"Just click upgrade" is fine on a lab router. On a production device — especially one you can't easily drive out to — an upgrade that goes wrong can mean a router that won't boot, a config that behaved differently on the new version, or firmware and package versions out of sync in a way that's hard to diagnose remotely. None of that is likely, but the cost of getting it wrong is high enough that a deliberate sequence is worth it.
Read the changelog before upgrading
Not every RouterOS release is safe to jump to blindly, and not every release is meant for production. Check the changelog for the version you're targeting — MikroTik publishes them per release — for anything that touches features you actually use, and prefer the stable channel over long-term/testing unless you have a specific reason not to.
Back up and export the configuration first
Do both — a binary backup restores state exactly, and a plain-text export is something you can actually read and diff if you need to recover manually:
/system backup save name=pre-upgrade
/export file=pre-upgrade-configUpdate the RouterOS package
Check for updates and install — the router reboots on its own once the package is applied:
/system package update check-for-updates
/system package update installConfirm the router is healthy before touching anything else
After it reboots, verify the version, that interfaces came back up, and that anything critical (routing, VPN tunnels, DHCP) is working as expected. Resist the urge to immediately also upgrade RouterBOOT firmware in the same maintenance window — treat it as a separate step.
Upgrade RouterBOOT firmware separately, once the package is confirmed stable
Check whether a firmware upgrade is even pending before running it:
/system routerboard printIf current-firmware doesn't match upgrade-firmware, an upgrade is available. Apply it, then reboot to complete it:
/system routerboard upgradeWhy do it this way
Splitting the package upgrade from the RouterBOOT firmware upgrade — instead of doing both in the same maintenance window — gives you an intermediate rollback point. If something goes wrong after the package update but before the firmware update, you're dealing with one variable, not two, and downgrading the package alone is a known, well-documented path. Mixing both changes into a single step means that if the router misbehaves afterward, you can't tell which change caused it without undoing both.
How MoniTik helps
If an upgrade does go sideways — an interface that doesn't come back the way you expected, a service that needs a config tweak on the new version — MoniTik's remote WinBox gets you into the router to fix it without a site visit, even if the router's network state looks unfamiliar right after a reboot. And because MoniTik watches connectivity continuously, you'll see the moment the router drops offline for the reboot and the moment it comes back, instead of guessing whether the upgrade actually finished.
Mateo supports wireless ISPs running MikroTik gear, from first install to day-two troubleshooting.