The lighter dots aren't a batch thing, that's just how most cheap ones are made. Had one like that for a year and my pens still didn't bleed, so you're fine.

did I just buy a word" hits hard because that's the same trap as paying extra for the "organic" label at the grocery store, you feel fancy but the food is the same. Companies know we'll trade real cash for a nicer sounding thing, whether it's a title or a sticker on an avocado. At least the avocado tastes good, your new title just adds snack duty to the job.

Wait, a paperclip? What exactly did you do with it, short the pins inside the case? I have never heard of that trick for a router and I have been messing with this stuff for years. The 30-30-30 reset is usually my last resort before I tell someone the thing is dead, so the fact that you got a bootloader screen to come up at all is wild to me. I always figured once the lights just blink and nothing else happens, the board is fried and it is going in the trash. Maybe I have been giving up on these too early this whole time.