TFTP problems

Hi Jim,
Did you install the TFTP into windows? It is not automatically running. If not it's easy to load under "Turn Windows Features on or off" in the Control Panel's Programs and Features.
Denis KD1HA   

Hi Jim,
I, too noticed that the procedure listed in the AREDN documentation doesn't work in Windows command window due to syntax differences in the example.
In Windows, the command is given from the Windows command window (in Run box, type CMD) in one long line, not broken into separate steps.
https://arednmesh.readthedocs.io/en/latest/arednGettingStarted/installing_firmware.html
You should follow these documentation instructions to connect your Ubiquiti radio LAN cable to a dumb switch, and then your PC to the switch. Set a static IP4 address such as 192.168.1.5. using the change adapter settings. It helps to turn off your Wireless adapter so your PC doesn't get confused later about subnets.
Your Ubiquiti radio will have probably have a default address of 192.168.1.20
You will need to hold the reset button as described in the documents for a long time (30-45 secs) until the lights flash alternating. Then it can be flashed with TFPT.

Here is the TFTP procedure I used for Win7 and 10 to flash my NanoStation M5 XW for the first time:
TFTP is installed in Windows as an add-on "Windows Feature" as Denis mentions above by checking the box.
1) Download the AREDN firmware to your desktop from the AREDN software site. If you are flashing for the first time over Ubiquiti, you choose the Factory file making sure you get the right version (XW vs XM) for your radio.
2) Open a cmd window by running cmd,
3) At the prompt type:

If you typed it correctly, it will report on the next line something like this:
Transfer successful: 5898652 bytes in 5 second(s), 11779730 bytes/s
Then you wait for 2 or 3 minutes for node to reboot. The end LED will be steady green when ready.
After it reboots, the radio will be on a different address and subnet and running its own DHCP server. This means you need to put your PC network adapter address back to DHCP, before it can access your node, because it will get its LAN address from the node itself via the ethernet adapter through the switch.

So, at the CMD window check that you have a new address from the node by typing "ipconfig". It will no longer be a 192 address as before, and will show a host address in the starting with 10. If you don't see a host, unplug the cable and plug back into the switch and try again. You may want to write down the host address for your node because it gives you another way to get to the settings page.

Follow the rest of the Basic Radio Setup instructions listed in the documentation to open a tab in your browser (Chrome or Firefox) typing: localnode.local.mesh:8080 to bring up web page that configures your node. When you set your new password and reboot, it will take a long time 2-3 minutes for the new configuration page to appear. If you access a lot of nodes, the browser gets confused by all the localnode.local.mesh names matching different radios. I suggest recording the address of your LAN host, so you can type it manually if it doesn't work.

I suggest at first using the default settings on all node stations and a simple password. Just use 5 host direct on the LAN mode. If you need to change this to 13 host direct your LAN address and subnet will change, so be aware. Record the IP Address in the middle box labeled LAN. Don't start customizing addresses or change the default 255.0.0.0 subnet on the WiFi. 
By the way, you will not be able to update time or location settings on your node now unless you have a WAN connection to your home router using a smart or managed VLAN switch such as the NetGear GS-105E or GS-108E.

On an older, used Ubiquiti Airgrid M5 I flashed, a static address had been previously been set using the factory AirOS. This caused some confusion when the node rebooted and it appeared again as 192.168.1.20, despite having the new firmware and displaying a new address. The solution was to uncheck the save settings checkbox under the setup->advanced settings tab and reboot, then go through the radio setup process again. Without an ethernet switch, it would have been difficult to log onto the radio at all using localnode.local.mesh. (It didn't work for the AirGrid owner because he had plugged his PC directly into the LAN port on the PoE injector, and wasn't able to access the AREDN node web page).

Many problems I have connecting PCs and flashing relate to PC network adapter DHCP IP address changing over to a different subnet  (e.g. the one used by your internet provider on wireless) than the AREDN radio uses. Two DHCP servers running at once will cause DNS resolution problems. When in doubt, check your LAN address using ipconfig on the PC.

Good luck!
Brett 
KG7GDB