Community discussions

MikroTik App
 
rxmd
just joined
Topic Author
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2017 8:39 am

Factory resetting a mAP lite: button and netinstall woes

Thu Dec 16, 2021 8:41 pm

I have here a mAP lite that I bought from a reseller in Latvia, but I can neither configure nor reset it. I would like to set it to factory defaults, but I can't. I've tried connecting via Winbox using the MAC addresses printed on the device, but nothing happens.

I'm running OpenSUSE Linux on my Thinkpad, with the router connected to the built-in wired Ethernet port. I'm running Wireshark on the port to see what happens.

To reset, I've followed the Mikrotik Help page on the router and the Mikrotik Wiki manual on resetting. I've tried this about 100 times, in the beginning the behaviour was different, but now it is reproducibly as follows:
  • If I switch it on, the PWR and AP/cAP LEDs go on, the ETH LED blinks a few times, the link indicator LED on my laptop goes up and the ETH LED goes dark. Wireshark shows nothing happening on the wired interface.
  • If I switch it on with the button pressed, one of the following happens:
    • The PWR LED goes on, the other LEDs stay dark, nothing happens.
    • The PWR, AP/cAP and ETH LEDs go on, nothing happens.
    • The PWR, AP/cAP and ETH LEDs go on. After a few seconds the AP/cAP light starts blinking. I release the button. The wireless LED comes up, the ETH LED goes on and goes dark again, the wireless LED stays on. Nothing happens.
    • The PWR, AP/cAP and ETH LEDs go on. After a few seconds the AP/cAP light starts blinking. I keep holding the button, it blinks for a while, the wireless LED blinks briefly, the ETH LED stays on, and after a while the wireless and ETH LEDs go off. Nothing happens. This is what I would expect the device to do if it did a factory reset, but I don't see any network SSID broadcast by the device.
    • If during the previous procedure I release the button early, the AP/cAP light blinks very quickly for about a second, then only the PWR and AP/cAP LEDs stay on. Nothing happens.
So the button clearly does SOMETHING, I don't think it's disabled, but I have no idea what it does.

I've tried netinstall (downloaded the Linux version for ROS 6.49.2 from the website). I've disabled the firewall (using sudo systemctl stop firewalld.service) and configured the wired interface of my laptop to IP 192.168.88.2, subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and gateway 192.168.88.1. I run netinstall as follows:
> sudo ./netinstall -a 192.168.88.3 ./routeros-mipsbe-6.49.2.npk
Using server IP: 192.168.88.2
Starting PXE server
Waiting for RouterBOARD...
Nothing happens. Wireshark on the wired interface only sees my laptop sending ARP and mDNS requests, I never see anything from the router and the router isn't sending BOOTP requests either, so I guess it never enters Etherboot mode?

What can I do? Is the mAP lite a brick?

On a side note, I really want to like the concept of the mAP lite, but the fact that you can configure it only over wireless because the Ethernet port is treated as WAN by default (and accepts no Winbox connections) feels like a major error.
 
holvoetn
Forum Guru
Forum Guru
Posts: 5403
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2021 2:14 am
Location: Belgium

Re: Factory resetting a mAP lite: button and netinstall woes

Thu Dec 16, 2021 10:08 pm

Side note
You can setup map lite only using wlan but it's not easy.
I have a device with a busted eth port, didn't have any other option. That or trashcan.
 
User avatar
bpwl
Forum Guru
Forum Guru
Posts: 2983
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2019 1:16 am

Re: Factory resetting a mAP lite: button and netinstall woes

Thu Dec 16, 2021 10:47 pm

Based on the manual
Buttons and jumpers
RouterBOOT reset button has the following functions:

Hold the button before powering on the device, and at power-up, the button will force load the backup boot loader. Continue holding the button for the other two functions of this button.
Release the button when green LED starts flashing, to reset RouterOS configuration. To not load the backup boot loader, you can start holding the button after power is already applied.
Release the button after LED is no longer flashing (~20 seconds) to cause the device to look for Netinstall servers (required for reinstalling RouterOS over the network).
Regardless of the above option used, the system will load the backup RouterBOOT loader if the button is pressed before power is applied to the device. Useful for RouterBOOT debugging and recovery.
The PWR LED goes on, the other LEDs stay dark, nothing happens.
The PWR, AP/cAP and ETH LEDs go on, nothing happens.
-> nothing special but loaded backup RouterBOOT only
The PWR, AP/cAP and ETH LEDs go on. After a few seconds the AP/cAP light starts blinking. I release the button. The wireless LED comes up, the ETH LED goes on and goes dark again, the wireless LED stays on. Nothing happens.
-> backup RouterBOOT and reset and started default config. Ethernet port is protected by FW as WAN, wifi started and enabled, access via wifi only with IP address (DHCP should work)
The PWR, AP/cAP and ETH LEDs go on. After a few seconds the AP/cAP light starts blinking. I keep holding the button, it blinks for a while, the wireless LED blinks briefly, the ETH LED stays on, and after a while the wireless and ETH LEDs go off. Nothing happens. This is what I would expect the device to do if it did a factory reset, but I don't see any network SSID broadcast by the device.
-> backup RouterBOOT, device started Etherboot for NetInstall via ethernet for some time. No wifi started here.

