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Troubleshooting - Recovery Methods

Troubleshooting - Recovery Methods

How-to Recover or Factory Reset PiFi

Here’s the various methods to recover or restore PiFi if you run into issues
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Tip: If your PiFi USB adapter network isn’t connecting, you can try swapping it to the other blue USB to see if it fixes your issue before attempting a reset
⚠️  Methods beside re-flashing should not wipe or erase media/files you’ve stored on the Network Storage partition of your SD card. If re-flashing or just to be cautious, back-up any SD Card files

Method 1: App-based Recovery

1. Clear App Cache

If the issue is specific to the app and your not sure if it’s firmware you can clear the app cache (which is the same as deleting / downloading it fresh) by opening PiFi App > Settings > More Settings > Reset PiFi > Delete App Cache

2. Restart

You can also tap the restart option (which reboots the Pi) - the same as unplugging/plugging it back in again by going to PiFi App > Settings > More Settings > Reset PiFi > Restart

3. Soft Reset

A soft reset is a bit more gentle than a full on factory reset. It deletes network configuration (including customized network names and passwords - bringing it back to PiFi / PiFi Setup with default password Raspberry314).

It does not erase your uploaded VPN profiles, Adguard data, OpenWRT packages, or system password but may do the trick if you have misconfigured something.

To soft reset, open PiFi App > Settings > More Settings > Reset PiFi > Restart (allow a few minutes for it to re-appear in WiFi

3.1 Terminal/SSH Soft Reset / Factory Reset (Advanced)

If you are you familiar with SSH, and can access the network but not the app:

  • Soft reset by running this command:
  • Or factory reset with the following command: firstboot -y & reboot

4. Full Factory Reset

If you want a full on reset to go back to factory-fresh settings and erase all configurations, VPN profiles, installed packages and settings then this is the option for you.

To perform full factory reset, open PiFi App > Settings > More Settings > Reset PiFi > Factory Reset (allow a few minutes for it to re-appear in WiFi

Factory reset is not designed to wipe media you’ve stored on Network Storage as that’s a separate partition on the SD card but consider a back up to be cautious
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If you can’t access the app or connect to the network then you are going to want to opt for method 2 recovery options below.

Method 2: Physical SD Reset

❌ If you don’t have PiFi Kit

The PiFi Kit uses USB adapter acts as a quick reset button for fast recovery when removed from Raspberry Pi if something goes wrong.

But if you don’t have the PiFi USB Adapter then the only method to recover if you can’t connect to the PiFi wireless network is to follow the steps to re-flash your SD card in the Download and Setup Guide

✅ If you DO have the PiFi Kit

  1. Disconnect the ethernet cable
  2. Disconnect the PiFi USB WiFi Adapter
  3. Then wait either until PiFi 4 Setup or PiFi 5 Setup shows in WiFi Settings
  4. Remove the power supply / cable from the Pi
  5. Re-insert the USB WiFI Adapter (into top blue USB port)
  6. Power on again (re-insert power cable)
  7. Re-insert the ethernet cable
  8. After around 2 minutes you should see PiFi 4 or PiFi 5 (the lack of ‘setup’ shows it’s the USB) - you can now return to the app.
If you are you familiar with SSH and can access the network but not the app, you can also reset with the following command firstboot -y & reboot
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💾 Recovery Issues? - It is possible for software on SD cards to corrupt, it’s also possible to delete or corrupt the recovery files that are necessary for a physical factory reset, and it’s possible to re-write any software to the PiFi SD card making the firmware inaccessible. So in cases like these, the physical reset method may not work. If that’s the case for you, then please follow the Download and Setup Guide or reach out to support@pifi.org (PiFi Kit users-only)