Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X (ER-X) cannot be reset

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

Hello, I've been using OpenWrt for some time now on TP-Link TL-WR1043N and it works fine. When I installed it on TP-Link TL-WR1043N I also installed it on Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X (ER-X). Both were set up and were sitting in a box. My old router died and I have used the TP-Link.

Now the TP-Link is dead due to a lightning storm and I want to use the ER-X but I don't know the password for accessing LuCI. I've tried to reset the router multiple times by pressing the reset button for 10s but nothing happened. Next, I tried to access failsafe mode but again I hit a wall and the router did not enter into failsafe mode.

The router is working normally for the moment and I can use the internet connection but I want to make some changes to the configuration since I had some port redirections on the TP-Link.

Is it possible to reset the password without doing a full flashing of the ER-X?

2

How did you try to access failsafe mode? Typically, you need to quickly and repeatedly press the reset button immediately after boot up until you see one of the LEDs blinking rapidly. Then, you need to set a static IP on your computer and connect with ssh (root@192.168.1.1). Did you do those things?

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I've used the guide in https://openwrt.org/toh/ubiquiti/edgerouter_x_er-x_ka#failsafe_mode and there was no response from 192.168.1.1. I've scanned the whole range of addresses from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.255 and the only online machine was my laptop.

4

Looks like the ER-X failsafe is just slightly different than the typical...

But more importantly, what LED status do you see when you're attempting to enter failsafe mode? Please describe the initial state after power-on and then any changes you see after.

5

Edgerouter-X does not have a "System" LED, so failsafe mode is difficult. The "Power" LED is connected directly to the power supply and not controllable by software.

To reset, power up the router and allow it to fully boot normally. Then press and hold the reset button for at least 5 seconds, and release it. After a time all the network LEDs should blink and go out, then it will reboot to default settings. Plug your PC into one of ports 1-3. Port 0 is the wan, and port 4 should not be plugged to a device which does not accept passive PoE until you're sure the PoE out GPIO is turned off.

Other options include:

  • Use serial port to log into OpenWrt (unless console is configured to require password).
  • Use TFTP to return to factory recovery image, then re-install OpenWrt.
  • Use serial port to control bootloader and re-install OpenWrt.
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I tried to reset it by pressing the reset button for 5-7 seconds and waited 3 minutes but there were no blinking LEDs. When I plugged in the cable in the eth2 port. The LuCi configuration was the same and the router was not reset.

I am thinking of using a serial port to reinstall OpenWrt by using the instructions described in the wiki because there is a script that should do most of the work for me.

I have little experience with flashing routers so I hope this goes well.

7

If you connect serial you should have the OpenWrt console over serial (the default is immediate login without password) then use passwd to reset the root password.

1 Like
8

Thank you for the help.
This method using passwd worked pretty well. I was having problems with my USB to UART converter, which was damaged. I got a new one, and everything worked fine.

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