Ubiquiti UI Access Point – Adoption Procedure

by | Apr 13, 2026 | Managed Services, Hardware

Audience: Tier 1 Technician  |  Platform: Windows 11

Prerequisites — Confirm before starting:

  • Physical access to the access point
  • A Windows 11 laptop connected to the same local network as the AP
  • PuTTY installed on your laptop — if not, download from putty.org
  • The HostiFi Device Discovery Tool downloaded and installed

Step 1: Factory Reset the Access Point (Skip if Brand New)

If the AP has been previously configured, it must be reset before adoption.

  1. Power on the AP and wait approximately 60 seconds for it to fully boot. The LED will be solid white or slowly cycling when ready.
  2. Locate the Reset button — typically a small pinhole on the bottom or back of the unit.
  3. Using a straightened paperclip or similar tool, press and hold the Reset button for 10 seconds.
  4. Release when the LED begins to flash rapidly or cycle through colors — this confirms the reset has been triggered.
  5. Wait 2–3 minutes for the AP to reboot and return to factory defaults. The LED will settle into a slow white pulse when ready, indicating it is in an un-adopted state.
⚠ Warning
Do not power off the AP during the reset or reboot process.

Step 2: Determine the AP’s Local IP Address

The AP must obtain an IP address via DHCP from the local network before it can be discovered.

  1. On your Windows 11 laptop, open the HostiFi Device Discovery Tool.
  2. Click Scan or Discover Devices. The tool will broadcast a discovery packet across the local network segment.
  3. Wait 15–30 seconds. Any Ubiquiti devices on the network will appear in the list with their IP address, MAC address, and model name.
  4. Identify your AP by its model name or MAC address (found on the label on the bottom of the unit).
  5. Note the IP address displayed — you will need it in the next step.
💡 Tip — AP not appearing?
Confirm your laptop and the AP are on the same VLAN/subnet. Try unplugging and re-plugging the AP’s Ethernet connection, wait one minute, then scan again.

Step 3: SSH into the Access Point via PuTTY

  1. Open PuTTY on your Windows 11 laptop.
  2. In the Host Name (or IP address) field, enter the IP address noted in Step 2.
  3. Confirm Port is set to 22 and Connection type is SSH.
  4. Click Open.
  5. If prompted with a security alert about the host key, click Accept.
  6. At the login prompt, enter the following default credentials:
    • Login as: ubnt

      • Password: ubnt

  7. You should now see a command prompt on the AP (BusyBox shell).
💡 Tip — Windows 11 built-in SSH (no PuTTY needed)
Open Command Prompt and run:

ssh ubnt@<IP_ADDRESS>

Enter password ubnt when prompted.

Step 4: Configure the Inform URL

Once logged into the AP, run the following two commands exactly as shown.

First, launch the UniFi CLI:

mca-cli

The prompt will change to confirm you are inside the CLI. Then run:

set-inform http://unifi.fastnet1.com:8080/inform

Press Enter. You should see a confirmation message such as:
Calling inform at: http://unifi.fastnet1.com:8080/inform

⚠ Warning
Type the URL carefully — a typo will prevent adoption. If you receive an error, re-enter the set-inform command. You may close the PuTTY window once confirmed. The AP will contact the controller and appear in the Pending Adoption queue automatically.

Step 5: Determine the Client Site’s Public IP Address

While still connected to the client’s network, open Command Prompt on your Windows 11 laptop and run:

curl ifconfig.me

The result will be a single IP address — this is the client site’s public/external IP address. Write this down.

💡 Tip
If curl does not return a result, open a browser and navigate to ifconfig.me — the public IP will be displayed on the page.

Step 6: Contact Tier 2 – Katy Support

Once all steps above are complete, contact Tier 2 support and provide the following information:

Information Your Notes
Client name  
Site location / address  
AP model & MAC address (from label on AP)
AP local IP address (from Step 2)
Client public IP address (from Step 5)
Any error messages encountered  

Tier 2 will confirm the AP has appeared in the controller’s Pending Adoption queue and complete the adoption from their end.

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