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Mikrotik SXTsq Lite5 initial configuration woes

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VE7ALB
Mikrotik SXTsq Lite5 initial configuration woes
Hey all!

Hoping someone can give me some assistance with my Mikrotik SXTsq Lite5.  I've successfully flashed it with ARDEN and can access the initial configuration page on 192.168.1.1 (where you setup a password and your callsign).  After entering my details, the node reboots, tells me a 10.x IP and then I'm never able to access it again under that IP.

When I run a packet capture, I see it's doing a DHCP request out the Ethernet port, and when I connect it to a network with a DHCP server, I see it successfully negotiates an IP, but I can't ping or log into it.  The node is alive though, since it successfully negotiates ARP.

What I think is happening, is the initial configuration is setting the Ethernet port as a WAN port and then restricting access because it considers the port 'unsafe.'  Unfortunately this device only has a single Ethernet port, and it doesn't seem to broadcast a WiFi SSID in this initial configuration so I'm never able to access it.

Is there a way to tell the initial configuration that the Ethernet port should be considered part of the 'LAN'?

73,
HB9XCL
Hi,
Hi,

I've just flashed two SXTsq Lite5 this morning, without any problems.

After you've entered your callsign and password, you must change back your ethernet connection from the fixed IP address to "automatic" (DHCP). Once the AREDN software is completely started, you shold be able to access it.

Assuming you use a windows PC, you can check the ip of the antenna using ipconfig in the command window. And sometimes it helps to either run ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew to refresh your computer's ip settings, or simply disconnect the LAN cable for a moment and plug it back in..

Hope this helps :-)
Best 73s,
Kurt HB9XCL
 
nc8q
nc8q's picture
MikroTik RouterBOARD SXT 5nD woes
" tells me a 10.x IP and then I'm never able to access it again under that IP."
How are you trying to access the SXT ?

" I connect it to a network with a DHCP server,"
The SXT is a DHCP server. If you plug the SXT into a workstation,
it will give the workstation an IP address on the LAN of the SXT.

"it considers the port 'unsafe.' "
Is 'it' the SXT? or is 'it' your workstation? or ?
Or does your workstation think the SXT is 'unsafe'.
I am not familiar with anything thinking anything is 'unsafe'.
Please elaborate further.

I think "the initial configuration" of a single port AREDN device is
  • LAN untagged and a DHCP server
  • WAN tagged on VLAN1
  • DtD tagged on VLAN2 (Device-to-Device)

73, Chuck
 
VE7ALB
Thanks for the replies guys.
Thanks for the replies guys.

After completing the initial configuration, I plug my computer directly into the PoE injector on the sxt and confirm I get Ethernet link.  I then wait, but I never receive a DHCP IP.  If I instead plug the sxt into my LAN, I can see it requests a DHCP IP and the router happily assigns it one.  I can confirm the device is in fact the sxt because the MAC address meatches.

>The SXT is a DHCP server. If you plug the SXT into a workstation,
>it will give the workstation an IP address on the LAN of the SXT.
This was my expection, but it doesn't seem to hand out IPs

>Is 'it' the SXT? or is 'it' your workstation? or ?
The SXT.  When plugged into my LAN, I am not able to ping the IP it pulls, nor is there any response to an NMAP scan against it, hence my assumption that it has firewalled the port


 
nc8q
nc8q's picture
I plug my computer directly into the PoE injector
I plug the barrel end into the 28vdc Power Adapter.
I use a length of ethernet cable with a RJ-45 connector at each end between the POE and the SXT.
I power up my computer and issue an ifconfig command:
gelmce@nc8q-acer:~$ ifconfig
enp2s0f0: flags=4099<UP,BROADCAST,MULTICAST>  mtu 1500
        ether dc:0e:a1:0b:b6:0d  txqueuelen 1000  (Ethernet)
        RX packets 0  bytes 0 (0.0 B)
        RX errors 0  dropped 0  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 0  bytes 0 (0.0 B)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0
        device interrupt 16  

lo: flags=73<UP,LOOPBACK,RUNNING>  mtu 65536
        inet 127.0.0.1  netmask 255.0.0.0
        inet6 ::1  prefixlen 128  scopeid 0x10<host>
        loop  txqueuelen 1000  (Local Loopback)
        RX packets 152  bytes 14496 (14.4 KB)
        RX errors 0  dropped 0  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 152  bytes 14496 (14.4 KB)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

wlp3s0: flags=4099<UP,BROADCAST,MULTICAST>  mtu 1500
        ether 08:11:96:d6:26:e8  txqueuelen 1000  (Ethernet)
        RX packets 559  bytes 115868 (115.8 KB)
        RX errors 0  dropped 9  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 356  bytes 53927 (53.9 KB)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

