Netinstall in practice: recovering a MikroTik that won't respond after a factory reset

Quick answer

Router unresponsive even after a reset? Reinstall RouterOS with Netinstall.

If the router doesn't show up in WinBox after a correctly timed reset, RouterOS is not booting and a configuration reset won't fix it. Netinstall installs the system from scratch. The RouterBOOT bootloader is separate from RouterOS, so the router is almost always recoverable and the license is preserved.

Router unresponsive after an update

Reset by the LED

and check WinBox → Neighbors

Router still not visible

Netinstall

reinstall RouterOS

What you need

Windows or Linux

Netinstall for Windows, or netinstall-cli for Linux.

Ethernet cable

A direct link from the computer to ether1.

Packages and Netinstall

routeros and wireless for the router's architecture, see step 2.

15–30 minutes

Including downloads and computer setup.

1. Determine the router's state

Netinstall only makes sense once problems on the computer side are ruled out. Run three checks:

Check 1

Computer IP address

ipconfig must show 192.168.88.x for the wired adapter.

169.254.x.x means the router didn't answer DHCP. Set 192.168.88.2/24 manually.

Check 2

WinBox → Neighbors

Cable in ether2, Windows Firewall temporarily off, Refresh after 1–2 minutes.

WinBox discovers routers by MAC address (MNDP, UDP 5678), even without an IP.

Check 3

Reset by the LED

Release the button according to the USR LED; timings are only a rough guide. On some models the LED starts flashing only after 9 s.

Router ports

ether1

ether2

ether3

ether4

ether5

ether1 – Internet / PoE in

WAN with a firewall in the default configuration; management is blocked here. Used for Netinstall.

ether2 to ether5 – LAN

Router 192.168.88.1/24, DHCP server. Connect the computer here for WinBox and the web UI. User admin, password on the label (empty on older units).

hAP ac² port schematic. Layout differs on other models; the role of ether1 is the same.

Reset button

Unplug power, press RES/WPS, plug power in and keep holding. The result depends on what the USR LED is doing when you release the button:

Holding after power-on

The router loads the backup bootloader; the LED doesn't react yet.

LED flashing

Reset to the default configuration.

LED solid (approx. +5 s)

Reset and enable CAPs mode.

LED off (approx. +5 s)

Etherboot: the router waits for Netinstall on ether1.

A configuration reset only erases settings. It cannot repair a damaged or non-booting system.

Evaluation

Router in Neighbors, or the computer has 192.168.88.x

RouterOS is running; the problem is the connection. Log in via WinBox by clicking the MAC address, see first connection.

Neighbors stays empty even after a correct reset

RouterOS doesn't boot. Further attempts are pointless; continue with step 2.

Diagnostics from macOS

Capture router traffic with tcpdump

Find the wired interface (Wi-Fi is usually en0), set an IP and watch what the router sends:

networksetup -listallhardwareports
sudo ifconfig en5 inet 192.168.88.2 netmask 255.255.255.0
sudo tcpdump -i en5 -n -e

packets on UDP 5678 (MNDP) → RouterOS is running,
repeated BOOTP/DHCP requests from the router's MAC → the router is waiting in Etherboot mode,
silence even after 2–3 minutes → RouterOS doesn't boot.

Netinstall itself does not run natively on macOS.

2. Download the files

On mikrotik.com/download choose the Stable channel and the router's architecture. Example for hAP ac² (ARM):

System package

RouterOS

routeros-7.24.5-arm.npk

The base system.

Extra packages

wireless

wireless-7.24.5-arm.npk

Wi-Fi drivers, a separate package since RouterOS 7.13.

Netinstall → Win64

Netinstall

netinstall.exe in a ZIP

Same version as the packages.

Put both .npk files in one folder and unzip Netinstall.

Architecture by model

The exact architecture is shown by Find your hardware on the Downloads page. A rough guide:

ARM

hAP ac², hAP ac³, cAP ac, RB4011

ARM64

hAP ax², hAP ax³, RB5009, hEX refresh

MMIPS

hEX (RB750Gr3), hEX S

MIPSBE

hAP ac, hAP ac lite, RB951, RB2011

SMIPS

hAP lite, hAP mini

What not to download

The “netinstall” package under Extra packages

A router package that turns another MikroTik into a Netinstall server. The Windows tool is under the Win64 link.

wifi-qcom-ac

An alternative Wi-Fi driver that is mutually exclusive with wireless. Use wireless for the recovery.

Unused extra packages

container, zerotier, iot and others. They can be added any time later.

