# SFT 1200 OPAL openwrt vesion **URL:** \ **Category:** Router\ **Created:** [September 29, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446 "2024-09-29T18:11:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![scada](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@scada](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/scada)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/66 "2026-09-29T00:30:14Z")
thanks for the context @nijave small clarification tho from what I've read :d the switch driver is already upstream (mxl-gsw1xx dsa driver) with its current tag format and dangowrt said it gets gigabit wire speed for bridging/vlans the missing 802.1Q tagger very likely matters for hnat so its whats holding back routing speed rather than basic support feel free to correct me if I'm wrong though! anyway Im going to keep working and poking on this in my free time. first step is getting my repo up and running (duhh) so others can build and test it though GitHub really hates me lol first my country couldnt receive the SMS verification codes and now my new account got suspended Honestly getting the code online might end up being the hardest part xd. ---
**Author:** ![ignirtoq](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@ignirtoq](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/ignirtoq)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 4:39am UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/67 "2026-09-29T04:39:47Z")
Coincidentally, I was trying to get newer firmware to work with my Opal device, and I primarily used Claude as well and had a breakthrough around the time scada posted to this thread. My goal was to get the Opal connecting over WiFi to my AX1800 primary home router to form an L2 bridge (for a mostly unrelated project). This needed it to be able to connect to a WiFi network provided by another router (which the stock firmware did not seem to support) and provide an Ethernet bridge into that network. Claude ultimately did get it working by starting from rctphone’s work and comparing against dangowrt’s known-booting, Ethernet-only build. I have pushed those changes to a fork of rctphone’s fork of the GL-iNet repo on my GitHub account: [GitHub - ignirtoq/openwrt-gl.inet-sft1200 at sft1200-fixes · GitHub](https://github.com/ignirtoq/openwrt-gl.inet-sft1200/tree/sft1200-fixes) I am a software developer by trade, but I definitely do not normally work at the device firmware level, so much of this is beyond me. Claude did mention that it ultimately had 5 patches on top of rctphone’s work to enable this. I can also say Claude attempted to get 802.1Q tagging working and was unable to do so on its first try. I didn’t need that functionality, so I didn’t push any further. I asked Claude if you would need any specific instructions to be able to build its work: > To build: clone the sft1200-fixes branch, run ./scripts/feeds update -a && ./scripts/feeds install -a, then cp gl-sft1200.config .config && make defconfig && make. For the first install I flashed openwrt-siflower-sf19a2890-glinet\_gl-sft1200-squashfs-factory.img through U-Boot web recovery (hold reset while powering on, then browse to 192.168.1.1 from a PC with a static 192.168.1.x address); later updates can use the sysupgrade.tar. Out of the box it broadcasts GL-SFT1200 and GL-SFT1200-5G with the GL.iNet default key, so change that right away. The L2 bridge is not built in; it is regular OpenWrt WDS client configuration, and the upstream AP also needs WDS enabled. Known gaps: the 5 GHz external PA is not configured yet, and 802.1Q DSA tagging (needed for hardware NAT offload) breaks the LAN ports, so hardware NAT is off. Over the WDS bridge I measured about 49 Mbit/s up and 109 Mbit/s down. ---
**Author:** ![scada](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@scada](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/scada)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 11:50am UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/69 "2026-09-29T11:50:30Z")
I'll definitely take a closer look at your code hahah I'm way too busy with my university and side jobs while also having a really debilitating common cold lol My immune system is comparable to a stick of icecream I'll take a closer look and try to get more work done as soon as possible I've been stretching uploading the code for way too long but I promise literally everything that could go wrong is happening right now xd ---
**Author:** ![kjansik](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@kjansik](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/kjansik)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/70 "2026-09-29T15:25:46Z")
I only got around to it today, and so far it seems like I’ve successfully bricked my Opal. The LED on the front flashes fast blue, then slowly, and then turns off. ---