gelmce@nc8q-acer:~$

I plug the male RJ-45 end of the Mikrotik POE into my computer.
I issue another ifconfig command:
gelmce@nc8q-acer:~$ ifconfig
enp2s0f0: flags=4163<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,MULTICAST>  mtu 1500
        inet 10.255.255.206  netmask 255.255.255.248  broadcast 10.255.255.207
        inet6 fe80::4da1:68aa:8169:226a  prefixlen 64  scopeid 0x20<link>
        ether dc:0e:a1:0b:b6:0d  txqueuelen 1000  (Ethernet)
        RX packets 54  bytes 10655 (10.6 KB)
        RX errors 0  dropped 0  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 84  bytes 10141 (10.1 KB)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0
        device interrupt 16  

lo: flags=73<UP,LOOPBACK,RUNNING>  mtu 65536
        inet 127.0.0.1  netmask 255.0.0.0
        inet6 ::1  prefixlen 128  scopeid 0x10<host>
        loop  txqueuelen 1000  (Local Loopback)
        RX packets 212  bytes 19804 (19.8 KB)
        RX errors 0  dropped 0  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 212  bytes 19804 (19.8 KB)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

wlp3s0: flags=4099<UP,BROADCAST,MULTICAST>  mtu 1500
        ether 08:11:96:d6:26:e8  txqueuelen 1000  (Ethernet)
        RX packets 559  bytes 115868 (115.8 KB)
        RX errors 0  dropped 9  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 356  bytes 53927 (53.9 KB)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

gelmce@nc8q-acer:~$ 

I issue a 'ping' command:
gelmce@nc8q-acer:~$ ping -c 1 10.255.255.206
PING 10.255.255.206 (10.255.255.206) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 10.255.255.206: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.032 ms

--- 10.255.255.206 ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.032/0.032/0.032/0.000 ms
gelmce@nc8q-acer:~$ 

I issue a nmap command:
gelmce@nc8q-acer:~$  nmap 10.255.255.206
Starting Nmap 7.80 ( https://nmap.org ) at 2026-06-01 18:05 EDT
Nmap scan report for nc8q-acer.local.mesh (10.255.255.206)
Host is up (0.00013s latency).
Not shown: 998 closed ports
PORT   STATE SERVICE
22/tcp open  ssh
80/tcp open  http


Nmap done: 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 0.08 seconds
gelmce@nc8q-acer:~$ 

 
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K6CCC
K6CCC's picture
This was my expection, but it

This was my expection, but it doesn't seem to hand out IPs


That's weird.  An AREDN node should NOT request an IP on the LAN port - it should be acting as a DHCP server.


 
VE7ALB
Yeah, it's very odd.  Is it
Yeah, it's very odd.  Is it possible I'm using he wrong firmware?  The board ID is RBSXTsq5nd and I used this firmware for it: https://downloads.arednmesh.org/afs/www/?version=20260525-81679b79&targe...
nc8q
nc8q's picture
Is it possible you are using he wrong procedure?
Did you load the factory.bin:
aredn-4.26.1.0-ath79-mikrotik-mikrotik_routerboard-sxt-5nd-initramfs-kernel.bin
?
 
VE7ALB
Yeah, following the
Yeah, following the instructions, I first flashed the aredn-4.26.1.0-ath79-mikrotik-mikrotik_routerboard-sxt-5hpnd-initramfs-kernel.bin using the netboot method.  This brought me to the screen where I was then able to flash the second image, aredn-4.26.1.0-ath79-mikrotik-mikrotik_routerboard-sxt-5hpnd-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin, which was successful, but after the initial configuration it dumps me into the state where I can't access the Mikrotik. 
nc8q
nc8q's picture
Yeah, following the instructions, I first flashed the aredn-4.26
"Yeah, following the instructions, I first flashed the aredn-4.26.1.0-ath79-mikrotik-mikrotik_routerboard-sxt-5hpnd-initramfs-kernel.bin using the netboot method."

Here is the URL that has instructions for installing AREDN firmware on mikrotik devices:
https://docs.arednmesh.org/en/latest/arednGettingStarted/installing_firm...

I am not finding the word 'netboot' in those instructions.

Please share the URL where 'netboot' is contained in the instructions you are following.

73, Chuck
VE7ALB
That's the document I
That's the document I followed.  Mikrotik referrs to it as 'netboot,' ARDEN refers to it as 'etherboot.'  So Etherboot is the term you're probably familer with 
nc8q
nc8q's picture
after the initial configuration it dumps me into the state where
Your description seems to indicate that, after the 'sysupgrade.bin' step,
your SXT returns as a client requesting an IP address,
instead of as a DHCP server issuing 10./ IP addresses.

What IP address is the SXT getting from your home DHCP server?
What ports are open on the SXT's LAN IP address?
What ports are closed?

If the load was successful, the SXT should be on channel 145(?) at 10 MHz bandwidth.
Do you have a working 5 GHz AREDN node to test and see if the radio is active?

I have some SXTs on the bench.
I'll try an install usingthe factory then sysupgrade procedure.
 
 
nc8q
nc8q's picture
it dumps me into the state where I can't access the Mikrotik.
Here is my experience loading AREDN firmware on a RBSXTsq-5nD.
 
Image Attachments: 
nc8q
nc8q's picture
I'm never able to access it again under that IP.
After loading the sysupgrade file,
it took about 5 minutes before the device was accessible.
5 minutes is much much less than never.
:-|
73, Chuck
 

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