MT6000 / Flint 2 — Firmware 4.8.3 vs Newer Versions (TX Power & WiFi Coverage)

Router VPN, DNS, Leaks
1

Hello everyone,

I want to share some important information for users of the GL.iNet Flint 2 / MT6000 router.

If you want to keep the strongest and most stable WiFi signal with full TX Power, it may be a good idea to stay on firmware version 4.8.3.

Many newer firmware versions are expected to include stricter WiFi TX power limitations and regulatory restrictions, which can reduce coverage and signal strength depending on region and driver changes.

For users who still want newer features like QoS, SQM, LuCI packages, or additional OpenWrt tools, most of them can still be installed manually through SSH without updating to newer restricted firmware versions.

Example SSH commands:

Update package list:

opkg update

Install LuCI:

opkg install luci

Install SQM QoS:

opkg install luci-app-sqm sqm-scripts

Install Adblock:

opkg install luci-app-adblock

Install statistics monitoring:

opkg install luci-app-statistics collectd-mod-wireless

Install advanced reboot scheduler:

opkg install luci-app-attendedsysupgrade

Install nano editor:

opkg install nano

Restart web interface:

/etc/init.d/uhttpd restart

Restart network:

/etc/init.d/network restart

For users who care more about maximum WiFi coverage and stable repeater/extender performance, firmware 4.8.3 currently seems to be one of the best balanced versions.

Especially for:

  • Long distance WiFi links

  • Repeater mode

  • WDS/Bridge setups

  • Thick walls / large houses

  • Stable 5GHz coverage

Of course, everyone should decide based on their own needs and local regulations.

Feel free to share your experience with MT6000 firmware versions and WiFi performance.

2

Unfortunately I don’t think sticking with older firmware will be sustainable, in terms of ensuring future security updates / patches and the newer features (like default IoT within GL.inet GUI in 4.9.0 beta). Considering that trying to get IoT setup and working with segregation on the secondary Flint 2 was a disaster on 4.8.3, I’m hoping to get support to sort this on 4.9.0, as although there was initially a slight improvement on Wi-Fi transmission from the primary Flint 2, it has started falling off, so I will need the nearer secondary Flint 2 for my cameras whilst maintaining segregation of the networks. Made more complicated presently as they use bridging not VLANs for the IoT network.

But thanks for the package info.

3

There are other ways to increase transmission power on newer versions, like choosing Panama country code in Luci; wouldn’t be very legal though.. but staying on the older version to avoid the newer regulation isn’t legal too so you know..

4

I've updated 2-3 days ago and I couldn't get WiFi on the far side of the house. Had to revert back to 4.8.3.

I agree, it's not really good to stick to an older version. I wonder if you can either choose a different country like mentioned here or you can do changes via Luci or SSH.

5

Same here. Some newer firmware versions seem to reduce WiFi range or TX power depending on the selected country/region.

You can try changing the country setting, checking TX power in LuCI/SSH, and enabling BSSID lock. I managed to get more stable coverage that way without downgrading.

6

I would be very careful with that. The Country Code is usually transmitted as part of the beacon so if you are causing any issues the local regulators can easily pinpoint where its coming from and why. If the deem this to be malicious the fine (in theory) can be quite high - in Germany it’s up to EUR 500000 ).

7

Hi folks,

I am new here and I try to get more WiFi range out of this router.

@GL6000

Which firmware do you mean? 4.8.3 stable or 4.8.3.-op24?

On 4.8.3. I don't see any possibilities to increase the WiFi range. Is there a possibility to increase it over 20dbm?

8

Hello,

The stable firmware version 4.8.3 does not currently include any Wi-Fi TX power reductions. In LuCI it shows 20 dBm, but in real usage the output is closer to around 23 dBm. Future firmware updates such as v4.8.4 or v4.9 are expected to include Wi-Fi power limitations based on the stricter regulations of each country/region.

For now, the recommended version is the stable v4.8.3.

If you want TX power settings up to 30 dBm, you can install OpenWrt 24 (based on 4.8.3), set the country to US, and the interface will allow up to 30 dBm TX power. However, this does not necessarily mean the Wi-Fi signal will be stronger than the stable 4.8.3 firmware in real-world performance.

Have a good day.

