Athena

The Project Athens bootloader for routers based on MediaTek MT7981.

Advantages

Web interface: device information, writing the firmware and the bootloader, settings reset, reboot
The file is checked before writing, its size and MD5 are shown
Built-in DHCP server: no static IP address to set
Stopping the system boot with BreedEnter
Resetting the firmware settings without reinstalling the firmware
Writing a full dump of the device from the web interface
Creates U-Config for the firmware when the device has none and keeps an existing one as it is
Firmware recovery over TFTP

Download Download r41 §

Install the bootloader for your own model only!

Model	Bootloader
CMCC RAX3000M/Me	Athena_CMCC_RAX3000M_r41.bin
CMCC XR30	Athena_CMCC_XR30_r41.bin
Cudy RE3000	Athena_Cudy_RE3000_r41.bin
Cudy TR3000	Athena_Cudy_TR3000_r41.bin
Cudy WBR3000UAX	Athena_Cudy_WBR3000UAX_r41.bin
Cudy WR3000P	Athena_Cudy_WR3000P_r41.bin
Netis NX31	Athena_Netis_NX31_r41.bin
Netis NX32U	Athena_Netis_NX32U_r41.bin
Xiaomi AX3000T	Athena_Xiaomi_AX3000T_r41.bin

Entering the bootloader§

MethodI§

Power off the router, hold the Reset button and power the router on.
Release the button when the system indicator starts blinking: it blinks for 5 seconds.
Connect the PC to a LAN port of the router and open 192.168.1.1. The PC gets its address by itself.

MethodII§

Use BreedEnter: Athena answers it while the router boots and opens the web interface.

Web interface§

Overview — model, CPU, RAM, flash memory, Athena version and build date.
Update — writes a file to the chosen part:
- Firmware — the firmware update file;
- Athena bootloader — the file from the table above;
- Factory — EEPROM;
- Full image — a full dump of this very device, overwrites the whole flash memory.
After writing, the router stays in the bootloader or reboots, as you choose.
Reset — erases the firmware settings together with its internal storage: the firmware starts as on a new device. The firmware, the bootloader, U-Config and EEPROM stay.
Reboot.

Recovery over TFTP§

If the firmware does not start, Athena can download it from a TFTP server on the PC. The file name depends on the model:

Model	File name
CMCC RAX3000M/Me	`cmcc-rax3000m-me_recovery.bin`
CMCC XR30	`cmcc-xr30_recovery.bin`
Cudy RE3000	`cudy-re3000_recovery.bin`
Cudy WBR3000UAX	`cudy-wbr3000uax_recovery.bin`
Cudy WR3000P	`cudy-wr3000p_recovery.bin`
Netis NX31	`netis-nx-series_recovery.bin`
Netis NX32U	`netis-nxu-series_recovery.bin`
Xiaomi AX3000T	`xiaomi-ax3000t_recovery.bin`

Set the static address 192.168.1.2 (mask 255.255.255.0) on the network card of the PC.
Start a TFTP server and put the firmware update file into its folder under the name from the table above, for example xiaomi-ax3000t_recovery.bin.
Connect the PC to a LAN port, power off the router, hold the WPS (Mesh) button and power the router on. Release the button when the system indicator starts blinking.
Athena downloads the file, writes it and reboots the router.

Cudy TR3000 has no WPS button, so this recovery is not available on it: use the web interface.

Updating the bootloader§

Caution

Do not update the bootloader if everything works. With a wrong or damaged file the router will not start until it is repaired over a serial console or with a flash programmer.

Enter the bootloader and open Update.
Choose Athena bootloader and the bootloader file of your model, tick «I have checked the file and accept the risk», choose Reboot the device and click Write and reboot.