NerdAxe – Web UI at 192.168.4.1 Unreachable

Type `http://192.168.4.1` with the explicit `http://` scheme directly into the browser address bar. Do not type bare `192.168.4.1` and trust autocomplete; do not paste from a guide that may have stripped the scheme. The explicit prefix prevents Chrome / Edge / Safari from upgrading to HTTPS via the HSTS preload list, prevents the address bar from interpreting the IP as a search query, and prevents iOS from substituting Spotlight Suggestions. Hit Enter exactly once - the AxeOS / NerdAxe captive portal should render within 5 seconds. This single keystroke discipline resolves the largest single bucket of `192.168.4.1` complaints in the D-Central queue.

Disable VPN, iCloud Private Relay, custom DNS, and ad-blockers on the provisioning device. iOS: Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Private Relay = OFF; Settings > General > VPN & Device Management > disconnect any VPN profile; Settings > WiFi > tap (i) next to `NerdAxe-XXXX` > Limit IP Address Tracking = OFF. Android: Settings > Network > VPN > disconnect; Settings > Network > Private DNS > Off; pause any DNS-changer / ad-blocker apps. Browsers: try an incognito / private window with all extensions disabled. Re-enable everything after provisioning.

Try a different browser, ideally one that has never visited `192.168.4.1` on HTTPS. Firefox is usually cleanest - it is more conservative about HSTS preload than Chrome and Safari. Brave private window also works. Edge InPrivate is fine. Confirm the new browser actually loads `http://example.com` first to rule out a broader internet outage on the joined SoftAP. Then retry `http://192.168.4.1` with the explicit scheme.

Hold `BOOT` for 10+ seconds during power-up to wipe NVS. Disconnect USB-C. Press and hold the `BOOT` button on the NerdAxe PCB (small tactile near the USB-C port - check your board silkscreen). Reconnect USB-C while still holding. Continue holding a full 10 seconds after power is applied. Release. The device now emits a fresh `NerdAxe-XXXX` AP with no stored credentials, no stale STA mode, no half-written config. Reconnect, retry `http://192.168.4.1`. Mandatory if the NerdAxe was ever provisioned previously - leftover NVS WiFi creds make the firmware silently try STA mode first instead of starting the AP cleanly.

Disable Auto-Join and Wi-Fi Assistant on the provisioning device so it stops bouncing off the no-internet NerdAxe SSID. iOS: Settings > WiFi > tap (i) next to your home SSID > Auto-Join = OFF; Settings > Cellular > Wi-Fi Calling = OFF temporarily; Settings > Mobile Data > Wi-Fi Assist = OFF. Android: Settings > Network > WiFi > Advanced > Auto-switch to mobile data = OFF; tap your home SSID > Forget temporarily; disable `Adaptive Connectivity` and `Smart Network Switch` on Pixel / Samsung. After provisioning, restore.

Clear HSTS cache for `192.168.4.1` in your primary browser. Chrome / Edge / Brave: navigate to `chrome://net-internals/#hsts`, scroll to `Delete domain security policies`, type `192.168.4.1`, click Delete. Safari: HSTS records are stored in `~/Library/Cookies/HSTS.plist` on macOS - quit Safari and delete the file (it rebuilds on next launch). Firefox: Settings > Privacy > Cookies and Site Data > Manage Data. Then retype `http://192.168.4.1` from scratch. Use this if you have legitimately visited a different `192.168.4.1` device on HTTPS in the past and your browser has cached HSTS for the host.

Manually set DNS on the phone for the NerdAxe SSID. iOS: Settings > WiFi > tap (i) next to `NerdAxe-XXXX` > Configure DNS > Manual > add `192.168.4.1` as the DNS server, remove any other entries. Android: long-press SSID > Modify network > Show advanced > IP settings = Static > DNS 1 = `192.168.4.1`. Forces the captive-portal DNS responder on the NerdAxe to be used for any auto-detection check (Apple's `captive.apple.com`, Android's `connectivitycheck.gstatic.com`), which often kicks the captive-portal sheet open immediately. Revert DNS to automatic after provisioning.

Set the phone or laptop to a static IP within the NerdAxe AP subnet. iOS WiFi configure pane > Configure IP > Manual > IP `192.168.4.10`, Subnet `255.255.255.0`, Router `192.168.4.1`. Android: Modify network > advanced > IP = Static, same fields. Removes any DHCP race or hand-out failure on the SoftAP side as a variable. Mining Hacker move that bypasses an entire class of `DHCP didn't grant in time` failures the user side never sees diagnostically. Revert to DHCP / Automatic after provisioning.

Try provisioning from a laptop instead of a phone. Phones are the worst environment for captive portals because of all the OS-level smart features fighting you. A laptop on `NerdAxe-XXXX` with no VPN, no extensions, no Private Relay, loads `http://192.168.4.1` cleanly nine times out of ten. macOS, Windows 10/11, Linux all work. Disable any corporate / IT-managed VPN clients first (Cisco AnyConnect, Zscaler, Palo Alto GlobalProtect) - those route LAN-local IPs through the corporate tunnel and drop the response. After successful provisioning the NerdAxe joins your home WiFi and the laptop is no longer needed.

