Qualcomm Xiaomi AX3000T: Identifying the RD03 Revision by Its Chips and NFC

ACWiFi disassembled a Qualcomm Xiaomi AX3000T revision labeled RD03. It matters because AX3000T has both MediaTek and Qualcomm versions; the product name alone does not prove that the two use the same BOM.¹

Qualcomm-revision hardware

The sample weighed 419 g, used a 12V/1A adapter, and consumed 5.8 W at idle. The board lacks the large RF shields seen on some routers, but it has an aluminum heatsink and an NFC antenna.

The CPU is Qualcomm's IPQ5018, a dual-core 1 GHz chip with integrated 2.4 GHz 2x2 802.11ax, up to 574 Mbps at 40 MHz/1024-QAM. Two 2.4 GHz FEMs are VC5421-11, measuring 2.5 x 2.5 mm; the source lists approximate outputs of +18 dBm for HE40/MCS11 and +23.5 dBm for HT20/MCS7.

5 GHz uses QCN6102, 2x2 802.11ax, up to 2402 Mbps at 160 MHz/1024-QAM, with a source-listed capacity of 128 clients and eight OFDMA users. The external 5 GHz FEM is KCT8546SE. The Gigabit switch is AN8855HN; RAM is RS128M16V8DB-107AT, DDR3-1866, 256 MB; flash is W25N01KWZEIG, 128 MB; and the NFC controller is FM11NT082C.

Wireless and firmware

The source's K-point test used four phones. The author considered the Qualcomm revision slightly behind the MediaTek version in that quick result. Firmware defaults to 802.11k/v and beamforming, but MU-MIMO is not enabled by default and the author did not find a switch to enable it.

ACWiFi wrote that the product page at the time described the MediaTek version as discontinued and the current sample as Qualcomm, with flashing no longer available as before. This is a time- and firmware-specific observation, not a permanent rule for every AX3000T on the market.

Why two revisions matter

When shopping for an older AX3000T, check the RD03 label, chips, RAM, flash, and firmware rather than relying on the enclosure. The comparison in the source gives the Qualcomm model an external 2.4 GHz FEM and NFC relative to the AX3000E. Those details help identify hardware, but they do not determine which router will cover a particular home better.

I also do not infer OpenWrt support or flashing ability from the Qualcomm chip. That requires documentation for the exact revision, boot chain, partition layout, and recovery path; this teardown does not provide a flashing procedure.

Reading limits

The source focuses on the BOM, one K-point test, and the revision difference. It does not benchmark long-term thermals, multi-client load, WAN/LAN throughput, roaming, or NFC reliability. “Slightly behind Qualcomm” should be read as the result of ACWiFi's setup, not a universal law.

Conclusion

The Qualcomm AX3000T revision uses IPQ5018, QCN6102, VC5421-11, KCT8546SE, AN8855HN, 256 MB RAM, 128 MB flash, and FM11NT082C NFC. These are useful identifiers when comparing it with the MediaTek version; for long-term use, firmware, Gigabit-only ports, and the actual radio environment still matter more.

Sources