(Post edited on 22-03-2024 for coherency, clarity, reworded subjective comments for accuracy, removed false accusations etc., should retain originality otherwise)
Hello
I'm new here and this is first time I'm using any kind of a serious Cell / Mobile Internet antenna / modem device and I'm totally new to Mikrotik and RouterOS products.
I'm however relatively well experienced with all things PC/Windows/Linux (including sysadmin / maintenance / troubleshooting / hardware setup and repair) and Home (SOHO) Router configuration and tweaking in general. I lack professional (enterprise) networking experience, so on the networking side I'm rather basic to mediocre.
I was able to do the initial quick setup of the ATL LTE18 Kit.
I was able to log in via WebFig, initially using EndeavourOS (ArchLinux)
The modem shipped with a version from September 2023 - I forgot now exactly which one but I think it was 7.7
Followed the instructions: I changed the password, entered the SIM PIN number, and LTE1 started working on the ATL but no WAN for LAN clients, then I clicked various buttons to "Check For Updates".
It offered version 7.12 I think, which wasn't the latest, I didn't want to upgrade just yet and proceeded to familiarize with the rest of the GUI, navigating around other settings.
A few minutes later while navigating the WebFig, I wasn't able to re-login and the whole device ended up being inaccessible. I don't know if I did something wrong, I definitely didn't hit "reset configuration" nor did I apply any settings. I tried on a Windows 10 PC as well, same problem. Configuration via SSH or Winbox is not possible either. As far I'm concerned I think it's some kind of a bug.
Inspecting with Wireshark reveals recurring TCP retransmissions and basically no response from the ATL LTE18 modem.
On EndeavourOS's Firefox, after around 5-10 minutes of trying to connect to WebFig, it does display the login page, but after entering the password the same non-responsive delay happens and after around 5-10 minutes it just displays the fresh login page again without any explanation.
On Windows 10, Firefox times-out much earlier so none of these things happen.
The device does not seem to be able to reset or the procedure is different for this modem, I will keep trying in case I'm doing something wrong.
The device did not enter Etherboot mode for Netinstall on my first attempts either, just nothing happens or I am not doing something correctly, will keep trying.
Other comments:
The official RouterOS online Help Pages seems to be a bit confusing on first glance, there's signs of improper english, and some terms seem mixed up, sometimes one sometimes another term used for the same thing.
Fairly confused with the NetInstal utility, some of the tooltips at some point say that I would need to apparently "enter BIOS on my PC and enable PXE boot", which I really didn't understand why would I need that for, while the NetInstall Help Page doesn't seem to mention it. I stopped trying for the day because that's probably not the correct path I'm going with this.
The NetInstall Help Page also mentions to "check with device specifics" but there are no device specific instructions for how to enter Etherboot mode in the offical RouterOS Help pages, the hyperlink there just jumps to the common instructions for "Reset to Etherboot" giving no additional information. Nothing extra in the printed manual that came with my device.
On the other hand I'm not really complaining, as I'm used to this kind of stuff, especially when dealing with something new, this is just the kind of process one has to go through and I expect most of it being just on my side to figure out. I never knew these kind of devices are that advanced and complicated, definitely not meant for ordinary people without computer experience to be setting them up. I've only ever "used" a little PnP LTE-USB dongle for a few weeks, that's as close I came to wireless LTE internet before.
I haven't contacted official support yet, I feel it's too soon, but if it's completely bricked, it needs to get replaced ASAP because I'm setting this up for someone else and they're not the patient type.
Thanks for sugggestions.
(Major edit 23-03-2024 - for coherency, clarity, reworded subjective comments for accuracy, removed false accusations etc., should retain originality otherwise)