT, and their practice records can be used as a clue to mitigate that risk.
2, OpenWRT is a Linux distribution for routers, but it has a fairly kind and rich official wiki compared to other Linux.
It is not very wealthy as it requires huge maintenance costs to maintain documentation suitable for users of all learning stages, and many non-commercial communities such as Linux distros are backed by well-meaning users. Therefore, they warn that it is difficult to touch it unless you can solve things on your own, and allow a steep learning curve to maintain the document.
Nonetheless, the OpenWRT wiki is very kind and the articles are organized to give beginners enough clues to look up things.
3, There is no one in the OpenWRT community like alzhao, but they are still pretty kind to beginners.
Usually, even if multiple users post the exact same question to the community, a well-meaning user will only answer the first one. No one likes to waste a day repeating the same thing (unless it’s to make money).
However, it can be difficult for beginners to find out about new things. We may not be able to find out efficiently, we may not be able to reach past answers, and we may be forced to ask duplicate questions.
People in the OpenWRT community are well aware that such beginners should not be criticized. This is pretty rare of all the community of geek-like people I’ve ever seen.
However, it should be understood that anyone who tries to impose all responsibility on respondents will be disliked in any community. At least you need to show somehow that you don’t intend to do that.
For example, a good reader of the wiki can explain which of “Openwrt”, “OpenWrt”, and “OpenWRT” is the most appropriate way to write it, along with a reason.
As such, the first beginner’s post posted to the OpenWRT community is a good indication of how much responsibility a person intends to hold on to the community.
Finally, in my personal opinion, it may be better to confirm in advance that it can be recovered when bricked.