Hello, I am a complete beginner and I am seriously struggling to setup my network. Every time I change something in the web configuration, I almost always lose connection and have to do a factory reset. The bridge groups, slave ports, dhcp and ip's all seem to need to be configured in a precise order and if you're unaware of some MT way of doing things you're stuck. Following tutorials is fine if you find the exact device with the exact configuration and you're running windows...

Ok, so maybe I need to take it one step at a time. Let's say I want to configure my RBmAP2ND as an AP with an output (as a passthrough, no NAT!) to a smart TV
I've got stuck right on the first hurdle. For some reason I can only connect via mac-telnet to ether2, not to ether1. I have no idea why. The device is in it's factory configuration. Why is that not working?

Two words: Safe Mode.

Two words: Safe Mode.

Interesting idea, although it seems that its purpose is to avoid losing a setup, rather than as an crutch during initial setup.
I mean, if I have to disable the default 192.168.88.1 IP, change it to a dhcp client, disconnect it from my PC, connect it to a router with a 10.x.x.x range, then losing a connection is entirely expected.

My problem isn't that I lose the connection, rather that I can't figure out why strange things keep happening.

For some reason, mac-telnet does not work on specific ports. I don't know why.
For some reason, the quick-setup functionality often soft-bricks the device immediately after setting the target country, I don't know why.
For some reason, using the quick-setup and the webfig together is discouraged, even though I would have expected the first to be just presets which you'd customize in webfig. Apparently that's not the case. I don't know why.
I keep getting rejected DHCP offers in the log, I don't know why.
I can't connect to cAP-lite access points I setup last year even though mac-scan shows them, I don't understand.
I don't know how to setup a P2P 4Ghz bridge without NAT while retaining an IP address for the webfig, I would have expected to be the default behavior.

I've tinkered with consumer network equipment, with ubiquity and with cisco through their command line interface. I have never had so much trouble as with Mikrotik.

I would like to take it one step at a time and figure out what is happening, or if there even is any logic behind the setup at all. The documentation seems very confusing, there are a thousand ways of doing everyting, but almost nothing is compatible by default.

default configuration disables some management protocols on ether1, maybe that's the cause

its normal to lockout yourself out while you learn the basics of the configuration and misconfiguration

i remember me some years ago damaging console port on some CRS 125 switches because so many conection and disconection, trying and retrying to learn how to configure them, locking me out of the configuration by ethernet by mistake

default configuration disables some management protocols on ether1, maybe that's the cause

Do you know how to re-enable it? The command tool mac-server print just says allowed-interface-list: LAN, which sounds like what I want, but I guess not.

default configuration disables some management protocols on ether1, maybe that's the cause

Do you know how to re-enable it?

Oh in /interface bridge there is a parameter admin-mac, that sounds like it could be the right argument. I guess switching it from one to the other will work for me. Is there no way to enable it on both?

default configuration disables some management protocols on ether1, maybe that's the cause

Do you know how to re-enable it? The command tool mac-server print just says allowed-interface-list: LAN, which sounds like what I want, but I guess not.

LAN interface list is nothing magical, it has to be managed manually. Look into interface -> list and add ether1 to LAN interface list (if it's not included already).

The inability to MAC-connect has nothing to do with MAC value, used by bridge.

Actually, I think I figured it out. As long as the setup is as simple as this, I can just forget any of the quick setups, webfigs, winboxes and default configs.

I reset the configuration with no defaults, bridged everything together and added an SSID. The mac-telnet now works from any port, there is no unnecessary firewall, no IP, no dhcp, no dns. Lovely!

I'll just need to figure out channels, widths, power etc.. I'm also not sure what the hotspot thing is. Hopefully the docs will answer that. Apart from that, am I missing anything obvious?

LAN interface list is nothing magical, it has to be managed manually. Look into interface -> list and add ether1 to LAN interface list (if it's not included already).

Aha, thanks! You were right, ether1 is missing from the default config, instead there is pwr-line1.

Am I reading that right, this tiny device also supports a power line network?!
Edit:Wait, is that over the power plug, or do I need a special adapter to the usb port? I can't find that in the datasheet, or the block diagram, or the user guide. Either way that's neat!

Am I reading that right, this tiny device also supports a power line network?!

It generally works in conjunction with (EoL-ed) PWR-LINE US, however the pwr-line product page doesn't list mAP as compatible product. There were ROS versions where this menu was available also on unsupported devices and this was rectified in later versions, so it might be that you see this menu for this (erroneous) reason.

Your config is completely fine if you want to use your mAP as wifi access point with additional ethernet port and all connected devices (both wired and wireless) should be part of same network, where central router hands out DHCP leases and performs all other (advanced) duties. You may want to start DHCP client on bridge interface so that mAP receives IP address which can then be used either to manage device (e.g. using WebFig or winbox over IP or CLI over ssh), it's also used by device when you want to upgrade ROS (using its own upgrade mechanisms as opposed to manually uploading packages).

the pwr-line product page doesn't list mAP as compatible product.

That's weird, PWR Line lists mAP under supported hardware.

You may want to start DHCP client on bridge interface so that mAP receives IP address which can then be used either to manage device (e.g. using WebFig or winbox over IP or CLI over ssh)

Ok, I'll setup a DHCP client, if you suggest it.

Thanks!