Can't find clearcut instructions that work for resetting Mikrotik RB411 routerboard to 192.168.88.1

[RJH]

I know it was working when I put it in the storage box years ago.
But I don't remember what IP address it was set to at that time.

The 18VDC 1Amp POE is known to be good & the RB411 lights & beeps
when it's powered (although I'm not sure what's supposed to light up).

I went to the firmware download page (which shows it's discontinued)
and read every document there and tried all their reset instructions
but what they fail to do in all of them is provide explicit instructions.
https://mikrotik.com/product/RB411

None of those instructions work, but as I recall, they're all too generic
anyway in that it matters greatly exactly the procedure that you use
and even which of the two different onboard reset mechanisms that you use.
https://i.postimg.cc/FKsR3Mk1/mikrotik-rb411-reset.jpg

Even so, I have downloaded the latest RouterOS just in case I need to flash.
https://download.mikrotik.com/routeros/7.8/routeros-mipsbe-7.8.npk
And I downloaded the latest RouterBoot firmware just in case I need it.
https://i.mt.lv/cdn/rb_bootloaders/ar7100_3.41.fwf

I read the User Guide but the instructions there are too generic too.
https://i.mt.lv/cdn/product_files/rb411ugA_130511.pdf

As with the same problem with the too generic RouterOS Software Manual.
https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:TOC

Factory defaults are supposed to be 192.168.88.1 admin with no password.
I remember the reset procedure to be non intuitive (so no generic
instructions will work) but I don't remember the precise reset process.

But I can't get a successful ping (even with well-tested cat5 cables).
ping 192.168.88.1 -t

Nor will a web browser access the webfig configuration at that address.
http://192.168.1.88/webfig/

None of the generic reset instructions appear to be working for me.
https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Reset

Unfortunately, even the specific instructions are completely generic.
https://www.router-reset.com/info/MikroTik/RouterBOARD-411-RB411
https://www.mikrotik.com.my/reset-to-factory-default-settings/

The reset, as I recall, is actually complicated in that doing it right
has a lot to do with exactly which LEDs flash which color (blue or green)
and how many times specific LEDs flash & exactly when you let up.

I set the Windows IP address as admin so that's not the problem (AFAICT).
netsh interface ipv4 set address name="Ethernet" static 192.168.88.2 255.255.255.0 192.168.88.1
netsh interface ipv4 show config "Ethernet"

There are two different resets on the Mikrotik RB411 routerboard.
One is a "S301" button & the other is a short slot, both of which I tried.
https://i.mt.lv/cdn/rb_images/669_hi_res.png

All I can find is I hold the S301 spring-loaded button until some unknown
LED light starts flashing (blue or green, there are many), and then I release
the S301 spring-loaded button which is supposed to reset the RouterOS
configuration to the factory default setup (but how long does it take?).

I've done it so many times so many ways that I'm not even sure which of
the many reset configurations the RB411 routerboard is currently set to.
https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Etherboot

I have the MikroTik WinBox Loader v2.2.18 but it won't connect to 192.168.88.1
https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Winbox
https://mikrotik.com/download
https://download.mikrotik.com/winbox/3.37/winbox.exe
https://download.mikrotik.com/winbox/3.37/winbox64.exe

I haven't used TheDude or NetInstall yet as I just want to reset to defaults.
https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:The_Dude
https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Netinstall
https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Flashfig

In desperation I even resorted to watching YouTube videos on how to reset it.
How to HARD RESET MikroTik RouterBOARD RB411
https://youtu.be/OD708qX23eM
a. No power
b. Hold Phillips screwdriver in the corner hard reset
c. Connect power
d. Lift after 28 seconds it seems ???

Reset manual Mikrotik RB 411
https://youtu.be/8xhdrpEtlc4
a. no power
b. hold button on side
c. connect RJ45
d. flashing by RJ45

How do you reset the RouterOS IP address settings & login back to default?
https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Reset

Resetting the RouterOS configuration
Hold this button until LED light starts flashing.
Release the button to reset RouterOS configuration to default.

Which LED light?
There are blue & green LEDs to the left of the RJ45.
There are five green LEDs to the right of the RS232.

How do you reset the RouterOS back to the factory configuration?

Nothing has worked yet but what I haven't found is useful usable explicit
instructions on how to reset the MikroTik RouterBoard RB411 to its default.

