cAP XL ac ROS upgrade

RouterOS Wireless Networking
1

I received my cAP XL ac today. It came with ROS 6.47.10, so I downloaded 6.49.2 to upgrade. After reset, no response. Bricked right out of the box! I went to Netinstall, which I’ve used a number of times, although it can be wonky. I’ve had NO success.

Is there something different about Netinstall on the cAP devices? I used ETH1, with POE injector, to my laptop, disabled the firewall, set everything up like I’ve always done, and I can’t get this device to show up in the Netinstall window. I’ve tried every trick in the book - using a gigabit switch in between the device and the laptop, etc. The upgrade firmware I used was 6.49.2 ARM - I couldn’t find this unit listed on the ROS download page. Is this the correct firmware?

Have I missed something here??

Help appreciated

Regards,
Dave

2

I guess I have a couple questions:

  1. Netinstall instructions state connect Eth1 directly to your computer. This unit requires a POE injector for power. Could this make a difference?

  2. Is this router fundamentally different from all the other models in the approach to netinstall? For example, while holding the reset button, I’m used to the 3 stages: Light blinks, light on solid, light off (Netinstall ready). I don’t see that here.

Once again, any ideas are appreciated.

Regards,
Dave

3

PoE injector should not interfere with the data signals.

If the reset button is not responding (no blinking, on, off) then it looks like the reset is not activated. Bad contact? or the unlikely …

Maybe press reset BEFORE applying power.
There are 2 mode buttons , reset is pinhole ? And 6.48.4 is minimum ROS version ? https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/display/UM/cAP+XL+ac

(First time to see “EG” limitations in the Notice ! )

4

Thanks for the reply. I finally got the Netinstall to work. Here’s what I did differently from what I’ve done before.

  1. Direct to PC. Before, I used a laptop with a USB to ethernet adapter
  2. Disable all other interfaces, including VPN
  3. Netinstall found the device this time - Netinstall said ‘sending offer’, but nothing happened. No ‘formatting hard drive’
  4. Inserted a dumb gigabit switch in between the router and the PC - worked this time. Formatted and installed ROS 6.49.2

I don’t know if any or all of these steps helped, or if Netinstall was extra wonky for me.

Question for the forum gurus - Is there any alternative to Netinstall when a router gets bricked? So far I’ve only had to use it at home, where I can get to the equipment easily. I’m responsible for the WiFi network at my church, and we have 15 APs, 4 of which are VERY hard to reach. Anything to do if one of these 4 goes down?

Thanks and Regards,
Dave

5

Thanks Dave, I faced the same issue, I confirm that a switch was needed between the PC and AP to make visible the AP in Netinstall.
Anyone can explain why it is happening?

Thanks!
Zoltan