9

Thanks for the reply and clarification.

So you dont recommend op24 version, because of stability issues, I understand…

And the 4.8.4 version a has weaker WiFi than 4.8.3?

10

Yes, for now I personally recommend staying on the stable 4.8.3 version because it is more stable and better optimized overall.

Regarding v4.8.4, based on current testing and user reports, the Wi-Fi power appears to be slightly lower compared to 4.8.3 due to newer regulatory restrictions being applied more strictly. So in some regions, users may notice a small reduction in Wi-Fi range or signal strength.

However, stability and security improvements are still expected in newer firmware versions.

1 Like
11

it's more than slightly lower
23db = 199mw # new maximum
30db = 1000mw # old maximum

To give you a better idea how the scale works
10db = 10mw
20db = 100mw
30db = 1000mw

1 Like
12

To clear things out:

Does the Flint2 have the old high output when on 4.9 and changing country in Luci to a country like Panama? Anyone tested it?

13

I tested the official 4.9.0 release on my Flint 2 (EU version). Based on my own testing, I don’t see evidence that changing the country in LuCI restores the old high TX power behavior from earlier firmware.

My real-world measurements are essentially unchanged:

  • 2.4 GHz: my Samsung washer in the basement still reports about -35 dBm, the same as before.

  • 5 GHz: my iPhone is about -31 dBm at around 3 meters from the router in the same room.

So, in my case, changing the country does not appear to unlock higher transmit power. It seems the regulatory limits are still enforced in firmware rather than simply by the LuCI country selection.

If someone has verified this with calibrated measurements or spectrum analysis, I’d be interested to see the results.

1 Like
14

No, it is governed at the firmware level, but make sure you have the correct Country code in any case to make sure the correct limits are applied - assuming the hardcoded firmware tables use the Country code to apply the correct settings.

15

Based on my own testing with the official 4.9.0 firmware (EU Flint 2), I don’t think changing the country in LuCI (for example to Panama) restores the higher TX power from older firmware.

In my experience, the Wi-Fi output is still more restricted than on v4.8.3. Changing the country code did not bring back the previous coverage or signal strength.

GL.iNet support also informed me that the regulatory changes introduced in v4.8.4 remain in v4.9 and later firmware, so it appears that TX power is enforced at the firmware/driver level rather than by the LuCI country setting alone.

16

Exactly. But the country codes should determine the correct settings for the firmware tables to apply, as the firmware file download is the same, regardless of where you are, otherwise I don’t see how it can determine the correct power levels to use for the specific location.

17

I agree that the country code should be used to select the correct regulatory profile. However, based on my testing with the EU Flint 2, changing the country code alone does not restore the higher TX power that was available in v4.8.3.

GL.iNet support confirmed to me that the regulatory changes introduced in v4.8.4 remain in v4.9 and later firmware. This suggests that while the firmware may use the selected country to apply the appropriate regulatory table, the maximum transmit power is still constrained by firmware/driver limits for the device and SKU.

In other words, the country code appears to choose which regulatory table is used, but it does not override the transmit power limits implemented in the firmware.

18

in my opinion this is a bug and should be fixed, I am still on 4.8.3

2 Likes
19

I understand your point. After testing the newer firmware, I also decided to stay on v4.8.3.

My current setup is:

  • 2.4 GHz: Channel 11, 20 MHz

  • 5 GHz: Channel 48, 80 MHz

Based on my own testing on an EU Flint 2, this configuration provides the best coverage and stability for my environment. I hope GL.iNet will continue to investigate the Wi-Fi TX power behavior in newer firmware versions.

1 Like
20

TLDR: Firmware V4.8.3 was overpowered to start with.

But that’s the point…. we have established that V4.8.3 had the incorrect power levels to start with. They have corrected this in subsequent firmware versions to maintain regulatory compliance. So You will never get this back on post 4.8.3 firmware! Which goes back to my first reply in these recent posts, that if you want to maintain GL.inet firmware and features going forward, you will have to accept the corrected power limits. Otherwise stay on 4.8.3 which has obvious security issues later on. I only suggested that you use the correct country codes in the event that the firmware uses these to apply the correct power settings from the internal tables. So what you are seeing are the corrected / revised power levels as defined in the tables for the selected region.