Clock and NTP Configuration

Clock and NTP Configuration

Version Info

RouterOS 7.16 | Min: v6.0+ | ⏱️ 5 minutes | 🟢 Beginner

Tested on: 7.16 7.14

Version-specific notes

• v7.0: Integrated SNTP into NTP client; separate SNTP package removed
• v6.43: Added time-zone-autodetect using MikroTik Cloud
• v6.x: Uses /system/sntp/client for simple NTP

TL;DR (Quick Start)

For the impatient: enable NTP to keep your router’s clock accurate.

/system/ntp/client/set enabled=yes
/system/ntp/client/servers/add address=pool.ntp.org
/system/clock/set time-zone-name=America/New_York

Verify with:

/system/ntp/client/print

Look for status: synchronized with a synced server.

Overview

What this does: Configures the router’s system clock for accurate time, timezone settings, and automatic synchronization via NTP (Network Time Protocol).

When to use this:

• Every router deployment (accurate time is essential)
• Scheduled tasks and time-based firewall rules
• Certificate validation (SSL/TLS requires correct time)
• Log analysis and troubleshooting
• Any feature that depends on timestamps

Prerequisites:

• Internet connectivity (for external NTP servers)
• DNS configured (if using hostnames like pool.ntp.org)
• Firewall allowing outbound UDP port 123

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Set Time Zone

Configure your local time zone for correct local time display:

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

Common time zones:

• America/New_York (US Eastern)
• America/Los_Angeles (US Pacific)
• Europe/London (UK)
• Europe/Berlin (Central Europe)
• Asia/Tokyo (Japan)
• Australia/Sydney (Australia Eastern)

Or enable automatic detection:

/system/clock/set time-zone-autodetect=yes

Step 2: Enable NTP Client

Enable NTP for automatic time synchronization:

/system/ntp/client/set enabled=yes

Step 3: Add NTP Servers

Add reliable NTP servers (recommended: use multiple for redundancy):

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

Step 4: Verify Synchronization

Check that NTP is working:

/system/ntp/client/print

Expected output:

            enabled: yes
               mode: unicast
             status: synchronized
      synced-server: 216.239.35.0
     synced-stratum: 1
      system-offset: 0.005 s

Key indicators: status: synchronized with a valid synced-server.

Common Scenarios

Scenario: Use Specific NTP Servers Only

Disable DHCP-provided NTP servers and use only your configured servers:

# Disable NTP from DHCP
/ip/dhcp-client/set [find] use-peer-ntp=no

# Add your preferred servers
/system/ntp/client/servers/add address=time.nist.gov
/system/ntp/client/servers/add address=time.google.com

Scenario: View Current Time

Check the current date, time, and timezone:

/system/clock/print

Output:

                  time: 14:32:45
                  date: jan/15/2026
        time-zone-name: America/New_York
            gmt-offset: -05:00
            dst-active: no

Scenario: Manual Time Zone (Custom UTC Offset)

For locations not in the TZ database:

/system/clock/set time-zone-name=manual
/system/clock/manual/set time-zone=+05:30

Scenario: Configure Daylight Saving Time Manually

If using manual timezone with DST:

/system/clock/manual/set dst-delta=+01:00 \
    dst-start="mar/08/2026 02:00:00" \
    dst-end="nov/01/2026 02:00:00"

Scenario: Set Time Manually (No Internet)

For isolated networks without NTP access:

/system/clock/set date=jan/15/2026 time=14:30:00

Note: Manual time is NOT saved in configuration exports.

Scenario: Router as NTP Server

Serve time to network clients:

/system/ntp/server/set enabled=yes

With local clock fallback (when no upstream NTP):

/system/ntp/server/set enabled=yes use-local-clock=yes local-clock-stratum=10

Scenario: Monitor NTP Peers

View detailed NTP peer information:

/system/ntp/monitor-peers

Shows offset, delay, jitter, and stratum for each server.

Verification

Confirm your clock configuration is working:

Check 1: Verify Time and Timezone

/system/clock/print

Expected: Correct date, time, and timezone.

Check 2: Verify NTP Synchronization

/system/ntp/client/print

Expected: status: synchronized with synced-server IP.

Check 3: Check NTP Servers

/system/ntp/client/servers/print

Expected: Servers listed; check resolved-address for FQDN entries.

Check 4: Monitor NTP Quality

/system/ntp/monitor-peers

Expected: Low offset (< 100ms), low jitter, stratum < 5.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Solution
Status stuck on “waiting”	Firewall blocking UDP 123	Allow outbound UDP 123 in firewall
Status stuck on “waiting”	DNS not configured	Add DNS servers: /ip/dns/set servers=8.8.8.8
Status stuck on “waiting”	No route to NTP server	Verify internet connectivity
Time resets to 1970 after reboot	No RTC battery on device	Enable NTP with iburst=yes for fast sync at boot
Wrong time displayed	Timezone not set	Set correct time-zone-name
Certificate errors	Clock set to wrong date	Fix NTP sync before using HTTPS/SSL
SNTP menu missing (v7)	v7 merged SNTP into NTP	Use /system/ntp/client instead
”Server IP mismatch” errors	Load-balanced NTP servers	Add multiple servers; some will work
Clock jumps frequently	Poor NTP server or hardware drift	Use reliable servers; increase min-poll

Debug: Check NTP Log Messages

/log/print where topics~"ntp"

Look for “change time” messages (normal during initial sync) or error messages.

