How is Xiaomi AX3000T and is it easy to use? After using it for two years, to be honest, the new version secretly swapped chips to check the SN code first

last month, after my cousin finished renovating, he asked me for a list of routers. The first thing he said was, "AX3000T is just over a hundred now, can we buy one?" I bought this one for 189 yuan in 2023 as its first release. I've been the main router for two years, and I just organized a version of the answer for him recently. I'm casually laying out the two years' worth of accounts here as a reference for those struggling with this machine.

to get to the conclusion: who buys with their eyes closed, who pays a bit more

After two years of use, my judgment is clear: broadband between 100 Mbps and gigabit range, apartments under 100 square meters, lots of smart devices at home but no extreme demands, those who want all three can buy with their eyes closed, and prices over 100 yuan are not worth complaining about. On the other hand, if you want a gigabit bandwidth, want to plug in a hard drive printer, or are seeking a 2.5G network port, don't worry about this machine. Its network ports are all gigabit and there is no USB port at all.

Don't laugh at the USB port. I've actually seen colleagues plug AX3000T USB drives into the device, searching the body but not finding the port. If you want to use a router to mount a hard drive, check out the article Xiaomi router USB port tips you need to switch to a model with a port; I've also walked through three printer routes, written in the router connected to the printer .

a base price of 189 yuan two years ago, what would that be today

Let's break it down: MediaTek MT7981 dual-core 1.3GHz, 256MB RAM, 128MB flash storage, 4 external antennas, 2.4G 574Mbps plus 5G 2402Mbps to make up 2976. Rounded up, it's called AX3000. Four full Gigabit Ethernet ports, adaptive blind plug-in for WAN and LAN ports, and also supports dual WAN and LAN port aggregation.

this setup would be called a "189-yuan full-power WiFi 6" in 2023, it wouldn't be outdated in 2026. I specifically tested the reliability of 256MB of RAM with dozens of devices, writing about how much RAM is enough for routers In that article: During peak hours, my home had 62 online units, with 62% memory occupying and still some spare capacity. 128MB flash storage with official firmware is more than enough, but if you want to install a bunch of plugins, you'll have to go for flashing. 5G 2402Mbps negotiated is 2x2 spec, and most phones on the market are also 2x2, so families are well-matched. The trick is calculated in the spatial streaming 2x2 and 4x4 articles, 4x4 is basically a waste of money per phone.

shortcomings are also apparent: all gigabit Ethernet ports, but above gigabit broadband, that's the top. My home gigabit broadband measured around 940 Mbps, just enough to fully utilize it; At higher bandwidth, you have to look at other machines. When does gigabit mouth become a bottleneck? The method to judge is the article how to distinguish between gigabit and hundred-megabit mouths.

signal coverage also tells the truth: my home is just over 100 square meters, the machine is in the living room TV cabinet, and the master bedroom has two 5G bars separated by two walls, around -65dBm. It's enough for video play, but not exactly surplus. The corner of the restroom is the farthest; if it drops to -72, you have to rely on a second Mesh to make up for it. When the signal was weak, I adjusted the signal strength to level three and the channel. Don't randomly turn on wall-penetration mode. The method is recorded in the article weak signal weak wall-penetration, and the actual test of fully maxing out the restroom after adjusting is also included.

real experience: stable, truly stable

Over the past two years, the biggest impression this machine has given me is peace of mind. Among the 62 devices, cameras, speakers, vacuum cleaners, and light bulbs account for more than half. Except for a few reckless incidents I messed with myself, there have been almost no disconnections. the accounts with the number of devices detailed demerits at the time: after clearing the zombie devices and disassembling the dual-frequency system to count the 2.4GB load, I finally understood why it was stable. The official claim of 128 units is just marketing talk; the actual stable numbers are measured in that article.

