Both Audiences are bricked after attempt to mesh together

RouterOS Beginner Basics
1

Caveat: I’m new to networks but not computers nor electronics. I used the MikroTik Audience 5-6 page setup sheet as reference for what I did below. I could never get the iPhone MikroTik app to access either device. It always said it was an unsecured connection and returned to login screen.

I purchased #1 hoping to improve Wi-Fi coverage at the far end of the house. Cable comes in downstairs under the metal heater duct that runs the length of the house.

I configured #1 with new admin and password, updated to 6.46.4 and after some fumbling, set up WPA2 and Wi-Fi password. It worked fine upstairs but is located at a corner of the house that had an Ethernet cable plug. It still had a very weak signal to the other side of the house.
I bought #2, hoping to place it somewhere in the middle, just add power and mesh them together for a stronger signal.

Hardware configuration at workbench trying to setup & mesh together:
#1 ETH1 ↔ TP-LInk 5 port Gigabit switch ↔ Xfinity XB3 Dual-band WAP/Cable Modem ↔ cable to internet.
ETH2 ↔ Apple ETH-to-USB adapter ↔ MacBookPro (2013 era running Catalina 10.15.3) using Google Chrome (but have Safari & Firefox also)
Configured admin with password, updated FW to 6.46.4, and fumbled around to get WPA2 enabled and password on WAPs

#2 ETH1 - empty
ETH2 - empty
Configured admin with password, updated FW to 6.46.4 and got WPA2 enabled and password on WAPs
power only - I had bricked this one previously trying to configure and did a RouterOS configuration reset back to default which brought it back to life. Re-set up and it worked again.

I could see all WAPs on my mobile phone.
I was not sure what was meant by “chosen Audience” and “Audience Repeater”, I assumed the chosen one was the one to be added to the network and the repeater as the one already connected to the Ethernet and configured with passwords/security etc.
On #2, I pressed the “WPS Sync” button once, and as I remember the front LED did flash green (it’s been a day or so wandering in the dark with this).
I then booted #1 while pressing the “WPS Sync” button when the front LED started flashing amber. Nothing happened after several minutes (5-10).
I then rebooted the devices and switched roles with #1 and #2. Still nothing but…

Now both devices do the following
LED is on purple for 2 seconds
on blue for 20 more seconds where LED flickers blue twice
at the 37 second mark, LED flashes amber for 2 minutes and then is a steady blue.
Neither device’s WAP radios come on line.
Neither device can be accessed using ETH1 to Chrome browser 192.168.88.1
Trying to reset the RouterOS configuration back to default does not work now.
I do have a Microsoft Surface (WIN10) but no ethernet port. It needs a new driver for the Apple ETH-USB adapter but device is old enough it is made by Apple and not ASix.

Help! Where to now?

2

If nothing else, the fall back plan is for me to give you my mailing address and for me to send you the money for parcel post and then the issue is gone. :slight_smile:

I did find this, perhaps under buttons and jumpers?
https://i.mt.lv/cdn/rb_files/1568200626Audience%20-%20qg.pdf

Interesting devices. One 5ghz Chain just for audience to audience connectivity (but can be used for other purposes).

3

Haha! It might come to that…
The document I mentioned in my caveat is the one you provided a link to and is were I figured out how to reset the RouterOS configuration back to default (the first time I bricked Audience #2).

I am thinking I may need to reset the devices using Netinstall. I will need to get an ETH-USB adapter for a Windows laptop I have access to.
I’m assuming the configuration to do this is:
Internet ↔ Audience ETH1
Audience ETH2 ↔ ETH-USB adapter ↔ WIN10 Laptop
I can connect the WIN10 laptop to another WAP for access to the web but is that necessary for Netinstall?

Have I guessed correctly that the “chosen Audience AP” is the device being added to the network and the “Audience repeater” is the device already connected to the network/ internet?
Does the device being added need any Ethernet connection or will only power be enough to mesh it into the network?

4

A dedicated 5ghz Chain for the MESH is very desirable so that the mesh will work effectively. I 4 1 would not recommend doing anything else other than using the audience in MESH mode. The docs you referenced above provides good info.

5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pg7XFKeC1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSjK3M3Yu8U

Review of the audience from brothers wisp
https://mikrotik-routeros.com/

6

Thanks for the info.
I’ll check them out.
Sun came out so I was outside today…