LEDs

LEDs

Version Info

RouterOS 7.16 | Min: v6.0+ | ⏱️ 5 minutes | 🟢 Beginner

Tested on: 7.16 7.14

Version-specific notes

• v7.0: LED dark mode support expanded to more devices

TL;DR (Quick Start)

For the impatient: configure LED for interface activity.

# Show available LEDs
/system/leds/print

# Set LED to show interface activity
/system/leds/add leds=user-led interface=ether1 type=interface-activity

Turn off all LEDs (dark mode):

/system/leds/settings/set all-leds-off=immediate

Overview

What this does: RouterOS allows configuring each LED’s behavior to display interface activity, wireless signal strength, modem signal, or custom on/off states controlled by scripts.

When to use this:

• Indicating network activity on specific interfaces
• Displaying wireless or LTE signal strength
• Creating an “internet connected” indicator
• Reducing light pollution with dark mode
• Custom status indicators via scripts

Prerequisites:

• Device with configurable LEDs (most RouterBOARDs)
• Knowledge of available LED names on your device

LED Types

Type	Description
interface-activity	Blinks on interface traffic (TX/RX)
interface-receive	Blinks on incoming traffic only
interface-transmit	Blinks on outgoing traffic only
interface-speed	Indicates link speed
interface-speed-1G	On when link is 1 Gbps
interface-status	On when interface is up
wireless-status	On when wireless is enabled
wireless-signal-strength	Multiple LEDs show signal level
modem-signal	Multiple LEDs show LTE/modem signal
modem-technology	Indicates modem connection type
flash-access	Blinks on flash/disk access
poe-out	Indicates PoE output status
poe-fault	Indicates PoE fault
fan-fault	Indicates fan failure
ap-cap	CAPsMAN managed AP indicator
on	LED always on
off	LED always off

Configuration Steps

Step 1: List Available LEDs

View LEDs on your device:

/system/leds/print

Example output:

Flags: X - disabled
 #   LEDS       TYPE                INTERFACE
 0   user-led   interface-activity  ether1
 1   led1       wireless-signal-strength  wlan1

Step 2: Configure LED Behavior

Set an LED to show interface activity:

/system/leds/set [find leds=user-led] type=interface-activity interface=ether1

Or add a new configuration:

/system/leds/add leds=user-led type=interface-activity interface=ether1

Step 3: Verify Configuration

/system/leds/print

Common Scenarios

Scenario: Interface Activity Indicator

Show traffic on a specific interface:

/system/leds/add leds=user-led interface=ether1 type=interface-activity

Scenario: Wireless Signal Strength

Display WiFi signal using multiple LEDs:

/system/leds/add leds=led1,led2,led3,led4,led5 interface=wlan1 type=wireless-signal-strength

More LEDs light up as signal strength increases.

Scenario: LTE/Modem Signal Strength

Configure LEDs for LTE signal indication:

/system/leds/add leds=led1,led2,led3,led4,led5 interface=lte1 \
    type=modem-signal modem-signal-treshold=-91

Signal range [-91..-51] is divided among LEDs:

• First LED: Signal above -91 dBm
• Last LED: Signal at -51 dBm (excellent)

Scenario: Internet Connection Indicator

Use Netwatch to control LED based on internet connectivity:

Step 1: Create LED configuration

/system/leds/add leds=user-led type=on disabled=no

Note the entry number (e.g., 0).

Step 2: Configure Netwatch

/tool/netwatch/add host=8.8.8.8 interval=10s \
    up-script="/system/leds/set 0 disabled=no" \
    down-script="/system/leds/set 0 disabled=yes"

LED turns off when internet is unreachable.

Scenario: Turn Off All LEDs (Dark Mode)

Reduce light pollution:

/system/leds/settings/set all-leds-off=immediate

Options:

• never: LEDs always on (default)
• immediate: Turn off immediately
• after-1min: Turn off after 1 minute idle
• after-1h: Turn off after 1 hour idle

Scenario: LED Controlled by Script

Toggle LED on/off via script:

# Turn LED on
/system/leds/set [find leds=user-led] type=on disabled=no

# Turn LED off
/system/leds/set [find leds=user-led] disabled=yes

Scenario: Mode Button LED Toggle

Toggle LED with the mode button:

Step 1: Create toggle script

/system/script/add name=led-toggle source={
    :local entry [/system/leds/find leds=user-led]
    :local state [/system/leds/get $entry disabled]
    /system/leds/set $entry disabled=(!$state)
}

Step 2: Assign to mode button

/system/routerboard/mode-button/set enabled=yes on-event=led-toggle

Scenario: Link Speed Indicator

Show when link is at specific speed:

/system/leds/add leds=led1 interface=ether1 type=interface-speed-1G

LED lights when interface is running at 1 Gbps.

