Fresh Tomato is arguably the best firmware for older routers (MIPS architecture), but it does not support the ARM/MediaTek architecture of the AX10. Do not attempt to flash it. Status: No.
If you already have an AX10 gathering dust, flash OpenWrt as a learning exercise. If you need a reliable router with custom firmware, sell the AX10 on eBay and buy a router with at least 32MB of flash (or better, 128MB NAND). The AX10 is proof that not every router deserves custom firmware, even if the chipset supports it.
The AX10 shares hardware with the Asus RT-AX58U (sort of). However, Asuswrt-Merlin requires proprietary Asus bootloaders and significantly more NAND flash. Porting is impossible without hardware modification. Because custom firmware is so painful on the AX10, many advanced users are turning to hidden features inside the stock firmware. archer ax10 custom firmware
This is where enters the chat. By replacing TP-Link’s stock operating system with an open-source alternative, you can transform the humble AX10 into a powerful, enterprise-lite routing machine.
The TP-Link Archer AX10 is positioned as an entry-level gateway into the world of Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax). For many users, it works perfectly fine out of the box: decent speeds, basic QoS, and standard parental controls. However, under the hood, the AX10 suffers from the same ailments as most consumer routers: limited configuration options, infrequent security updates, a clunky web interface, and a lack of advanced features like VPN server integration, ad blocking, or detailed network monitoring. Fresh Tomato is arguably the best firmware for
TP-Link silently added support for tplink_sys commands via telnet (often disabled, but occasionally exposed in older firmware versions). You can enable SSH on some builds by editing the configuration backup file. This gives you a limited BusyBox shell.
Contrary to rumors on forums, DD-WRT has not released a stable build for the MediaTek MT7915E chipset in the AX10. While DD-WRT supports many MediaTek routers, the specific Wi-Fi 6 driver combination for the AX10 is missing. Flashing a generic MT7621 DD-WRT build will likely kill your 5GHz radio. Status: Unsupported If you already have an AX10 gathering dust,
OpenWrt is the de facto standard for router custom firmware. As of late 2023/early 2024, the Archer AX10 (v1/v2) received official support in the snapshot branch (future 24.x releases).