Local Management for Switches

The Instant On switches can also be managed using the local WebUI of the switch. This can be done when the switch is in its factory default state and connected to the internet.

Figure 1  Local Management Page

The following procedure describes how to access the local WebUI of the switch:

  1. Type the IP address of the switch in your web browser and press enter. The landing page of the local WebUI is displayed.
  2. Click the CONNECT tab in the For Local Management side of the landing page.

  • The switch cannot be onboarded or managed from the Instant On mobile app or web interface once the local management for the switch is selected. The switch needs to be reset to factory default from the local WebUI to switch to the cloud management mode.

  • The switches will be available to be discovered in the cloud for one week, after this period the switch must be rebooted to be available again. This happens on a switch connected in factory default mode and user does not take any action on it. The local web page will be still available for the switch.

If you had opted to manage the switches using the cloud mode earlier (Instant On mobile app or web application), and want to switch to the local WebUI, follow the instructions provided in Switching to Local Management.

Switch Provisioning Using the Local WebUI

The local WebUI provides an option to configure a static IP on the Instant On switch. The switch receives its default IP address from the DHCP server. The following procedure configures a static IP address and other IP addressing information on the switch using the local WebUI:

  1. In the local WebUI, click the Change network connectivity link at the bottom of the page.
  2. Under IP addressing, select the Static radio button.
  3. Enter the IP address, Netmask, Gateway IP, and DNS information.
  4. Click Apply.

The following procedure configures a management VLAN for the switch using the local WebUI:

  1. Under Management VLAN, select the Tagged on uplink port radio button.
  2. Enter the Management VLAN ID and the Uplink port ID.
  3. Click Apply.

Maintenance

Instant On provides options to restart or reset an offline device on the local WebUI. There are 2 options involved when running a maintenance mode:

  • Restart- This option restarts te device affecting network services and temporarily disconnects all clients.
  • Reset to Factory Defaults- This option resets the device to factory settings by removing it from the site to which it belongs and then permanently erases the associated configurations.

Restart or Reset to Factory Default options are only available when an on-boarded device is offline.

Recovering an Offline Device Using the Local WebUI

If an onboarded device loses connectivity to the Instant On, you can correct its connectivity settings directly from the device's local WebUI, without performing a factory reset or re-onboarding the device.

The local provisioning page is read-only while the device is online. When the device goes offline, the connectivity settings become editable so that you can recover the device. You can edit the following:

  • Management VLAN and VLAN tagging mode (Untagged or Tagged on the uplink port)
  • Uplink port (Switches) — a specific port or All
  • IP Addressing Mode — Automatic (default), Static, or PPPoE.
  • DNS settings — Automatic or Static (Primary and Secondary DNS server)

To recover an offline device from the local WebUI:

  1. Open a web browser and go to the device's local IP address. If the browser shows a certificate warning (for example, “Your connection is not private”), choose the option to continue to the page.
  2. On the local provisioning page, review the Portal Connectivity section (Instant On portal status, device onboarding status, and last onboarding message) to confirm why the device is offline.
  3. Under IP addressing, select Automatic (default), Static, or PPPoE, and enter the required addressing and DNS information.
  4. Under Uplink, select Untagged or Tagged, enter the Management VLAN (1–4092), and, on a switch, choose the Uplink port (a specific port or All Ports).
  5. Click Apply. Review the warning banner and confirm.

When the device regains connectivity, the Instant On cloud reintegrates it and reconciles your changes with the site's current settings.

Switch-specific Behavior — Uplink Port Selector and Warning Banners

On a switch, applying any change from the local WebUI wipes the switch's configuration (equivalent to a factory reset) and reboots the switch. After the reboot:

  • If you selected a specific uplink port, only that port is enabled and all other ports are disabled.
  • If you selected All Ports, all ports are tagged to the selected Management VLAN.

The switch remains in this minimal factory-default state (no VLANs, profiles, or port settings) until it reconnects to the cloud. Once it reconnects with no VLAN conflict, it becomes active and all site configurations are pushed to it normally. Before applying, the local WebUI displays a warning banner describing the impact:

  • Applying these settings may disconnect your browser from the device.
  • Applying these settings configures a specific port as the uplink, shuts down all other ports, and restarts the device. It affects network services and disconnects all clients from the device.
  • Applying these settings reconfigures all ports to uplink and restarts the device. It affects network services and disconnects all clients from the device.

Recovering from a Management VLAN Conflict (Suspended State)

When a device reconnects to the cloud after a local Management VLAN change, the cloud compares the device's Management VLAN with the site's Management VLAN. If they do not match, pushing the site configuration would break connectivity, so the device is placed in a Suspended state instead.

A device in the Suspended state:

  • Appears explicitly as Suspended on the Devices page.
  • Raises a Major alert named Incompatible device management VLAN, and the site health score is reduced while the conflict is active.

To clear the conflict, update the site's Management VLAN or the device's Management VLAN so that the two match. The conflict — and the alert — clear automatically once the Management VLANs match.

  • Applying these settings may disconnect your browser from the device.
  • Applying these settings may disconnect your browser from the device.
  • Applying these settings configures a specific port as the uplink, shuts down all other ports, and restarts the device. It affects network services and disconnects all clients from the device.
  • Applying these settings reconfigures all ports to uplink and restarts the device. It affects network services and disconnects all clients from the device.

The Suspended state affects Switches and Access Points. Gateways are not subject to this conflict.