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Cudy WR3000E — Flash OpenWrt

This guide covers how to replace the stock Cudy firmware on the WR3000E v1 router with OpenWrt using the two-stage installation method.

This guide implements the concept introduced in Chapter 2.1.2 — Installing OpenWrt.

What You'll Learn

  • How to verify your hardware revision before flashing
  • How to download the correct Cudy-signed intermediate firmware
  • How to flash through the stock Cudy web UI
  • How to access the OpenWrt interface after the first boot
  • How to apply the official OpenWrt sysupgrade image for a clean installation

Prerequisites

  • Cudy WR3000E v1 router (verify the revision — see warning below)
  • Computer with an Ethernet port
  • Ethernet cable
  • Cudy-signed intermediate OpenWrt firmware image (downloaded from Cudy's site)
  • Official OpenWrt sysupgrade image for cudy_wr3000e-v1 (from OpenWrt Firmware Selector)

Check your hardware revision before flashing

The WR3000E comes in two hardware revisions. The v2.0 revision is not supported by OpenWrt. Check the serial number on the sticker on the bottom of the router. If it starts with 2543 or higher (manufactured November 2025 or later), you may have a v2.0 unit. In that case, do not proceed with this guide.

Units with serial numbers below 2543... are v1 and can follow this guide safely.

Use a wired connection throughout

After flashing the intermediate firmware, Wi-Fi will not be available until OpenWrt is fully configured. Connect your computer to one of the LAN ports on the router and keep the wired connection throughout the entire process.

Step-by-Step Implementation

1. Locate the OpenWrt device page

Open the official OpenWrt Website and search for Cudy WR3000E. Read very carefully the information on the device page to confirm that your hardware revision is supported and to understand the flashing process for this specific model. This website is the authoritative source for OpenWrt compatibility and installation instructions so we recommend reading it thoroughly before proceeding.

OpenWrt website showing Cudy WR3000E search results

This first step is only to validate that your router is supported, once you confirm that, you can proceed to the next steps. No need to do anything else on the OpenWrt website for this guide.

2. Download the intermediate (Cudy-signed) firmware

The WR3000E stock firmware only accepts images signed by Cudy. You must first flash a Cudy-signed OpenWrt intermediate image before you can install the official OpenWrt build.

Go to the Cudy OpenWrt download page and scroll down until you find "Download OpenWrt Firmware to Remove Signature Check: Drive". Once you finthe link to the drive, you must open this shared folder, and find and download the intermediate firmware for the WR3000E v1. Extract the .bin file from the downloaded archive.

Tip

If your unit was manufactured after November 2025, make sure you download the updated intermediate firmware that supports the new F50L1G41LC flash chip (version 24.10.5 or newer). The Cudy download page notes this compatibility update.

Cudy firmware download page showing the OpenWrt intermediate image for WR3000E

3. Connect to the router and complete the setup wizard

Connect your computer to a LAN port on the router using an Ethernet cable. Power on the router and open a browser, then navigate to http://192.168.10.1.

Can't reach 192.168.10.1?

Disable Wi-Fi on your computer, check your cable, and make sure your computer got an IP in the 192.168.10.x range. See the general troubleshooting section for more steps.

The Cudy setup wizard will start. Complete it with the following settings:

  • Create an admin password when prompted (i.e. admin123)
  • Mode: Wireless Router
  • Timezone: select your local timezone
  • WAN: DHCP

Cudy setup wizard password creation screen

After the wizard completes, you will land on the Cudy dashboard.

Cudy router dashboard after completing the setup wizard

4. Flash the intermediate OpenWrt firmware

In the Cudy web UI, navigate to Advanced Settings → System → Firmware.

Upload the Cudy-signed intermediate firmware .bin file you downloaded in step 2 and start the upgrade.

Cudy firmware update page showing the intermediate OpenWrt image ready to upload

Wait for the process to complete. The router will display a completion message before rebooting.

Cudy firmware update completion message

Warning

Do not power off the router during the flash process. Wait for the completion message before doing anything else.

5. Access the OpenWrt interface

After the router reboots, the connection to 192.168.10.1 will drop. OpenWrt uses a different default IP address.

Open your browser and navigate to http://192.168.1.1. The OpenWrt LuCI login page will appear.

Log in with:

  • Username: root
  • Password: (leave blank — no password set by default)

OpenWrt LuCI login page

Set a root password immediately

OpenWrt has no root password by default. Go to System → Administration and set a strong password before connecting the router to any network.

6. Flash the official OpenWrt sysupgrade image

The intermediate firmware gets you into OpenWrt, but it is recommended to upgrade to the latest stable official release.

Download the sysupgrade image for cudy_wr3000e-v1 from the OpenWrt Firmware Selector.

In LuCI, go to System → Backup / Flash Firmware → Flash new firmware image. Upload the sysupgrade image.

Uncheck 'Keep settings'

When flashing the sysupgrade image after the intermediate firmware, uncheck Keep settings and retain the current configuration. This ensures you start with a clean OpenWrt configuration and avoids potential conflicts from the intermediate firmware's settings.

Wait 2–3 minutes for the router to reboot. When done, log in again at http://192.168.1.1 with username root and no password. You now have a clean, up-to-date OpenWrt installation.

After installing this new version, you will probably be prompted to enable automatic updates. You can choose to enable them or not. We recommend not enabling automatic updates to avoid unexpected changes in the router's behavior.

Auto Update Prompt

References

Revision History

Date Version Changes Author Contributors
2026-03-23 1.0 Initial guide creation Maria Jover Jaime Motjé, Sergio Giménez