Do you have any way of finding those specific explicit reset instructions?
--
Cheers, Rob

[Charles Lucas]

Hi, Just a few quick suggestions. These are standard protocols for testing
any router (whether it is new or used, or discontinued or not). Please check
the following link below for basic solutions:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/commands-manage-wireless-networks-windows/

I have found the ipconfig command and the ping command quite useful. So will
the router table command.

What this does is show the routing and porting of the system (especially if you
want to use port forwarding). Remember, that in addition to this, there will be
the needed security protocols for the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz bands (and perhaps
for the various sub-bands as well). Bear in mind, this is high end FM. Check and
verify connectivity, range, and throughput.

Hope this helps.

Sincere regards,


Charles Lucas

[Peter W.]

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 2:54:17 AM UTC-4, RJH wrote:
> I know it was working when I put it in the storage box years ago.

How many years ago?
Was it in its proper anti-static, anti-moisture *sealed* sleeve?

The thing about electronics of this nature is that they can get fried 'just sitting there' by moisture, stray electronic fields, fingerprints eating through traces and many other sorts of things.

I suggest you give it a 24-hour rest and try again. Frustration may lead to making the same mistake over and over.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

[RJH]

On 28 Mar 2023 at 9:53:57 AM, Dean Hoffman <dean...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Try the sci.electronics.design group.

I did that. :-->

I have tried every reset procedure I can find on the net, for example
30:30:30 but what I really need is a specific reset procedure that explains
how long each step takes as there are MANY reset procedures for the RB411.

There's the shorting point where you stick a screwdriver for an unspecified
number of seconds while powering up and then you wait for an unspecified
set of unspecified color LEDs to light up, and there is the spring-loaded
reset button which you press for an equally unspecified period of time
while already booted and then you wait for an unspecified set of
unspecified color LEDs to do whatever it is that they do.

There's also that beep I keep hearing which I don't know what it means.

I've been trying everything, for example I tried to connect to the MAC
address (which I had written down so I know what it is) of the LAN and WAN
on the routerboard RB411 last night using Winbox.exe version 3.37.

winbox.exe 192.168.88.1 admin ""
winbox.exe 84:1B:5E:AF:BF:CF admin ""

I also tried the webfig interface of the RouterBoard RB411 on port 80.
http://192.168.88.1/webfig/

I wasn't sure if it matter whether I used the 32-bit or 64-bit winbox
version 3.37 so I tried both of them but got the same negative results.

At this point I don't care which RouterOS I boot it to as the MikroTik
RB411 (like all MikroTik router boards) has a duplicate OS inside it.
(I think that's what the Phillips head shorting point is all about.)

And I don't care what settings it resets to just as long as I can log into
it from Windows on the same subnet (presumably the 192.168.88.xxx subnet).

netsh interface ipv4 show config

netsh interface ipv4 show config "MyEthernet"
netsh interface ipv4 set address name="MyEthernet" static 192.168.88.2 255.255.255.0 192.168.88.1
ping 192.168.88.1 -t

None of this works so I think the router is in some stuck state,
although it boots up (seemingly) with lights lighting up and
blinking at times (blue and green LEDs) and it beeps too.

I just need a definitive specific explicit reference for the MikroTik
routerboard RB411 with RouterOS on it for how to reset it to a state that I
can then connect to the RouterOS on it to set it up as a CPE Access Point.

I tried the MikroTik forum but it never sent the confirmation registration
mail so I don't think it's still supported as it seems to be dead a while.
https://forum.mikrotik.com/viewtopic.php?p=438256
https://forum.mikrotik.com/viewtopic.php?p=454673
https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/display/ROS/Reset+Button
https://mikrotik.com/product/RB411
https://www.mikrotik-store.eu/en/MikroTik-RouterBOARD-RB411
https://forum.routerboard.com/viewtopic.php?t=156670

I'll put openwrt on it if I have to but I still need to connect first.
https://openwrt.org/toh/mikrotik/rb411

Most of the descriptions aren't specific enough to actually work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD708qX23eM

How to HARD RESET MikroTik RouterBOARD RB411

I will try anything because all I want to do is connect to it.
--
Cheers, Rob

[Scott Lurndal]

Run a port scanner (e.g. nmap) on the entire 192.168.0.0/16 subnet.
Then try the 10.0.0.0/24 subnet if you don't get a hit on 192.168.0.0/16

[RJH]

On 28 Mar 2023 at 18:34:59 BST, RJH wrote:

> On 28 Mar 2023 at 9:53:57 AM, Dean Hoffman <dean...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Try the sci.electronics.design group.
>
> I did that. :-->

How come you appear to be using my account to post?!