Scenario: PoE Output Status

Indicate PoE output on a port:

/system/leds/add leds=poe-led interface=ether5 type=poe-out

Verification

Confirm LED configuration:

Check 1: View LED Configuration

/system/leds/print

Expected: LEDs listed with correct type and interface.

Check 2: Check Global Settings

/system/leds/settings/print

Expected: all-leds-off setting as configured.

Check 3: Test LED Manually

Temporarily set LED to on:

/system/leds/set [find leds=user-led] type=on disabled=no

Verify LED illuminates, then restore original config.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Solution
LED not responding	Entry disabled	Set disabled=no
No LEDs listed	Device has no configurable LEDs	Check device specifications
Dark mode not working	Device doesn’t support feature	Not all hardware supports dark mode
Signal LEDs all off	Interface not specified or down	Verify interface name and status
Activity LED always on	Constant traffic on interface	Normal behavior; try different interface
LED command not found	Wrong LED name	Check available LEDs with /system/leds/print

Debug: List Available LED Names

/system/leds/print

Use exact LED names from this output.

Debug: Check Interface Status

For interface-based LEDs:

/interface/print where name=ether1

Ensure interface exists and is running.

Common Mistakes

• Wrong LED name - LED names are device-specific; check with print first
• Missing interface - Activity/speed types require interface property
• Disabled entry - Setting type=off vs disabled=yes are different; disabled hides the entry
• Dark mode on unsupported device - Some devices can’t turn off all LEDs due to hardware design

Community Tips

Find Your User LED: Most devices have a programmable user-led. Check your device manual or use /system/leds/print to find available LEDs.

Internet Indicator Script: Combine with Netwatch for a visual “internet is working” indicator that’s more useful than default interface LEDs.

Signal Strength Order: For wireless-signal-strength and modem-signal, list LEDs in order from weakest to strongest signal indication (e.g., led1,led2,led3,led4,led5).

Dark Mode Limitations: Even with dark mode, some LEDs (like power) may remain on due to hardware design. Check device documentation for specifics.

Dark Mode Device Support

Device Type	Dark Mode Support
CRS305, CRS309, CRS317	Full
RB5009, RB4011	Full
hAP series	Partial (some LEDs)
cAP series	Partial
NetMetal, LHG series	Full
SXT, Cube, LDF series	Full
hEX, hAP lite	Partial

Related Topics

System

• RouterBOARD - mode button configuration
• Health Monitoring - system status indicators

Automation

• Netwatch - trigger LEDs based on host availability
• Scheduler - custom LED control scripts

Interfaces

• Interfaces Overview - interface-linked LEDs
• Ethernet Interfaces - port activity LEDs

Reference

• MikroTik LEDs Documentation

Key Commands Reference

Command	Description
/system/leds/print	View LED configurations
/system/leds/add	Add LED configuration
/system/leds/set	Modify LED configuration
/system/leds/remove	Remove LED configuration
/system/leds/settings/print	View global LED settings
/system/leds/settings/set	Modify global settings

LED Properties

Property	Type	Default	Description
leds	string	-	LED name(s) to control
type	enum	-	LED behavior type
interface	string	-	Interface for activity/status types
modem-signal-treshold	integer	-91	Threshold for modem signal (-113..-51)
disabled	yes/no	no	Disable this LED entry

Global Settings (/system/leds/settings)

Property	Type	Default	Description
all-leds-off	enum	never	Dark mode: never/immediate/after-1min/after-1h

LED Type Reference

Type	Requires Interface	Multiple LEDs	Description
interface-activity	Yes	No	TX/RX traffic blink
interface-receive	Yes	No	RX traffic only
interface-transmit	Yes	No	TX traffic only
interface-speed	Yes	No	Link speed indicator
interface-speed-1G	Yes	No	On at 1 Gbps
interface-status	Yes	No	On when link up
wireless-signal-strength	Yes	Yes	Signal bars
modem-signal	Yes	Yes	LTE signal bars
on	No	No	Always on
off	No	No	Always off