**Author:** ![AI\_bot](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@AI\_bot](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/AI_bot)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/71 "2026-09-29T15:26:15Z")
The boot sequence suggests the installed image is not starting correctly, but the Opal may still be recoverable through U-Boot: 1. Download the official **GL-SFT1200 U-Boot-compatible firmware** from the [GL.iNet Download Center](https://dl.gl-inet.com/router/sft1200/). 2. Power off the Opal and connect a computer directly to a **LAN** port; disconnect everything else. 3. Hold Reset while powering it on. Keep holding until the blue LED flashes five times and then becomes solid, then release Reset. 4. Set the computer’s Ethernet address to `192.168.1.2` with subnet mask `255.255.255.0`, disable Wi-Fi/VPN/proxy software, and open `http://192.168.1.1`. 5. Upload the official firmware and wait at least three minutes without interrupting power. This erases the current configuration. Full recovery instructions are available in the [GL.iNet U-Boot debrick guide](https://docs.gl-inet.com/router/en/4/faq/debrick/). The community firmware used here is not officially supported by GL.iNet; guidance for it is best-effort, and GL.iNet Technical Support may not be able to troubleshoot or maintain that configuration. > **This reply was generated by AI. Please verify its accuracy.** > > GL.iNet Technical Support reviews and responds to relevant threads on business days. Please allow time for a staff response. ---
**Author:** ![kjansik](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@kjansik](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/kjansik)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/72 "2026-09-29T15:37:22Z")
I did repeatedly, same problem, router flashes then sems to switch-off. U-boot is working fine. ---
**Author:** ![scada](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@scada](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/scada)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/74 "2026-09-29T16:06:51Z")
Thats really interesting I flashed it on both of my sft1200 and my friends sft1200 and it booted after 2-3minutes I'd love some UART logs I guess ---
**Author:** ![kjansik](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@kjansik](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/kjansik)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/75 "2026-09-29T17:48:31Z")
To get the U-Boot log, I'd need to open up the router to access pins, and I really don't feel like doing that. The image I used probably has some bug. I'll wait for Github or another image. ---
**Author:** ![kjansik](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@kjansik](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/kjansik)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/76 "2026-10-01T19:49:30Z")
Tried the following: I installed a clean (U-boot) firmware 4.8.3 and later also an older 4.3.25, and flashed your image. Each time the router stopped working. If you have a different experience, please advise. Maybe you have a different image. I don't have the U-boot log, I don't want to disassemble the router. ---
**Author:** ![scada](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@scada](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/scada)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/77 "2026-10-04T23:11:54Z")
hey i tested everything turns out i didnt compile the drivers for you for the switch here is the [repo](https://codeberg.org/scada/openwrt-for-sft1200/commits/branch/main) ill clean it a bit and make some changes that make sense hopefully in the following weeks ---
**Author:** ![Cindeade](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cindeade](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/Cindeade)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/79 "2026-10-09T17:06:07Z")
After getting rid of some stuff I found my opal and thought lets have a look an see if there Openwrt is working on it yet. It was the reason I got it.. to my surprise I found out it is. So thank you all for your hard work. Scada, I got the img you created and it is working well. Connected via lan cable I get Download Mbps 65.73 Upload Mbps 114.31 Ping ms 10 On wifi I get Download Mbps 80.48 Upload Mbps 77.64 Ping ms 109 using [speedtest.net](http://speedtest.net) I have a 10gbps fiber connection so I think Lan speed sholud be a bit higher. Since I did not do any testing using the original firmware I dont know what it was before. Thanx and keep up the good work ---
**Author:** ![scada](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@scada](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/scada)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/80 "2026-10-09T20:32:31Z")
Hahah I'm happy to hear that I can try to further optimize everything but I'm really tight on free time this year I'll update the forum if anything new happens ---
**Author:** ![scada](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@scada](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/scada)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 1:54am UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/81 "2026-10-10T01:54:46Z")
thankfully my tomorrows lecture moved for next week and i have progress with hnat working ill try to clean some stuff up it was not that hard to implement it also the license for everything seems to be MIT so i think legally im in the clear lol ---
**Author:** ![Cindeade](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cindeade](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/Cindeade)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/82 "2026-10-10T12:29:39Z")
Well I have plenty of free time but no clue how to how to implement it. So if you have some spare time it would be appreciated. Wil test new updates and let you know if the Lan is faster. ---