--
Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK

[RJH]

On 28 Mar 2023 at 7:09:59 PM, Scott Lurndal <sc...@slp53.sl.home> wrote:

> Run a port scanner (e.g. nmap) on the entire 192.168.0.0/16 subnet.
> Then try the 10.0.0.0/24 subnet if you don't get a hit on 192.168.0.0/16

I don't know if the RB411 is on the 192.168.88.xxx or 192.168.1.xxx subnet.
Do I need to put the Windows PC on the same subnet as the RB411 might be?

Anyway, I googled for nmap and somehow I ended up with Zenmap on my desktop.
https://nmap.org/book/zenmap.html

The default zenmap scan is apparently this command.
Target: 192.168.1.1/24
Command: nmap -T4 -A -v 192.168.1.1/24

Target: 192.168.88.1/24
Command: nmap -T4 -A -v 192.168.88.1/24

The first nmap command it ran from the Zenmap GUI without the RB411 was
Nmap scan report for 192.168.1.0 [host down]
Nmap scan report for 192.168.1.2 [host down]
Nmap scan report for 192.168.1.3 [host down]
...
Discovered open port 443/tcp on 192.168.1.100
Discovered open port 443/tcp on 192.168.1.101
Discovered open port 443/tcp on 192.168.1.102

There were pages of results, so I'm weeding through them first while
I'm on my home LAN before I connect the PC directly to the RB411 router.

It's a pain not knowing what subnet to put the PC on so I pulled
the Ethernet out of the home router and plugged it into the RB411
instead. Then I changed the PC IP address to these two one by one.
Win+r cmd {control+shift+enter}

netsh interface ipv4 show config

netsh interface ipv4 show config "Ethernet"
netsh interface ipv4 set address name="Ethernet" static 192.168.1.2 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1
ping 192.168.1.1 -t (which fails)
Then I ran the zenmap GUI with a Target: 192.168.1.1 192.168.1.255
Command: nmap -T4 -A -v 192.168.1.1/24
setup_target: failed to determine route to 192.168.1.0
setup_target: failed to determine route to 192.168.1.1
setup_target: failed to determine route to 192.168.1.2
...

Then I tried the 88 subnet.
Win+r cmd {control+shift+enter}

netsh interface ipv4 show config

netsh interface ipv4 show config "Ethernet"
netsh interface ipv4 set address name="Ethernet" static 192.168.88.2 255.255.255.0 192.168.88.1
ping 192.168.88.1 -t (which fails)
Then I ran the zenmap GUI with a Target: 192.168.88.1 192.168.88.255
Command: nmap -T4 -A -v 192.168.88.1/24
setup_target: failed to determine route to 192.168.88.0
setup_target: failed to determine route to 192.168.88.1
get_srcaddr: can't connect socket: A socket operation was attempted to an unreachable host.
setup_target: failed to determine route to 192.168.88.3
setup_target: failed to determine route to 192.168.88.4
setup_target: failed to determine route to 192.168.88.5
...

I'm not sure what I'm doing, but it seems I get different results
if I put the PC on 192.168.1.xxx versus 192.168.88.xxx and then
I run that zenmap port scan - but I don't yet know what to make
of the results since nothing came back as a really good hit.

My googling found also "ipscan" and "portscanner" which I may try.
https://angryip.org/download/#windows
https://www.eusing.com/ipscan/free_ip_scanner.htm
https://www.advanced-ip-scanner.com/download/

The problem is that the search is filled with shills so I don't know
which is the right freeware respected ipscanner or port scanner download.

Given the syntax is not in the least intuitive (it takes experimentation),
does anyone have a recommendation as to which scanner to concentrate on?
--
Cheers, Rob

[Andy Burns]

RJH wrote:

> It's a pain not knowing what subnet to put the PC on

Use wireshark and listen for DHCP or gratuitous ARP from the device,
then you'll know its IP and can put your PC on the same subnet to
[ze]nmap scan it ...

[Peter W.]

> How come you appear to be using my account to post?!

It does appear that Jimmy Neutron is back, and now hijacking other handles.

Please do not feed the troll.

[jim Whitby]

If he's serious, then the serial port is the best way.
As I haven't seen any response to my post ( a.inter..wirel.. ).
I'm inclined to agree about the troll

[Peter W.]

> I'm inclined to agree about the troll.

Jimmy Neutron is never serious - other than to attempt to generate a 100-post wild goose chase on its terms.

[chuck]

change mask from 255.255.255.0 to 255.255.0.0