How to Compile OpenWrt 15.05 for the NEWIFI D1 (MT7621A) Router

The NEWIFI D1 is a recently released router from JD.com (model NEWIFI D1) equipped with an MT7621A dual‑core processor, 256 MB DDR3 RAM, 32 MB flash, dual‑band 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi‑Fi, and a USB 3.0 port, making it attractive for hobbyist hacking.

Although official documentation is scarce, the latest OpenWrt 15.05 release can run on the device, but two major issues remain: (1) if the Ethernet cable is plugged in during boot, the LAN port becomes non‑functional and the system must be started with the cable disconnected; (2) the 2.4 GHz radio is not supported, leaving only the 5 GHz network available.

Compilation steps :

Download the official OpenWrt 15.05 source tree.

Create a device‑tree source file target/linux/ramips/dts/NEWIFID1.dts with the appropriate hardware description (see image below).

Edit target/linux/ramips/image/Makefile and add d1 to the TARGET_DEVICES list under the ifeq ($(SUBTARGET),mt7621) block.

Modify the network script target/linux/ramips/base-files/etc/board.d/02_network by inserting a d1 entry under the firewrt section.

Run the standard OpenWrt build process ( make menuconfig, make, etc.) to generate the firmware image.

After rebuilding, flash the generated image to the router and verify that the system boots correctly (preferably with the Ethernet cable unplugged initially) and that the 5 GHz Wi‑Fi operates as expected.

Hardware reference images: