Struggling to Recover a Cisco Catalyst 1832i AP (Boot Issues and TFTP

[CLImaster]

Hey,

I’m having issues recovering my Cisco Catalyst 1832i AP, which is stuck in a boot loop and unable to boot from part1 or part2. I’ve tried TFTP recovery, NAND reconfiguration, and direct booting with no success. Here’s what I’ve tried and where I’m stuck:

• Boot Loop:

The AP fails to boot from both partitions:
Booting from part1
Volume part1 not found!
Booting failed, try boot on part2
Volume part2 not found!

• NAND Partition Problems:

Tried defining partitions with mtdparts (e.g., 8M(BOOT),-(ROOTFS)), but the settings reset after reboot.

• TFTP Recovery Fails:

Firmware (~56 MB) loads into memory via tftpboot, but:
bootm is unsupported in this bootloader.
Writing to NAND fails with "Size exceeds partition or device limit."

• Recovery Mode Missing:

The AP doesn’t enter recovery mode or pull firmware from a Wireless LAN Controller (WLC).

• Possible NAND Damage:

There may be bad blocks or corrupted NAND, but scrubbing or erasing it hasn’t resolved the issue.

Steps Taken:

• TFTP Boot: Firmware successfully loads into memory but cannot be executed or written to NAND.
• Repartition NAND: Configured larger ROOTFS partition, but settings aren’t retained after reboot.
• Full NAND Erase: Used nand erase.chip and nand scrub.chip, but the write operation still fails.

Why do NAND partition settings reset after reboot? Is it a bootloader issue or NAND corruption?
How can I bypass the "Size exceeds partition or device limit" error? Is the firmware format incompatible with this bootloader?
Is there a way to boot the AP directly from memory (TFTP-loaded firmware)?
Could the NAND chip be permanently damaged?
What’s the best recovery path if both TFTP and NAND methods fail?

Any suggestions on partitioning, firmware loading, or bypassing NAND would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[marce1000]

  - Check if this documentation can help : https://community.cisco.com/t5/wireless-mobility-knowledge-base/erasing-flash-and-reloading-the-access-point-image-on-cisco-ap/ta-p/3161648

  M.

[Rich R]

That's for an IOS based AP @marce1000 
1832 is AP-COS.
There are no u-boot recovery images or procedure for 1832 - RMA is the only option at this point.

[Leo Laohoo]

It is faster and easier to just RMA the AP.  

[cscarpa]

Need to check device eligibility for RMA...

[Leo Laohoo]

As long as the owner has proof (Purchase Order &/or Delivery Docket), anyone can avail of the Cisco Limited Lifetime Hardware Warranty that came with every purchase of the AP.  

And this warranty is valid until End-of-Support Date (30 April 2027).

[srimal99]

@CLImaster   Does it apply for all 1832 aps or just one specific ap ? . sounds like a faulty AP.