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Basic NTP Client Configuration

Basic NTP Client Configuration

Section titled “Basic NTP Client Configuration”

TL;DR (Quick Start)

Section titled “TL;DR (Quick Start)”

For the impatient: here’s the 30-second version.

# Enable NTP and add time servers
/system ntp client set enabled=yes
/system ntp client servers add address=time.cloudflare.com
/system clock set time-zone-name=America/New_York

Overview

Section titled “Overview”

This guide demonstrates how to configure the NTP client on MikroTik RouterOS to synchronize the router’s clock with internet time servers.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • A MikroTik router running RouterOS 7.x or later
  • Internet connectivity
  • Access to the router via SSH, WinBox, or WebFig

Configuration Steps

Section titled “Configuration Steps”

Step 1: Configure NTP Client

Section titled “Step 1: Configure NTP Client”

Enable the NTP client and configure time servers:

/system ntp client set enabled=yes

Step 2: Add NTP Servers

Section titled “Step 2: Add NTP Servers”

Add public NTP servers:

/system ntp client servers add address=time.cloudflare.com

Step 3: Set Timezone

Section titled “Step 3: Set Timezone”

Configure the system timezone:

/system clock set time-zone-name=America/New_York

Verification

Section titled “Verification”

Check 1: NTP Client Status

Section titled “Check 1: NTP Client Status”
/system ntp client print

Expected Output:

          enabled: yes
             mode: unicast

Check 2: NTP Servers

Section titled “Check 2: NTP Servers”
/system ntp client servers print

Expected Output:

Flags: D - dynamic
 #   ADDRESS                                                 MODE
 0   time.cloudflare.com                                     unicast

Check 3: Clock Status

Section titled “Check 3: Clock Status”
/system clock print

Expected Output:

                  time: 14:30:25
                  date: jan/17/2026
  time-zone-autodetect: yes
        time-zone-name: America/New_York
            gmt-offset: -05:00
              dst-active: no

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Problem: Time not syncing

Section titled “Problem: Time not syncing”

Symptoms: Clock shows wrong time, NTP status shows no synchronization.

Causes & Solutions:

  1. DNS not working - NTP hostnames require DNS:

    /ip dns print
    /ping time.cloudflare.com count=1

    Ensure DNS servers are configured and reachable.

  2. Firewall blocking NTP - Allow UDP 123 outbound:

    /ip firewall filter print where dst-port=123

  3. No route to NTP server - Check routing:

    /ip route check time.cloudflare.com

Problem: Large time offset after sync

Section titled “Problem: Large time offset after sync”

Symptoms: Time jumps significantly after NTP sync.

Causes & Solutions:

  1. CMOS battery dead - Router loses time on power loss. Replace battery if possible, or ensure NTP syncs quickly after boot.

  2. Wrong timezone - Verify timezone setting:

    /system clock print

Problem: NTP server unreachable

Section titled “Problem: NTP server unreachable”

Symptoms: Cannot connect to configured NTP servers.

Causes & Solutions:

  1. Server address wrong - Verify server configuration:

    /system ntp client servers print

  2. Try different servers - Use multiple servers for redundancy:

    /system ntp client servers add address=pool.ntp.org
    /system ntp client servers add address=time.google.com

Problem: Clock drifts between syncs

Section titled “Problem: Clock drifts between syncs”

Symptoms: Time slowly becomes inaccurate between NTP updates.

Causes & Solutions:

  1. Normal hardware drift - This is expected. Ensure NTP is enabled and syncing regularly.

  2. Check sync frequency:

    /system ntp client print
Section titled “Related Topics”

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
Section titled “Related System Topics”

Services Requiring Accurate Time

Section titled “Services Requiring Accurate Time”

References

Section titled “References”