PiFI network configuration lost after power cycle

General
1

Hi,
I setup the PiFI SSID, password, VPN clients, etc.
If the device was power cycled (like after a power outage or so), all the configuration is lost and I have to re-set it up.
Is there a way to make the settings persistant?
Thanks!

2

This is unusual as it’s persistent by design but happy to take a closer look and figure it out.

Can I ask these questions as it will help a lot:

  • Pi 4 or Pi 5?
  • Are you using PiFi Kit too (USB Adapter) or just the software?
3

Hi,

  • Pi4
  • Just the Software
    Please let me know if I can export any log file for debug
    Thanks
4

Here is the system report

PiFi Status: connected
LAN IP: 192.168.3.14
Ethernet: connected
Port: WAN
Hardware: Pi 4
Offline: false
PiFi USB: missing
Beta: Joined
AP: Unavailable
STA Mode: notconnected
AGHome: On
Protocol: wireguard
Wireguard: connected
OpenVPN: disconnected
ForceDNS: Off
App Version: 1.0.53
System Time: 2025-06-14
Firmware Version: 0.1.4.1

5

What may have happened (though very rare — I haven’t seen it myself) is that the device booted into failsafe or recovery mode, which uses a temporary RAM-only filesystem. In this state, any settings will be lost after a reboot.

To check if it’s now working normally:

  1. Change something simple like the SSID.
  2. Reboot the device.
  3. Confirm whether the change persists.

Why might this happen?

1. SD Card Issue
If the SD card is failing or corrupted, OpenWrt may be unable to mount the persistent storage (/overlay), so it defaults to a temporary RAM filesystem.

2. Power Loss During Write
If the device lost power while saving settings, it can corrupt the filesystem. On the next boot, it might skip mounting /overlay and fall back to a read-only mode.

If that’s the case, reflashing PiFi to a fresh SD card should fix it. But try the SSID rename test first — it’s a quick way to confirm whether it’s back to normal.