BpiRouter OS’s core reliability: from "wrong config" to "fully bricked", every level has a way back. A bad flash can be recovered; it won’t brick permanently.
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Different boards use different buttons for recovery (this matters):
| Board | Reset button |
|---|---|
BPI-R4 |
WPS button (R4’s reset is a hard-reset line invisible to software, so recovery uses WPS) |
BPI-R4 Lite |
Physical reset button |
BPI-R4 Pro |
Physical reset button |
BPI-R3 |
Physical reset button |
BPI-R3 Mini |
Physical reset button |
OpenWrt One |
Rear reset button |
Below, the "recovery button" means the one for your board.
From lightest (lose nothing) to heaviest (whole device back to factory), each layer is a fallback. You’ll usually only need L3.
When you change network / WiFi / firewall settings that could cut the management link, the UI shows a confirmation banner + countdown: - Change is fine and you can still reach it → click "Keep changes" to commit; - Change locked you out and you didn’t confirm → at the end of the countdown it auto-reverts to the previous config.
This layer is on by default, so "a mistake won’t lock you out".
Firmware upgrades use A/B dual slots: if the new firmware fails to boot, the bootloader automatically switches back to the last good slot. No action needed — the device returns to a working version by itself.
When the device runs fine but the config is messed up / you forgot the password:
While the device is running, hold the recovery button for ~5 seconds, then release.
The device clears the current config and reboots to factory state (without re-flashing firmware).
Open https://192.168.100.1 again and run [First-time Setup]。
Only the current slot’s config is cleared — the other slot is untouched and firmware is not re-flashed.
The ultimate fallback when both config and firmware are corrupted / the device won’t boot:
Power off.
Hold the recovery button and power on, keep holding the whole time.
The device re-flashes itself from a built-in golden image back to factory (over serial you’ll see something like * GOLDEN RESTORE).
It reboots automatically into a clean factory state.
⚠️ Keep holding across the boot self-test / countdown, until you see the rescue start; releasing too early is treated as a normal boot.
💡 On boards with separate NOR+NAND (e.g. R4-Lite), you may need to set the board’s NAND/NOR strap to NAND before rescue — see the factory flashing notes shipped with the firmware.
| Situation | Which layer to use |
|---|---|
Changed a setting and lost connection |
L1 (wait for auto-rollback, or revert manually next time in) |
New firmware has problems after upgrade |
L2 auto-rollback; or click "Roll back to previous version" on the System page |
Forgot the admin password / config messed up, but the device still boots |
L3: hold the recovery button ~5s while running |
Device won’t boot / bad flash / reboot loop |
L4: power off → hold the recovery button → power on |
Holding reset does nothing? (R4)
R4’s reset is a hard-reset line that software can’t read — R4’s recovery button is the WPS button, use that instead. Other boards use the physical reset.
Pressed for L4 but rescue didn’t start?
Most likely released too early. Be sure to keep holding across the boot countdown, until the rescue prompt appears.
Does rescue lose config?
Yes — L4 returns to a clean factory state. Day-to-day config-loss risk is covered by L1 (auto-rollback) and "keep settings on upgrade"; L4 is the last resort. Keep a config backup via the System page’s "Download backup" and re-upload it after recovery to restore.
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