Hardware reset attempt: power off the NerdAxe completely, count to 30, power on. Some `esp_http_server` socket-state failures clear only with a true cold boot. A `RESET` button press does not always release every TCP socket state on the SoftAP side, particularly if you previously connected from a phone that has now wandered off. A 30-second cold power-off lets the ESP32-S3 fully de-energise, NVS state flushes, and the next boot starts with a clean networking stack. After power-up wait 60 s, rejoin `NerdAxe-XXXX`, retry the portal.

Capture the serial-console boot log over USB-C at `115200 baud`. USB-C the NerdAxe to a laptop with a data-capable cable. Open PuTTY on Windows, Tera Term, the Arduino IDE serial monitor, `screen /dev/tty.usbmodem* 115200` on macOS / Linux, or `minicom`. Power-cycle the NerdAxe and watch the boot log. Look for `wifi:mode: AP`, `httpd: starting`, `httpd: bound to port 80`, `nvs: read result`, `partition table OK`. If you see `httpd: bind failed`, `nvs: corrupt`, or `partition table CRC mismatch`, you are looking at firmware partition damage - go to Web Flasher reflash. If you see clean SoftAP startup and HTTP bind, the issue is on the client side - return to Tier 1-2 with the boot-log evidence in hand.

Web Flasher reflash with factory NVS erase. Hold `BOOT`, tap `RESET`, release `BOOT` to enter ESP32-S3 bootloader mode. Open a WebSerial-capable browser (Chrome, Edge, Opera - not Firefox, not Safari). Go to `https://github.com/BitMaker-hub/ESP-Miner-NerdAxe/releases` and pick the firmware for your NerdAxe board revision. In the Web Flasher, check `Erase NVS` / `Factory reset` before flashing. CRITICAL: do not flash a stock Bitaxe Supra / Ultra / Gamma firmware on the NerdAxe - the NerdAxe uses BM1366 and standard Bitaxe Gamma firmware targets BM1368, which will brick chip communication. After flashing, hard power-cycle (unplug 30 s) and retry `http://192.168.4.1` from scratch. If chip enumeration fails after the reflash, see sibling `nerdaxe-bm1366-not-bm1368-firmware-mismatch`.

Confirm or replace the USB-C cable and PSU. Marginal USB-C cables and underpowered chargers cause the ESP32-S3 to brown out during the WiFi TX bursts that drive SoftAP beacons - the AP appears to start but is unstable, phones see the SSID, fail to associate cleanly, get a partial DHCP, then drop. Swap to a known-good data-capable USB-C cable and a wall brick rated for at least `5 V / 3 A` sustained. Avoid laptop / hub USB-C ports for first-boot provisioning. After confirming clean power, retry the portal. If the serial log showed `Brownout detector was triggered` in Step 11, this is your fix.

Search and / or file an `ESP-Miner-NerdAxe` GitHub issue with your boot log attached. With the serial-console capture from Step 11, search open and closed issues at `https://github.com/BitMaker-hub/ESP-Miner-NerdAxe/issues` for matching boot-log lines. If you find a prior reproducer with a known fix, follow it. If not, file a new issue with the boot log, board revision, firmware version, browser / phone OS version, and the Tier 1-2 steps you have already walked. Maintainers respond, and D-Central contributes reproducers to the upstream Bitaxe `ESP-Miner` tracker on the same class of failures - the next pleb who hits this gets fixed faster.

When to stop DIY. If you have walked Tier 1-3 (explicit `http://` prefix, two clean browsers, VPN / Private Relay / DNS off, both phone and laptop tried, NVS wiped via 10-second `BOOT` hold, Web Flasher reflash with factory NVS erase, known-good USB-C PSU and cable, serial-console boot log captured) and the captive portal still will not load, open a D-Central support ticket with your serial log attached, or drop into the D-Central Discord `#nerd-family` / `#bitaxe-help` channel. You will get a human who has seen the exact failure on the same firmware version before.

When it is hardware. Hardware AP-portal failure on a NerdAxe is uncommon but real: ESP32-S3 radio damage from ESD, USB-C power-input damage from a bad PSU, partition / flash-IC damage from a botched Web Flasher session over a flaky cable. Signature: SoftAP fails to broadcast, or broadcasts but `ping 192.168.4.1` from a joined client times out and `RESET` does not change behaviour after a clean Web Flasher reflash with factory NVS erase. D-Central stocks and supports the full Nerd family - units purchased through our store get warranty honoured, units from elsewhere we still diagnose for a modest bench fee. Stop further reflashes if you see PCB damage.

Ship safely if the NerdAxe is heading to the bench. Anti-static bag, 5 cm of foam on every side of the outer box. Include a note with: board revision (printed on the PCB and often on the outer box), current ESP-Miner-NerdAxe firmware version, the phone / laptop / browser combo you tried, the captive-portal symptom you saw (browser error string, OLED state, ping result), the Tier 1-3 steps you have already walked, and your contact info. Context saves triage time and triage time saves your bench dollar. Canada-wide turnaround on NerdAxe-class work is typically 3-7 business days. US and international are welcomed - D-Central ships worldwide from Canada.