A Real Review of Xiaomi AC2100 Mi Router [EN]


[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”73532″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=”h1″ text_size=”h1″]A Real Review of Xiaomi AC2100 Mi Router[/vc_custom_heading][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=”h4″ text_size=”h4″]If You Have This Router. DO NOT UPDATE FIRMWARE! Exploit found you can install better firmwares than stock.[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]Hey. Everyone I got the Xiaomi AC2100 Mi Router a couple days ago from postman. Shipment took nearly 1 month from AliExpress. Before buy that Router, I was trying to find some about that device on web but no one did a real review about this. A couple guys tried to record a video about device but they are totally unworth and pollyana just an unboxing and some meaningless talk. You can find that device around 40$ in AliExpress or If you wanna fast shipment you can get it on Banggood or Gearbest too but in GB or BG it is around 60$. Deviceses specs looks promising for this budget. It’s not much populer device in EU or US. But Xiaomi released a beast wifi router called Xiaomi AX3600 a month ago and I think with that Xiaomi easily announce it self to market and Xiaomi brand will be famous in router market.

Let’s look to specs first!

It has MediaTek MT7621A Dual-Core Processor running @880mHz. 128mb Integral storage maybe you can think 128mb is soo little but it’s not and be aware in home router category most expensive home router just has 512mb integral storage. Has 128mb RAM too. It has 3xGBit LAN port and 1xGBit WAN port and GBit speed equal to 1000Mbps and fine and max speed you can get in home unless you are doing some overpriced geeky stuff at home. Has 4x5dBi antennas which 2 has 2.4GHz wifi support and all of them is supporting 5Ghz wireless connection with dualband wireless technology. The Routers firmware based on a opensource firmware called OpenWRT, the pure OpenWRT is amazing firmware but Xiaomi is customized that firmware so badly. I’m having couple issues with that firmware I’ll share them in article.

What does they mean?

Maybe specs doesn’t mean you anything. Don’t worry device has good hardware for this price. But software of device is very bad If you are a normal home user you won’t notice any lack of features.

Router have mobile app called MiWifi and it is g ood feature to have you can create guess wifi’s in app or limit others wifi speed. Everything will needed by standart home users included in Xiaomi AC2100. If you are using Xiaomi’s smart home devices in home, Xiaomi says we optimized this router for smart home gadgets but I don’t have oppurtunity to test it because I don’t have any Xiaomi Smart Home device.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

A Big Con! (中文)

The device just has crappy chinese UI only. I just so confused when first setup. I used Google Lens Translation. Without it I probably don’t manage to install and configure that router. I rambled on UI with using Google Lens now I know pretty much everything in UI. By the way mobile app is still English. Or what your language is.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image media=”73543″ media_width_percent=”100″ media_ratio=”one-one” alignment=”center” shape=”img-round” radius=”std” shadow=”yes” shadow_weight=”sm”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

A Couple Bugs And Issues!

After I set-up that router I just disappointed. I was using Tenda AC7 before Mi AC2100. And Tenda was have only 100mbps port which is not enough to me. I fall in love to Xiaomi’s look. Xiaomi have very good hardware but they converted this hardware to dumbest router in world. It cannot do proper (NAT-port forwarding-UPnP). I researched too much about flashing custom firmware to device but Xiaomi doesn’t allows it. A couple guy working to find a exploit in Xiaomi’s firmware and install custom firmware to it but not success yet. However If you have chance to disassemble and solder some chips You get can flash a nice firmware for this device required gadgets costs like 10$. I hope someone will find a exploit and we won’t need to be rumble around soldering and other hardware modifications.

I suggest you to DO NOT BUY this device.

If you wanna good, budget router go buy Tenda. I just dissappointed how Xiaomi created very bad device like that.

Tenda has less good hardware than Xiaomi but its software is awesome. And you can feel a smoothest firmware and you can not see any bad and not-working any feature in Tenda‘s. Checkout these Tenda devices: (Tenda AC19Tenda AC21Tenda AC23).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

End Of Post

I hardly suggest to NOT buy these device yet. These device has very good hardware but firmware is very bad. I just suggest you to wait a bit if you need router. Because this device has very good looking and good hardware for this budget. Wait to end of April 2020 maybe someone find a way to flash custom firmware to this device. You can always follow news related to custom firmwares to this device on this Website called OpenWRT Forum. I will update this post if flashing custom firmware without soldering hardware. However you can disassemble and solder chip easily and get amazing firmware for this device. [ A little note: if you have gadget for PS3 jailbreaking, you can use them in that router 😉 ][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column column_width_percent=”80″ position_horizontal=”right” gutter_size=”0″ override_padding=”yes” column_padding=”0″ overlay_alpha=”50″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ shift_y_down=”0″ z_index=”0″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ width=”1/3″][vc_single_image media=”73585″ media_width_percent=”79″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]

A gadget to get custom firmware on Xiaomi AC2100
(Teensy++ 2.0 and TSOP48)

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