Mesh is also very useful. Later, when I supplemented the bedroom signal, I bought another unit of the same model. One-click network setup took a few minutes, and the wired backtrip went via a pre-embedded cable, so the master bedroom went from two bars to full. The detailed process is in the Xiaomi Mesh networking article. After setup, I separately examined roaming issues where the phone sticks but doesn't switchMesh roaming without switching . Overall, the lower limit is quite high, much less hassle than my early ASUS relay solution.

has a subtle good habit: scheduled restarts. 31.1 The backend is set to automatically restart every week at 4 a.m. After two years, there hasn't been any issues where the device gets laggy and requires manual power cut-off. Set the entry point in the scheduled restart.

you basically don't need to turn on a computer for daily management; just have the Mijia app in hand. At the company, you can see who's online at home, set up guest WiFi remotely, and before the New Year, you can catch an old phone using a new device notification. Remote entry points and what you can do are listed in the article on mobile remote management , and the three tricks for identifying devices and blocking operations are in the article on to see who is freeloading .

have made plenty of pitfalls and paid tuition fees. After praising them

I mentioned the pitfalls—I've basically stepped on all the pitfalls of this machine, and the pain level is the most severe.

first is fever. AX3000T itself doesn't generate excessive heat, but you can't resist putting it into a weak current box. Our family installed a weak current box in our first year. In summer, watching videos in the afternoon would lag and feel hot to the touch. We moved it to the TV cabinet and opened it up to calm down. This experience was written in the article about heating and cutting off current. The conclusion is simple: give it a breathable spot, and it won't fuss.

second is dual-band integration enabled by default. Factory 2.4G and 5G share the same name. The router guesses the frequency band for devices. My vacuum cleaner is stuck to the network and stuck to 2.4G, watching videos—it's all because of it. After disassembling it, the probability of passing the network in one go is much higher. How do you split it up and see how to separate 2.4G and 5G

third pitfall, I almost threw the device away: my mom took the power adapter as an idle charger, and when I plugged in a 5V charger, nothing happened. I once thought the machine was broken. After checking the nameplate, I found it requires 12V 1A. That's a lesson worth a of power adapters, so I casually listed all Xiaomi power supply models.

fourth pitfall is niche and only encountered by IPTV installers: after switching to optical modem bridging, the set-top box's traffic needs to be managed by the router; the AX3000T IPTV switch is hidden in the third layer of advanced settings; the VLAN number still needs to be copied from the optical modem's backend. I worked up a sweat before I figured it out. The three sources of the path and VLAN are recorded in the article connecting to the IPTV set-top box.

the biggest variable when buying now: the new version secretly swapped chips

which is the main point in the whole article. By mid-2025, Xiaomi replaced the hardware solution for AX3000T, without a launch event or model name change, selling both new and old models together. The older V1/V2 models were MediaTek MT7981, which is my own; The new V3 is replaced with Qualcomm IPQ5018, dual-core 1.0GHz, and a downsized NPU. The highest temperature measured in the industry has risen from just over 42°C to above 47°C—in other words, it's the Redmi AX3000 with a new case.

for pure internet users, the new version is usable too, but the daily impression is minimal. But if you're just trying to flash your PC, it's a big deal: the mature solutions for flash-free OpenWrt and uboot large partitions are all exclusive to MediaTek V1/V2. As of this post, the new version still doesn't have official OpenWrt support, and following the old tutorial can easily turn it into bricks. For beginnersOpenWrt see flashing tutorials and the pitfalls of transferring files after unlocking SSHSSH refer to the article file transfer.

Identification Method Remember Carefully: Without opening the package, check the SN code. If it says 49850, it's the old MediaTek; if it's 64595, it's the new Qualcomm. After opening the box, you can see the Mesh button on the body; the new version is noticeably smaller than the old one. When buying second-hand, you have to ask the seller first: the prices for both versions shouldn't be the same: the old version with good condition costs around 100 yuan, and flash enthusiasts are eager to get it; No one guarantees flashing the new version, so negotiating at a 30% discount is not a loss.

wrap up and give a matching seating chart

compiling the conclusions from two years into one table, matching the numbers according to the family's situation:

changing models, you don't have a clear idea of how many megabytes broadband you should install. First, check how many megabytes of broadband your home is sufficient then choose a machine; I'm torn about whether to go straight to WiFi 7. The difference between WiFi6 and WiFi 7 the article I calculated—you really can't tell the difference between using broadband within gigabit bandwidth. Remember the order for buying second-hand items: first have the seller unbind in the Mijia app, then restore the factory settings. If you reverse the order, you'll end up with a dead device. The process is described in the article on factory reset . In the end,

sums it up to one thing: just over a hundred yuan for two years of worry-free money. This machine is worth the price, provided you get the one without the chip.