UniFi Recovery Mode – Ubiquiti Support and Help Center

Recovery Mode is a last resort to method to recover from certain failure modes primarily associated with losing power during an update process. This process consists of re-installing the latest firmware that had gotten "stuck" as a result of unexpected power loss. This process will factory reset your device.

We recommend using the UniFi Power Backup for compatible devices to prevent the device from entering this state.

Is Recovery Mode Necessary?

You should only use Recovery Mode if requested by Ubiquiti Support. If your device's screen directs you to Recovery Mode, you should first perform two steps to verify:

Reboot your UniFi device. If this resolves your symptoms, then there is no further actions required. This indicates a mistaken warning in the screen itself.
Factory reset your UniFi device. Performing the Device Recovery results in your device returning to a factory-default state. If a normal reset process works, there is no need to enter Recovery Mode.

Performing a Device Recovery

Download the most recent firmware for your device. You can find information on our latest releases here.
Completely power-off the UniFi device and unplug it from its power source.
Press and hold the reset button and then power on the device by connecting it to the power source once again.
Keep the reset button pressed for about 5 seconds. After some time the display (in supported models) will indicate that the gateway is in Recovery Mode.
Connect an Ethernet cable from your computer to the first LAN port (Port 1) on the UniFi gateway. This is usually the port nearest to the top left corner.
Note: The Dream Wall requires connection via Port 18, not Port 1.

Configure a static IP address on your computer in the 192.168.1.0/24 range (for example 192.168.1.11).

Navigate to the Windows 10 Network connections.

Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Change Adapter Options

Modify the IPv4 settings of the Ethernet adapter.

Ethernet Adapter > Properties > Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) > Properties

Select to manually enter an IP address and add the following information:

IP address: 192.168.1.11
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway: <blank>
DNS servers: <blank>

Navigate to the macOS Network connections.

System Preferences > Networks > Ethernet Adapter

Select to manually enter an IP address and add the following information:

IP Address: 192.168.1.11
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Router: <blank>
DNS server: <blank>

Note: If a wireless adapter is enabled and connected to another network it could conflict with the connection to the UniFi device. Disable the wireless adapter if necessary.

Open a compatible web browser navigate to http://192.168.1.30 to access the Recovery Mode UI.
Note: The Recovery Mode UI is accessible via HTTP only and not HTTPS. It is possible that your browser will automatically try to redirect your session to HTTPS. Make sure to navigate to the http://192.168.1.30 address and use a different browser if necessary.
Select Firmware Update > Choose and browse your computer for the previously download firmware (.bin) image file.
Wait for the upgrade process to complete and reboot the device afterwards.