Common Mistakes

• Don’t forget timezone - UTC is used if not configured; logs will show wrong local time
• Don’t rely on manual time - It’s not exported with configuration and resets on reboot
• Don’t block UDP 123 - NTP requires outbound access on this port
• Don’t use local clock as primary - Internal clock is unreliable; always sync with NTP
• Don’t set low stratum for local clock - Use stratum 10+ to prevent clients preferring it over real NTP

Community Tips

Reliable NTP Servers:

• pool.ntp.org - Global NTP pool
• time.google.com - Google’s NTP
• time.cloudflare.com - Cloudflare’s NTP

Fast Initial Sync: The iburst option (enabled by default) sends rapid packets at startup for quicker synchronization.

DHCP NTP Issues: Some ISPs provide invalid NTP servers via DHCP. Disable with:

/ip/dhcp-client/set [find] use-peer-ntp=no

v6 to v7 Migration: Replace /system/sntp/client commands with /system/ntp/client.

NTP Client Status Reference

Status	Description
synchronized	Successfully synced with NTP server
waiting	Attempting to contact NTP servers
stopped	NTP client is disabled
using-local-clock	No external sync; using internal clock

Related Topics

Time Synchronization

• NTP Client - automatic time synchronization
• NTP Server - serve time to network clients
• IP Cloud - alternative time sync via MikroTik Cloud

Time-Dependent Features

• Scheduler - time-based task execution
• Firewall Basics - time-based firewall rules
• Certificates - SSL/TLS requires accurate time
• Logging - log timestamps depend on clock

Network Services

• DHCP Server - distribute NTP server address
• DNS Server - DoH requires correct time

Reference

• MikroTik Clock Documentation
• MikroTik NTP Documentation
• Version changes:
  • v7.0: SNTP integrated into NTP client
  • v6.43: Time zone autodetect added

Key Properties Reference

Clock Properties (/system/clock)

Property	Type	Default	Description
time	HH:MM:SS	-	Current local time
date	mmm/DD/YYYY	-	Current date
time-zone-name	string	manual	TZ database timezone name
time-zone-autodetect	yes/no	yes	Auto-detect via MikroTik Cloud
gmt-offset	time	-	Read-only: current GMT offset
dst-active	yes/no	-	Read-only: DST currently active

NTP Client Properties (/system/ntp/client)

Property	Type	Default	Description
enabled	yes/no	no	Enable NTP client
mode	enum	unicast	broadcast/manycast/multicast/unicast
status	string	-	Read-only: synchronization status
synced-server	IP	-	Read-only: current NTP server
system-offset	time	-	Read-only: offset from NTP server

NTP Server Properties (/system/ntp/client/servers)

Property	Type	Default	Description
address	IP/FQDN	-	NTP server address
min-poll	3-17	6	Min poll interval (2^n seconds)
max-poll	3-17	10	Max poll interval (2^n seconds)
iburst	yes/no	yes	Rapid burst at startup

Command Reference

Command	Description
/system/clock/print	Display current date, time, and timezone
/system/clock/set	Set time, date, or timezone
/system/clock/manual/set	Configure manual timezone offset and DST
/system/ntp/client/print	Show NTP client status
/system/ntp/client/set	Enable/configure NTP client
/system/ntp/client/servers/add	Add an NTP server
/system/ntp/client/servers/print	List configured NTP servers
/system/ntp/client/servers/remove	Remove an NTP server
/system/ntp/monitor-peers	Real-time NTP peer monitoring
/system/ntp/server/set	Configure router as NTP server
/system/ntp/server/print	Show NTP server configuration

Summary

Clock and NTP configuration ensures accurate system time for logging, certificates, and scheduled tasks:

1. Set timezone with /system/clock/set time-zone-name=<zone> or enable auto-detection
2. Enable NTP client with /system/ntp/client/set enabled=yes
3. Add NTP servers with /system/ntp/client/servers/add address=pool.ntp.org
4. Verify with /system/ntp/client/print for status: synchronized

Key points:

• Always use NTP for production systems - internal clock is unreliable
• Many MikroTik devices lack RTC battery; time resets to 1970 on power loss
• Set timezone correctly or logs will show wrong local time
• Firewall must allow outbound UDP port 123 for NTP
• Manual time settings are NOT exported in configuration backups
• Use multiple NTP servers for redundancy (pool.ntp.org, time.google.com, time.cloudflare.com)
• v7 integrated SNTP into NTP client; replace /system/sntp/client with /system/ntp/client