**Author:** ![scada](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@scada](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/scada)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/83 "2026-10-10T14:15:22Z")
I got hnat working but I'm trying to figure out why Ethernet ports won't come up when I compile hnat It'll take some time Update: fixed everything but performance is still under 300mbit/s which is rather slow also i cant get hnat working for wifi in a proper way ill try to fix ethernet side first ---
**Author:** ![kjansik](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@kjansik](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/kjansik)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/84 "2026-10-10T20:28:11Z")
I sugest You are working on issues already, anyway i will send You short summary from test runs: **1. Ethernet switch (MaxLinear GSW1xx) fails to initialize** ```auto mxl-gsw1xx stmmac-0:1f: writing PCE microcode failed, -145 mxl-gsw1xx stmmac-0:1f: error -ETIMEDOUT: dsa switch registration failed mxl-gsw1xx stmmac-0:1f: probe with driver mxl-gsw1xx failed with error -145 ``` - Happens on every boot, including cold boots, so it is not random and not a power issue. - No `lan1`–`lan3` ports are created, so the LAN ports are dead. - `eth0` is up and works as WAN (connected to an upstream router, internet reachable). - **2. 2.4 GHz radio (`platform/soc/11000000.wifi`) does not work** - With an AP and a STA interface on radio0, `wpa_supplicant` fails: `nl80211: Could not configure driver mode` and `phy0-sta0: Failed to initialize driver interface`. `iw dev` shows `phy0-sta0` as `type AP` with `txpower 0.00 dBm`. - After removing the STA interface, `hostapd` reports: `Could not read interface phy0-ap0 flags: No such device`. The `phy0-ap0` interface is never created. - The 5 GHz radio (`17800000.wifi`, `phy1-ap0`) works normally. - After disable and enabel radio seems to work normaly I can provide full `dmesg`, `iw list` and `uci show wireless` output if needed. Thanks for your effort Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![scada](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@scada](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/scada)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/86 "2026-10-10T22:17:57Z")
Cindead reported the image working from the repo can you make sure you're using the latest img from the repo (not the one i sent you) and a good power adapter? on my unit the same build boots with lan1 lan2 and wan every time so it might be an older build or a different hardware revision. if it still fails send the full dmesg the 2.4ghz issue is siflowers wifi driver, wifi reload after boot should work around it for now ---
**Author:** ![scada](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@scada](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/scada)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/87 "2026-10-10T22:20:30Z")
also if it still does not work give dangowrt’s repo a try compile it flash it and check if it works Update: I pushed a new release fixing the speeds for ipv4 no pppoe ipv6 or wifi acceleration for now since those still go thru software but it should be roughly twice as fast ---
**Author:** ![kjansik](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@kjansik](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/kjansik)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/88 "2026-10-13T20:35:48Z")
Quick status update on the GL-SFT1200 (Opal) port — testing on real hardware. \*\*Working:\*\* - Wi-Fi: both radios come up as APs. 2.4 GHz negotiates 144 Mbit/s, 5 GHz up to 650 Mbit/s. - Ethernet switch: fixed. Our unit is the newer revision with a GSW150 at SMDIO address 0 (instead of the GSW140 at 0x1f). With the variant detection applied, DSA sets up cleanly, wan/lan1/lan2 are created, and we get 1 Gbps/full on LAN1 and WAN (link Up, flow control rx/tx). \*\*Open issues (both block using this as a travel router):\*\* 1. \*\*STA / client mode.\*\* A manually created managed vif plus our own wpa\_supplicant (bypassing netif entirely) still fails at the capability check: Since travelmate drives its own wpa\_supplicant, it hits the same wall. 2. \*\*TUN / VPN.\*\* TUN is not in the kernel: VPN packages are not working yet. ---
**Author:** ![scada](https://forum-assets.gl-inet.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@scada](https://forum.gl-inet.com/u/scada)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446/89 "2026-10-19T13:47:32Z")
I improved the Wi-Fi from 100 Mbit/s vanilla to 650 Mbit/s with the OC release. Stock GL.iNet firmware maxes out at around 400 Mbit/s. I sent a patch upstream for a bug where the Ethernet driver mishandles the hardware checksums and hands them to the CPU to recompute, which was costing us speed. I also added the zero-copy patches from kernel 6.14. With all of that, vanilla main gets around 550 Mbit/s, which is 150 Mbit/s more than stock. That's with packet steering enabled. Several of my friends and I also tried the new OC branch, and it reaches 650 Mbit/s, which is 250 Mbit/s faster than stock. I'll push a release today, and tomorrow I'll be leaving my city again. Please, could someone check the remaining bug that kjansik reported (PR #3) and open a PR if you can? I can't reproduce it myself. > **[openwrt-for-sft1200](https://codeberg.org/scada/openwrt-for-sft1200)** > > port of openwrt for the sft1200 using banana pi repo files [Previous page](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446.md?page=3) [Next page](https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/sft-1200-opal-openwrt-vesion/48446.md?page=5)