This a brand new “hAPlite” box, straight from the shop, never configured, let alone used. I can connect to it, with a browser to 192.168.88.1. This brings me to a login page, where I try to login with “admin” and the password printed on the bottom of the box - 10 characters, of which one numeral, the others upper-case letters. I next get further verification prompt, but I never get the time to respond. In fact, the login screen auto-refreshes automatically, blanking all the fields, within very short time, so short that I can never complete the screen.
What is wrong or what can I do?
Already tried: factory reset by powering up while holding the “reset” key until led flashes (gives three short “blips” on the led), and “ssh admin@192.168.88.1”
You should try connecting with Winbox (as opposed to a browser).
The difference is that with Winbox you talk "directly" to the router, with the browser you talk to the embedded on the router web pages and in some (rare) cases (it depends on version) they may have issues.
Additionally, Winbox can connect not only to IP (usually 192.168.88.1/24) but also to the MAC of the router, and in some (again rare) case this can be useful.
See: Why you should use Winbox
BUT FIRST make VERY sure you are using the correct password (very hard to read) see: Trouble with Mikrotik passwords? Read here
it is very common to misread one or more of the charactes in the (stupidly tiny) password printed on the label.
Frustrating. It looks like you are doing everything right. Are you connecting via wireless or via ethernet to any port other than ether1? Have you compared the password and details with those on the little printed foldup paper which should have come in the box?
I am connecting through the wireless. Wired ethernet is connected, but gets no IP address du3e to no dhcp-server on that subnet
yes I did consult the little sheet - that’s where I got the account “admin” from. I does not mention any password however. Still I believe the admin password to to be correct, given that I do get to the next prompt - which HI couldn’t before the factory reset.
but neither part of your answer is very useful, I’m afraid.
“winbox” sounds like a Windows executable, but I have no Windows machine, only Linux (Debian/Ubuntu and RaspBian), besides I hate having to install specific tools for administering devices - standard tools like ssh and browsing should be sufficient;
the “admin” password must be correct - at first it did not work at all, then after the factory reset it did work because at least I do get to the next verification prompt.
Winbox v 3 is Windows only (but runs under WINE)
Winbox v 4 exists in Windows, Mac and Linux versions.
I understand, I also hate having to carry in my car a spare wheel, a jack and a 19 mm socket wrench all the time, but last time I had a flat tire they came out as - besides useful - needed.
At least on Windows Winbox is a single executable (and I don't see why it should be different on Linux), nothing to "install", you download it, run it, and then, to keep your system "clean" you delete it.
There should be a sticker on the sheet, the same as the one on your hAPlite. Just going through this to see if there is evidence of mixing up stickers somewhere on the way
Make sure you connect to any port other than ether1 if you go wired
Winbox is available for Linux from https://mikrotik.com/download/winbox. Like you, I am a Linux only shop and I used Webfig, the web interface tool for my first 4 years with Mikrotik, but I have now moved over to Winbox for Linux. You only need to unpack the executable - there is no installation process. But you do need to create a service on your firewall, called Winbox, I suppose, and allow ports 5678 udp, 8291 udp and source port 20561 udp for Winbox to work. [Ports edited - 21:04:2026]
Given the behaviour you are describing, I agree with @jaclaz 's suggestion to use Winbox
You can't really know how long the device has been sitting in the warehouse before you bought it, but there were three stages (that I know of):
in the olden times, the default password was empty
then came the stickers, but at first there was only a single sticker on the device itself
then, along with trying to remove some characters that were easily confused from their random number generator, a second sticker was added and stuck to the instruction leaflet
Still, in my opinion, the passwords are still easily confused and hard to read. A magnifying glass - sadly - does not come in the box. Joking aside, it's not rare to have to guess at the password.
SSH, winbox and webfig all work decently. Winbox is the most comfortable to use, but the others are full featured as well. All use the same password, and all are enabled by default. Both Winbox 3 and 4 run fine under Linux.
The devices are accessible both via wifi and wired ethernet, except for port 1 that is by default reserved for an external LAN connection. All the others (wireless and wired) have a default shcp configured out of the box. If you're not getting an IP address, that might be the reason why webfig fails.
Webfig is a non-trivial web application, so it's probably unavoidable that it will have issues on some browsers from time time, or will require clearing cookies, etc.
All: thanks, but nobody answered my prime question: why does the login web page autorefresh, and what can I do about it?
I mean to consider Winbox, since it seems a be a single executable with no real “installation”. Still, I am quite unhappy with this undocumented and much disrupting behaviour. Again, let me confirm the password for admin must be ok, since I get beyond it to the next prompt - which I can frustratingly not reply to in time.
Okay, one mystery solved (and of course it was my own stupid fault): the machine I tried to connect with had previously served as a kiosk, and there was still something that refreshed the browser page every five seconds. Sincere apologies! I am ploddering on, winbox will be next weapon tried. Please stand by until further notice
Yep. That was my (or our collective) guess. Honestly, if the web interface works for you, beyond some comfort, there's not much to gain from winbox.
You should learn about "safe mode": it behaves somewhat like a checkpoint. If you turn it on, and then your connection to the router is interrupted, it automatically restores the configuration from when it was turned on. So it's best to change things in several consecutive safe mode sessions.
Winbox comes in handy when you somehow wind up not having a valid ip configuration on your router. Winbox can connect even then, but no normal connection may be possible.
Besides that (connection via MAC) Winbox is multi-window, so you can often watch in "real time" on a given window the effects of a change you make in another one or in terminal.
Probably no one has answered your prime question for lack of data. Usually at this stage, if you don't get in one way, another of the 2 ways will get you in. And for old hands at this, once you are in, you move on. So the collective wisdom will be to try all 3 ways to get in and if none work, then try to draw some conclusions from the commonalities between the failures.
From what you have told us and what I know, what Routeros does on first login is
Demand a new password
Put you to the Quickset menu
either of those could give you a screen which you cannot capture, depending on your browser, although a mainstream browser really should capture this for you.
If it is any consolation, I am now on my 9th Mikrotik device. The first and third fell off the back of a lorry when a wireless ISP abandoned my little village. All of the first 6 gave me problems at your current stage. And in every instance, it was a case of PEBKAC [Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair]
As to why yours does not work, it could be that it is a return which has been reconfigured, it could be that it is broken from thee factory or it could be simply PEBKAC.
Who said I am “in”? I could download WinBox, and I could unpack the download zip, but the executable will not run. “cannot execute binary file: Exec format error”. But I was giving up for tonight (near sunset, here in Portugal) and dig further tomorrow.
@Paulinha_B You indicate you are not using Windows. Are you using Linux? MacOS? Just so we know.
Did you download Winbox 4 rather than 3? It exists as a somewhat native app for each of the three main OS.
There is no “further verification prompt” on a factory config. We now know that was browser refresh and it appears otherwise that your hap lite may not be in factory config. In the circumstances, focus on getting Winbox access whether via IP or MAC address. It will give more flexibility for next steps. You can revert to management via browser later.
Okay, I could now connect with WinBox4 from a laptop running Ubuntu. Thanks to all who tried their best for this stupid beginner! Kind regards from Ansiao, Portugal
