unable to connect to new CCR2116-12G-4S+

I’d like to configure a new CCR2116-12G-4S+, but I’m unable to connect to it with my macOS Silicon laptop. I’ve tried connecting to Eth0, Eth1, and several other ethernet ports, configuring my laptop’s IP to be 192.168.88.3 but I’m unable to ping 192.168.88.1. I also tried a factory reset (turned the device off, held down reset, turned it on, and let go when the light started flashing), but nothing changed.

These instructions imply I need to use WinBox, but I do not have a Windows computer.
https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/display/ROS/First+Time+Configuration#FirstTimeConfiguration-ConnectingtotheRouter

Are there any suggestions for how I can I troubleshoot and get connected to my device?

Plugging eth1 into a Ubiquity Dream Machine, I see the MAC address but it never requests an IP from the DHCP server. My understanding is the eth1 is supposed to be auto-configured with a DHCP client? Are there any other ways to either properly reset or otherwise connect to this device?

I don’t think I’m actually resetting it. The blinking light I saw was the USER light. If I unplug it, press and hold reset, plug it in, and wait, even after 60 seconds I’m not seeing any blinking light other than the USER light early on for a few seconds.

In the end, I downloaded Crossover Office from https://www.codeweavers.com/crossover#mac and then used it to install WinBox. I was then able to find the router (at 0.0.0.0) through Neighbor discovery and manually configure it.

I’m still confused on one thing: it says that Eth13 has an IP of 192.168.88.1, but which interface is this? I tried all 14 ports on the front and none responded to pings at this IP.

Ether13 should correspond to “ETH/BOOT” port.

Do you have vmware virtual box?
Install Windows in a virtualizer or emulate Wibox or try accessing via SSH with mobaxterm, it will show you the folders in the file, it helps a lot.

If WinBox isn’t an option, try accessing your MikroTik router through its web interface. Enter 192.168.88.1 in your browser’s address bar. If that fails, check cables, ports, and firewall settings. If still stuck, contact MikroTik support for help.