How to Flash Breed Firmware on Redmi AC2100: A Complete Guide and Review

Redmi AC2100breed firmwarerouter flashing guidePadavan firmwarexiaomi router mod

Published·Sep 2, 2020Modified·Sep 2, 2020

Although I already have an Asus RT-ACRH17 at home, I recently couldn't resist buying a JD Cloud Router and a Redmi AC2100 to tinker with. To facilitate future flashing, the first step was to flash the Breed bootloader onto the Redmi AC2100.

What is Breed?

Breed is known among enthusiasts as the "Phoenix" firmware. Once flashed, you can install any firmware you like. It makes flashing convenient and ensures the router rarely becomes bricked. If your router supports Breed and you enjoy tinkering, you must try it.

How to Flash Breed

Before flashing, I recommend watching this video tutorial thoroughly to avoid common pitfalls.

Below is the text version, which is more concise and suitable for those with some technical background.

1. Enable Windows Telnet Client

Go to Start Menu > Settings > Programs > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off, and check Telnet Client.

2. Disable Antivirus Software

Close all antivirus software (this is very important) and the Windows Firewall. I encountered issues initially because I didn't close Huorong, which mistakenly deleted some files during the extraction of the flashing tool, causing the process to fail. Ensure you disable antivirus software before extracting the tool.

Flashing Tool Download: RMAC2100-breed tutorial complete version.zip

3. Install Tools

The extracted flashing tool includes npcap-0.9991.exe, which must be installed beforehand.

4. Connect the Router

You will need two Ethernet cables:

Cable 1: Connect one end to the router's WAN port (the one near the power socket) and the other end to a LAN port (any port other than WAN).
Cable 2: Connect one end to a LAN port on the router and the other end to your computer.

The setup should look like this:

5. Configure Network Adapter

Disable unnecessary network adapters first. Then, configure your network adapter settings as follows:

IP Address: 192.168.31.177
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.31.1

6. Configure the Router

Since it is a Xiaomi official router, log in to the backend at 192.168.31.1. Set up PPPOE dialing with username 123 and password 123. It won't connect to the internet yet, but that's fine.

7. Start Flashing Breed

Execute the telnet.bat file and follow the prompts until the rebound shell window shows data reception. When the rebound shell window pops up, enter the following command and press Enter:

cd /tmp&&wget http://192.168.31.177:8081/busybox&&chmod a+x ./busybox&&./busybox telnetd -l /bin/sh

This step must be done quickly. Once successful, the Telnet service on the Redmi AC2100 will be enabled. Immediately unplug the WAN-LAN cable (the brown cable in the diagram above) to prevent network storms after flashing Breed.

8. Flash r3g Breed

Open a CMD window and execute the following commands in order:

telnet 192.168.31.1
cd /tmp
# Ensure the "Task_FileServer" process is still running; if not, run httpserver.bat in the /rm2100 folder again
wget http://192.168.31.177:8081/breed-mt7621-xiaomi-r3g.bin&&nvram set uart_en=1&&nvram set bootdelay=5&&nvram set flag_try_sys1_failed=1&&nvram commit
mtd -r write breed-mt7621-xiaomi-r3g.bin Bootloader

If no errors occur, congratulations, you have succeeded. Most of the tutorial content is reprinted and somewhat disorganized, so it is recommended to watch the video first, then refer to the text version for clarity.

Entering Breed

Set your computer to obtain an IP address automatically and wait for the router to restart. When your computer gets an IP or the router shows only one blue light, the Breed bootloader has successfully guided the official firmware.
Wait 5 minutes, then unplug the power. Use a toothpick to hold the reset button while plugging the power back in. Wait for the blue light to flash, then release the reset button. Connect your computer via LAN and access 192.168.1.1 in your browser to enter the Breed web interface.
- Note: On the first entry, click "Firmware Backup" to back up the programmer firmware and EEPROM.
You can now flash any router firmware you like on the Breed interface (provided the firmware is compatible with your router).

Redmi AC2100 User Experience

The Redmi AC2100 offers excellent value for money in the 100+ RMB gigabit router category and supports many third-party firmwares. It is a top choice for home routers in this price range, though better options exist if the budget allows.

However, the AC2100 has limited ports (1 WAN + 3 LAN = 4 total) and does not support USB interfaces. Currently, I have flashed Padavan firmware on my AC2100, and the signal performance is acceptable. I will continue using it for a while. In the next article, I will share the JD Cloud Router, which can earn Jingdou.

Redmi Router AC2100 5G Dual-Band Gigabit Ports: Purchase Link
For firmware, check Right.com.cn: AC2100 (RM2100) - Xiaomi Wireless Router

This article references: Redmi/Xiaomi AC2100 Flashing r3g Breed and Restoring Official Boot Detailed Tutorial (Updated Bad Block Check Method, pb-boot)