3. Netinstall step by step

Prepare the computer

1
Set a static IP on the wired adapter
Win+R → ncpa.cpl → "Ethernet" adapter → Properties → TCP/IPv4 → IP 192.168.88.2, mask 255.255.255.0, gateway and DNS empty. Or in a command prompt run as administrator:
```
netsh interface ip set address name="Ethernet" static 192.168.88.2 255.255.255.0
```
2
Verify the IP
ipconfig must show 192.168.88.2 for "Ethernet adapter Ethernet".
3
Turn off Wi-Fi, other connections and temporarily Windows Firewall
Netinstall needs one unambiguous network interface.
4
Connect the cable from the computer to ether1
Netinstall only works through the first port (or a port labelled BOOT).

Install RouterOS

5
Run netinstall.exe as administrator
6
Net booting
Tick Boot Server enabled, Client IP 192.168.88.3, confirm with OK.
7
Put the router into Etherboot mode
Unplug power, hold reset, plug power in and keep holding until the router appears in the Routers/Drives list (usually 15–25 s).
8
Select the router's row
Recognize it by the MAC address, architecture and the filled-in Software ID field.
9
Select the packages
Browse next to the From field → folder with the .npk files → tick both routeros and wireless.
10
Tick Apply default config
Leave the Key field empty; Netinstall keeps the license.
11
Click Install and wait for status Done
The router reboots by itself after installation. Don't unplug it during the process.

Never select a local drive in the Routers/Drives list

Netinstall can install onto drives too, so the list also shows the computer's drives (e.g. D:\). Installing onto a drive wipes it.

Netinstall: hAP ac² detected with status Ready, routeros and wireless packages selected, Apply default config ticked

4. After the installation

1
Restore the computer's network settings
Move the cable to ether2, switch the adapter back to DHCP, turn the firewall and Wi-Fi back on.
```
netsh interface ip set address name="Ethernet" dhcp
```
2
Log in and set a password
WinBox → Neighbors or http://192.168.88.1, user admin, password from the label (or empty). Set your own password right away.
3
Upgrade RouterBOOT
This brings the bootloader in line with the installed RouterOS version.
```
/system routerboard upgrade
/system reboot
```
4
Configure the router
WAN, Wi-Fi and DHCP via Quick Set, or restore a backup.

Troubleshooting

Netinstall most often fails on the computer's configuration.

“Could not find network interface”

The "Ethernet" adapter has no static IPv4. Check ipconfig, set the IP with netsh and keep the router powered so the adapter has a link.

The router never appears in Netinstall

Check the IP, firewall, running as administrator and the cable in ether1. The router drops the link while booting and the Windows adapter may briefly disappear; a plain switch between computer and router fixes this reliably.

Windows shows several network adapters

Work with the adapter named exactly "Ethernet". Virtual adapters (vEthernet, VPN) don't matter; turn Wi-Fi off.

The Key field contains a folder path

The Browse button next to Key was used by mistake. Clear the field; Netinstall keeps the license automatically.

Ping to 192.168.88.1 fails after installation

The cable is in ether1 (WAN), or the computer still has a static IP. Move it to ether2 and switch back to DHCP.

Prevention

Back up before every update

Download the files to your computer, more in Backup.

/export file=config-before-upgrade
/system backup save name=backup-before-upgrade

Don't touch the router during an update

Don't unplug power or change settings. Installation after the reboot can take several minutes.

Update from Stable or LongTerm

Update remote routers only after verifying the version on a unit with physical access.

Keep Netinstall ready

Download Netinstall and packages for your models in advance.

FAQ

Can an update permanently damage a MikroTik?

Practically not in software. The RouterBOOT bootloader is separate from RouterOS. If the LED reacts to the reset button and the router shows up in Netinstall, the hardware is fine and RouterOS can be reinstalled.

Why doesn't a factory reset help?

A reset erases the configuration and leaves the system in place. If RouterOS doesn't boot, there is nothing for the reset to restore; Netinstall is the fix.

Does Netinstall erase the license or settings?

The license stays: it is stored in the device and Netinstall preserves it. Configuration and files on the router are erased.

Can Netinstall run on macOS?

Not natively. Netinstall exists for Windows and Linux (netinstall-cli). On a Mac, Linux in a virtual machine with a bridged network adapter is an option.

Sources: MikroTik: Netinstall, MikroTik: hAP ac² (reset button), MikroTik: Packages.

Netinstall in practice: recovering a MikroTik that won't respond even after a factory reset