If during the previous procedure I release the button early, the AP/cAP light blinks very quickly for about a second, then only the PWR and AP/cAP LEDs stay on. Nothing happens.
-> device started with the current config (or default config if it was reset in a previous step). Ethernet is probably defined as WAN and accepts no commands, even no WinBox MAC access. Wifi is started, unless CAPs mode has been activated, with CAPS mode then the wifi is waiting for CAPsMAN configuration. Manual is not clear in how CAPs mode is activated or deactivated. Probably short push on reset button.
In case IP connection is not available, the Winbox tool (https://mt.lv/winbox) can be used to connect to the MAC address of the device from the LAN side (all access is blocked from the internet port by default).
-> and my experience is that wifi does not accept MAC access by default.

EDIT: CAPs mode set is between reset config (release when flashing) and etherboot (holding till LED turns off). CAPS mode is release when the LED is steady.
https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Reset
 
rxmd
just joined
Topic Author
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2017 8:39 am

Re: Factory resetting a mAP lite: button and netinstall woes

Fri Dec 17, 2021 8:44 am

OK, thanks everyone. After another 20 tries or so I got the device to show the Mikrotik-XXXXXX network, allowing me to get in. First thing I did was (a) to set passwords, (b) to configure the firewall to allow Winbox (port 8291) from any port, so that I'm less likely to be locked out, and (c) to set up a second wireless network with a second DHCP pool for maintenance purposes in case I'm locked out of the main wireless.

However, now every time I plug an Ethernet cable into the wired port, the device locks up, the wireless network and the wired link go down, and the device won't boot up again unless I leave it disconnected from power for at least a minute or so. (This is with the PL7400 powerline plug.)

I will try getting a fresh install of RouterOS on the device, but I believe it might be broken hardware wise, which may have contributed to my earlier troubles.
 
holvoetn
Forum Guru
Forum Guru
Posts: 5403
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2021 2:14 am
Location: Belgium

Re: Factory resetting a mAP lite: button and netinstall woes

Fri Dec 17, 2021 9:27 am

...but I believe it might be broken hardware wise, which may have contributed to my earlier troubles.
Been there, done that ...

That eth port can be pretty stubborn to release the cable and once you start wiggling the connector, you're putting stress on the solder joints.
And at a certain point, there will be connections coming apart. Sometimes they might still touch and give contact, but sometimes it's game over.
I haven't tried yet to pry open my device to see what's happening on the inside. Not for 25 EUR while it still works for the rest :lol:

PS: and yes, I need to clean the lens on my smartphone ...

Image
 
rxmd
just joined
Topic Author
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2017 8:39 am

Re: Factory resetting a mAP lite: button and netinstall woes

Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:58 am

...but I believe it might be broken hardware wise, which may have contributed to my earlier troubles.
Been there, done that ...

That eth port can be pretty stubborn to release the cable and once you start wiggling the connector, you're putting stress on the solder joints.
And at a certain point, there will be connections coming apart. Sometimes they might still touch and give contact, but sometimes it's game over.
I feel for you... but as long as it still works on wifi it has at least some use :)

I feel that with my unit something else is broken. Even if I connect no cable, and use only wifi, it seems that it goes down after a while. I upgraded it to 6.49.2, then to 7.1 including upgrading the firmware, and after both upgrades I've been seeing the same issue. I wonder whether I may have introduced some incompatibilities between firmware and RouterOS that I don't know how to fix, otherwise I guess it was just my unit that is a dud.
 
holvoetn
Forum Guru
Forum Guru
Posts: 5403
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2021 2:14 am
Location: Belgium

Re: Factory resetting a mAP lite: button and netinstall woes

Fri Dec 17, 2021 11:13 am

I wonder whether I may have introduced some incompatibilities between firmware and RouterOS that I don't know how to fix, ...
That's easy. If you can access the device, make sure your firmware is also upgraded to the same level as RouterOS.
/system routerboard upgrade
 
User avatar
bpwl
Forum Guru
Forum Guru
Posts: 2983
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2019 1:16 am

Re: Factory resetting a mAP lite: button and netinstall woes

Fri Dec 17, 2021 12:10 pm

Since 6.47.10 the reset button is finally programmable. I use it for "/system shutdown" but also for door opening actions: like adding ether1 to the bridge, start wifi even with the repeater setup (change mode from station to AP), allow 8291, move ether1 to the LAN interface list, allow MAC server , restore open-door config, etc etc etc
 
User avatar
robmaltsystems
Long time Member
Long time Member
Posts: 555
Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2019 12:04 pm

Re: Factory resetting a mAP lite: button and netinstall woes

Thu Nov 10, 2022 4:09 pm


Been there, done that ...

That eth port can be pretty stubborn to release the cable and once you start wiggling the connector, you're putting stress on the solder joints.
And at a certain point, there will be connections coming apart. Sometimes they might still touch and give contact, but sometimes it's game over.
I haven't tried yet to pry open my device to see what's happening on the inside. Not for 25 EUR while it still works for the rest :lol:
I concur that these mAP lite devices aren't the most robust in the world - same with cAP lite. I've got one here that seems to be broken - it'll go through the factory reset motions whereby holding down for 5 seconds should factory reset, but it never picks up DHCP on the WAN port (master DHCP server never shows and entry) and the default Wi-Fi network doesn't appear.

The gotcha with these single port devices is that they come up as routers which I've always thought a bit daft as most of the time they're going to be reconfigured as access points.

They are also getting expensive for what they are in UK. I can pickup a TP-Link TL-WA801N for £28 inc. delivery but the cAP lite is £37.34. I suspect the TP-Link might have better range due to the larger antenna.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: BioMax, cdblue and 42 guests