Request for AP3915i WiNG 7 firmware – Home Lab Migration from Identifi

[KaDar]

Hi everyone,
I’ve recently acquired three second-hand AP3915i-ROW units for my home network (3-story house). Currently, they are running on the Identifi (Thin AP) firmware and were previously used with an on-premise controller.
I would like to migrate them to WiNG 7 to use the Virtual Controller feature and manage them locally. Unfortunately, I am a private home user and I don't have an active support contract to download the image from the portal. Also, I cannot register them in XIQ (likely still bound to the previous owner's account).
Could anyone provide or point me to the WiNG 7 image for AP3915i? I really want to keep these professional units running in my home lab instead of switching to OpenWrt.
Model: AP3915i-ROW
Current goal: WiNG 7 Virtual Controller setup.
Thanks in advance for any help!

[joyacehunter01]

Has anyone successfully migrated AP3915i to WiNG 7 in a lab without an existing support entitlement?

I understand production environments require licensing, but for home labs, it would be really ezcardinfocom helpful if there were a documented upgrade or migration path—especially since these APs are widely available on the secondary market.

[Raul_Carbonari]

Hello KaDar,

Even though the AP3915i (Identifi) hardware is identical to the AP7632 (WiNG), it's not possible to officially change the firmware. The argument has always been "Compliance" in the FCC certification.

There are two solutions for this: try flashing the WiNG firmware via bootrom at your own risk, or migrate to OpenWRT.

I've never tried the first, but I have tried the second and it works well. I've already converted AP36xx, AP37xx, and AP38xx; I haven't tried with AP39xx yet, but the procedure is relatively straightforward.

The advantage of OpenWRT is that it has constant updates, and on older equipment it's possible to use WPA3, something that's not possible with the official firmware.

When it comes to a network with few APs, the lack of centralized configuration isn't a big problem.

Raúl Carbonari

[KaDar]

Hi,
Thank you for the insight regarding the FCC compliance and the hardware identity between the AP3915i and AP7632. That’s a very valuable lead.
Interesting point about the firmware migration: I actually know for a fact that these specific units I have underwent a firmware change in the past. Originally, they were running a Cloud-ready (Unified) image, and the previous owner's IT provider manually flashed them with the Thin AP (Identifi) image to make them compatible with an on-premise controller.
Since they were already "converted" once from Cloud/Autonomous to Thin, there must be a way to flash them back or move them to WiNG 7 using the AP7632 image. I have full access to the U-Boot / Bootrom via the console cable.
Has anyone successfully forced an AP7632 WiNG image onto an AP3915i via TFTP in the bootloader? If so, are there any specific environment variables or hardware ID checks I should be aware of to avoid a brick?
I’m willing to take the risk on one of my four units to see if it accepts the WiNG 7 "identity". Any tips on the specific image filename or u-boot commands for this cross-flashing would be greatly appreciated!