Credentials

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

Last updated Aug 14, 2026View as Markdown

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.