# Credentials

> How the panel signs in to a router, which protocols it uses, and how long the credentials live.

Source: https://joinnasnet.com/en/guides/nasnet-panel/add-router/credentials/
Last updated: 2026-08-14

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## Overview

After you pick a device in the scan, a **Connect to …** dialog asks for the
RouterOS credentials for that address. This is the second half of adding a
router. The panel has no accounts of its own, because it acts as the RouterOS user you
give it here, so that user's permissions are exactly the panel's permissions.

You do not choose a protocol. The backend speaks the RouterOS REST API first,
then the native RouterOS API on 8728/8729, then SSH or Telnet, falling back
automatically to whatever the device answers on.

## Before you start

- A RouterOS user with enough rights to read the system and change
  configuration. A read-only user will load the dashboards but fail on any
  wizard or edit.
- The router reachable from the panel's host.

## Steps

1. Confirm or edit the **Display name**. This is only a label in your router
   list.
2. Enter the **Username**.
3. Enter the **Password**.
4. Press **Connect**. The panel verifies the address is online and is a
   MikroTik device, tests the credentials, then adds the router.
5. Watch for the "Default configuration applied" toast, which appears when the panel pushes a
   default base configuration to a newly added router right after it connects.
   If that step fails you get a "Default config failed" warning instead, and
   the router is still added.

## Reference

| Field | What it does | Default |
| ----- | ------------ | ------- |
| **Display name** | Label for the router in your list. | Suggested from the scan result |
| **Username** | RouterOS user the panel connects as. Required. | `admin` |
| **Password** | That user's password. | empty |
| **Cancel** | Closes the dialog and returns to the scan or the details form. | None |
| **Connect** | Verifies and adds the router. | None |

Credentials are held for the browser session and are used for every call the
panel makes to that router. Opening the panel again in a fresh session brings
the **Connect to …** dialog back.

## Troubleshooting

**"Username is required."** The username field was left empty.

**"Invalid username or password".** RouterOS rejected the login (HTTP 401).
Check the user exists and the password is right.

**"Session expired. Please reconnect to the router."** The session lost its
stored credentials. Return to the Routers list and open the router again.

## Related

- [Scan or enter a target](/en/guides/nasnet-panel/add-router/target/)
- [First run](/en/guides/nasnet-panel/first-run/)