Legacy Open Mesh: How do I flash an access point in Mac OS X?

Question

How do I flash an access point in Mac OS X?

Environment

  • Datto Access Points

Answer

Note: The OS X flash utility is not currently compatible with the following models: A40, A60, OM2Pv4. If you need to flash one of these models, please use the Windows flash utility.

Procedure

1. Download the ap51-flash utility.

2. Download the .bin (and version) for the model you are trying to flash from the Access Points Firmware Downloads page.

Note: make sure to download the .bin.signed version of the file for the OM5P-AC and MR1750v2.

3. Click the Apple icon in the top left-hand corner of your screen, then navigate to About This Mac ?System Report ?Network and find your Ethernet adapter in the list. Note the BSD Device Name. It should start with 'en,' such as 'en0.'

Figure 1: The OS X Networks menu

Make sure your device is connected to the computer via an Ethernet cable, but unplugged from power. It does not matter which Ethernet port you use on our devices.

4. Open a terminal window and type the following:

cd Downloads
sudo chmod 777 ap51-flash-osx
sudo ./ap51-flash-osx en# firmware.bin

Replace 'en#' with the actual BSD Device Name of your network adapter and 'firmware.bin' with the exact filename of the firmware file downloaded.

These commands require administrator privileges. Enter your computer password if the system prompts you for it.

If you see a message similar to, "Error - can't write to pcap socket," you can ignore it.

5. Plug the power cable into the Open-Mesh device. If you see, "Error activating pcap handle," it means the AP isn't yet ready to accept the command you've typed. In thas case, continue sending the previously typed command until the AP takes it. Unlike the Windows flash utility, the Mac utility won't wait for the AP to accept the command after typing it once.

Within one minute, you should receive notifications that the flash is taking place. Within three minutes after that, you should see a message advising you to disconnect the device. If the system does not prompt you to disconnect the device after five minutes, you should assume the device has been flashed and unplug it.