Locked out of device. Cannot reset password.

[soldar]

I have an AirLive Ovislink "wl-5420ap" Access Point. A pretty old and obscure device of which very little can be found online.

It seems holding the reset button does not reset the password and resetting the password must be done using some utility that came on a CD and which I cannot find online.

The manual says the default password is blank/no password but that does not work. For this type of device I have a few passwords I tend to reuse but none of them works.

That holding the reset button does nothing and that I need a utility program to change the password is weird, to say the least.

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/984465/Ovislink-Wl-5420ap.html?page=38#manual

I might even say stupid.

http://www.ovislink.be/wlanfaq.htm#5420ap%20reset

When using the WL-5420AP's reset utility, please connect the AP directly with the PC.  Otherwise, the reset utility will reset all APs in the network.

I opened the case and it has a separate WIFI (PCMCIA?) board.  It has some jumpers but no idea what they might do. I cannot find any more info online. This product might be a clone or relabel of a better known item.

Any ideas on how to get in?

[magic]

I opened the case and it has a separate WIFI (PCMCIA?) board.  It has some jumpers but no idea what they might do.

WiFi is MiniPCI. Not that it matters in the slightest.

The pin header is probably JTAG. Some software could perhaps dump the flash (I think I've had success with urjtag once a few years ago) but it would be a PITA to figure out where configuration is unless it's stored in some uncompressed, self-descriptive plaintext format. Which it may be.

Look for a serial header. If you are lucky maybe it won't ask for password. Maybe it will allow to set password.

Otherwise you are kinda out of luck if factory reset didn't help. I would say it's a waste of time unless you can find serial console. And I presume you wouldn't be asking if you knew how to use JTAG

edit
Run a TCP port scanner before tossing it to trash. Maybe there is some telnet using default password. But yeah, the chances of that...

[Halcyon]

The Wayback Machine has an archived copy of the site (and drivers). Try: https://web.archive.org/web/20070203125535/http://www.ovislink.nl/setdefault.exe

[soldar]

The Wayback Machine has an archived copy of the site (and drivers).

Hey! Great find! I downloaded and ran the utility but it does not detect the device.  As the HTTP server of the device is responding and asking for password I believe the utility scans using some other protocol or just detecting MACs or whatever.  It may be that the device is semi-bricked and that is why it is not accepting the password ort being detected by the utility.

Probably not worth pursuing any further. Probably goes into the junk pile for parts. The WIFI card + Antenna might have some use. The rest probably junk.

[Ampera]

Quite honestly if this took up more than an hour of your time, then you've already wasted it. 802.11g APs are literally worthless, and really only useful in a vintage computer sense for older/legacy devices.

[soldar]

Wasting time on these things is what I do. I sometimes take stuff like this, test it, make some notes and put it away to be used later if needed. Later I can just pull something off a shelf and start working with it rather than spending an hour to see if it works. Just a note with the IP address, password and other configutration can save a lot of time later.

This device did not hold any special interest to me but it could be configured as AP, client, bridge so it might have come in handy one day. Especially when some friend calls me with some issue and I can set something up with elements that I have in my junk pile.

I have a lot of devices that are really of little or no interest and economically worthless but can one day get me out of a bind. Routers with Chinese menus, ADSL routers, etc. I have given away ADSL routers after installing them as switch+AP. They have no monetary value but can still have some use.

I have used AP + client to avoid drilling a hole in a wall. That kind of thing.

So, yes, I know what I am doing. I am wasting time in an enjoyable way.