OpenWrt One update - success of first run, timeline of second run

[Denver Gingerich]

Hi OpenWrt community!

As OpenWrt's fiscal sponsor, Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) has been heavily involved in the production coordination and release of the OpenWrt One.  So we wanted to give you an update on how the first production run of the OpenWrt One went, including the certifications, release, and time to being sold out.  We also have a tentative timeline for the second production run.

To start with, you may recall that, in the initial vote, we proposed that the OpenWrt One would be CE, FCC, and RoHS certified.  We did indeed achieve that, and you can find the relevant certification documents here:

  https://one.openwrt.org/hardware/certification/

This helped not only with proving that the FCC did not impose any restrictions that would generally prohibit OpenWrt or other user-installed firmwares (see SFC's One release announcement at https://sfconservancy.org/news/2024/nov/29/openwrt-one-wireless-router-now-ships-black-friday/ for more on that), but also was required to have the One listed on AliExpress for shipping to the USA and other countries.

Once these certifications were received, which coincided roughly with when the first mass production run of the OpenWrt One was finished, we were able to officially announce the One's general availability, which we at SFC did using the aforementioned link and related social media posts.  These were quickly picked up by the media and others, causing this initial mass production batch to sell out within a week.  The OpenWrt One was officially available through AliExpress (worldwide) and Taobao (China only) - more on that below.  In the meantime, here is a timeline of the relevant events for full disclosure:


Mass Production Timeline

2024-11-28
* Banana Pi informs SFC that One now available in US (AliExpress just approved the FCC documentation they sent)
* Denver of SFC confirms exact AliExpress links to use with BananaPi
* announcement finalized internally at SFC during US Thanksgiving
* decision made to announce tomorrow to coincide with US' Black Friday

2024-11-29
* announcement of One's worldwide availability made on SFC site
* news outlets start publishing about the release, most published by Dec 2

2024-12-02
* Banana Pi tells SFC "i think the first batch 1000pcs will be sold out  soon" and that they are preparing the second mass production run, of 2000pcs

2024-12-04
* SFC notifies Banana Pi that One with case is sold out on AliExpress
* Banana Pi adds cases to PCB-only stock, temporarily fixing "sold out"

2024-12-06
* SFC finds AliExpress shows "sold out" on One again, updates news item

2024-12-09
* Banana Pi confirms that first production run is fully sold out


Correspondence since 2024-12-09 with Banana Pi suggests that production of the second mass production run will begin by the end of this month, with units ready to be sold starting in the first half of January.  We will update the relevant announcement pages when that run is ready for sale.

Note that for the initial production runs (including the first mass production run discussed above), Banana Pi sent to SFC and OpenWrt on 2024-12-17 a report containing the following details:

* 150 DVT (pre-production test) units were produced, 15 of which were used for certification/testing/internal use of Banana Pi, 135 otherwise distributed (e.g. sold on the open market through AliExpress or Taobao)
* 1,000 mass production (first run) units were produced, 6 of which were given by Banana Pi to reviewers or used for internal tests, 994 otherwise distributed (e.g. sold per above)

Looking beyond the next production run of the OpenWrt One and any additional future hardware that may be developed under the OpenWrt brand (after a vote here, of course), we at SFC, along with some OpenWrt developers, have been talking to a couple other companies, who we believe will make the purchase and shipping experience much more seamless than we had for the OpenWrt One.  We realize it was not always easy to buy the OpenWrt One for the week that the first production run was available (not all countries were supported at all times as shipping destinations, for example).  And, given the success of the first production run of the One, these companies are willing to work with us to ensure shipping through Amazon or other distribution platforms popular in different parts of the world, depending on what we decide.

We at SFC are very grateful for all the OpenWrt community does to bring freedom to users of as many wireless routers and related hardware as possible, and we are excited for any new OpenWrt-branded hardware that OpenWrt may vote to produce again going forward!

Denver Gingerich
Director of Compliance
Software Freedom Conservancy