Frequently Asked Question

Occasionally it is necessary to reset one of the above devices to factory defaults, usually due to either a lost IP address and/or password.

This is accomplished through using a special program which runs on a Windows Computer. This program sends out a special packet which the device watches for during the first few seconds the device is powered on.

The following is the procedure to do so:

1. Obtain the correct program. For the original SiteMonitor Base Unit (not Base II), the correct tool is the SiteMonitor Manager program. For all other devices (including the Base II), the correct tool is the PacketFlux Ethernet Upgrade tool. Both of these are available at http://tickets.packetflux.com/kb/faq.php?cid=2
2. Connect the PacketFlux device to the same Ethernet segment that the computer you will be running the upgrade tool on is connected to. 
3. Install (if not already installed) and launch the correct software program. In the SiteMonitor Manager, you will also need click on the Firmware (Base) Tab to select the firmware upgrade portion of the program (this is already selected in the upgrade tool used for the later devices)
4. Click on the 'I've read the instructions' checkbox at the bottom of the tool.
5. Click on “Reset to Factory Defaults”
6. Either Power Cycle the PacketFlux device, or Apply power (as applicable).
7. The tool should detect the PacketFlux device and reset it to factory defaults.

Occasionally this does not work due to configuration of the network and/or Windows, especially on later versions of windows. If it does not work the first time, we recommend exiting the upgrade tool completely, and then repeating the instructions above, starting at step 2. If that does not work after a couple of tries, then the following items may be the cause:

• Certain newer Ethernet switches are not fully compatible with the 10BaseT specification, due to lack of care by the switch manufacturer in preserving polarity inside the switch on the Ethernet ports (this is required for 10BaseT, but not for 100BaseT and later, so often this goes undiscovered). Unless you know for a fact that the specific port on that specific Ethernet switch works with PacketFlux devices, you may want to try a different Ethernet switch.
• The windows firewall often gets in the way of proper operation of the upgrade tools. We recommend either adding the firmware tool as an exception to the windows firewall or disabling it temporarily, or both.
• Certain versions of windows seem to require authority escalation in order to correctly send out the specialized packets. Running the tool as administrator by right clicking on it and selecting the appropriate selection seems to help sometimes.
• Occasionally windows will get confused when multiple network devices are enabled. If you have several interfaces (such as a wireless and an Ethernet connection), try disabling all but the Ethernet connection.

If you find one of the items above resolve your issue, please let us know so we can look into working around that issue without manual intervention. If you do contact us, please let us know the specific version of windows (i.e. Windows 7 Ultimate Edition) that you are running so we can try to reproduce the issue.