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Forum Discussion
Orbi firmware update v2.1.4.16 availability
We’ve been monitoring issues that some customers have experienced in OrbiOS 2.1.4. In response, we’re releasing firmware that provides a permanent fix for the homekit issue along with various other f...
This constant factory reset requirement is unacceptable.... Orbi is aimed at consumers who want a wifi system you don't always have to think about & just works. I personally have the outdoor orbi satellite & it is mounted so the back panel isn't accessible making a factory reset extremely inconvenient on this type of setup. I am glad it is helping some users but I do hope that Netgear comes up with a much better solution. Factory reset should only be used as a last troubleshooting resort.
computersteve wrote:
This constant factory reset requirement is unacceptable.... Orbi is aimed at consumers who want a wifi system you don't always have to think about & just works. I personally have the outdoor orbi satellite & it is mounted so the back panel isn't accessible making a factory reset extremely inconvenient on this type of setup. I am glad it is helping some users but I do hope that Netgear comes up with a much better solution. Factory reset should only be used as a last troubleshooting resort.
I agree...I mentioned factory reset as what I do when I have the rare problems that I've had, and power-cycling the units doesn't take care of it. That's unusual, but you won't find a router/wireless system out there where problems don't come up very occasionally, usually after an upgrade, which makes them even rarer. A reset isn't something that you have to do every day, you may never have to do one. But if problems do come up due to something bad happening while flashing a new version, or a power line surge/brownout or whatever, it is good to know about it and be okay with it. Not something that you should be doing very much, or expect to do, but it happens. If you find yourself doing that a lot, then you may have bad hardware, a misbehaving client device, etc.
I agree that factory resets should be a last resort. What no one has mentioned is that factory resets destroy customisation.
Under the Orbi router’s Attached Devices list I always name and describe each device in my household that is attached to the Orbi system. A factory reset means rebuilding this list.
I know we can backup settings, which includes attached device names, then restore the backup after a reset, but then the fear is that the restore inadvertently reintroduces the very problem that lead to the factory reset in the first place.
There must be a better way, like a warm restart. My modem/router has the ability to restart with current settings or restart with factory settings.
cheshbr wrote:
I agree that factory resets should be a last resort. What no one has mentioned is that factory resets destroy customisation.
Under the Orbi router’s Attached Devices list I always name and describe each device in my household that is attached to the Orbi system. A factory reset means rebuilding this list.
I know we can backup settings, which includes attached device names, then restore the backup after a reset, but then the fear is that the restore inadvertently reintroduces the very problem that lead to the factory reset in the first place.
There must be a better way, like a warm restart. My modem/router has the ability to restart with current settings or restart with factory settings.
There is a better way. With DD-WRT you can have a list of devices with each one's MAC Address, along with the name that you give each one that you can keep in a file on your computer. And that becomes a startup parameter for dnsmasq, via cut-and-paste. It's a simple, effective, and easily repeatable mechanism. Other than that, or having the web admin GUI read from a file, or cut-and-paste from a file into a widget, don't see at the moment how that could be done easily.
Maybe someone out there has a way to do this? I'd love to hear, too!
Factory reset has alwasy been in regards to going back to factory settings or Defaults. So this has automatically meant that any user configuration or customizations are erased. Been like this for a while now.
Exerpt from NG UI:
"To erase the current settings and reset the router to the original factory default settings:
- Click Erase.
IMPORTANT!Do not try to go online, turn off the router, shut down the computer, or do anything else to the router until the router finishes restarting! When the Test light stops blinking, wait a few more seconds before doing anything with the router.
After you have erased the router's current settings, the router's password will be password, the LAN IP address will be 192.168.1.1, and the router will act as a DHCP server on the LAN and act as a DHCP client to the Internet."
cheshbr wrote:
I agree that factory resets should be a last resort. What no one has mentioned is that factory resets destroy customisation.
Under the Orbi router’s Attached Devices list I always name and describe each device in my household that is attached to the Orbi system. A factory reset means rebuilding this list.
I know we can backup settings, which includes attached device names, then restore the backup after a reset, but then the fear is that the restore inadvertently reintroduces the very problem that lead to the factory reset in the first place.
There must be a better way, like a warm restart. My modem/router has the ability to restart with current settings or restart with factory settings.
- Click Erase.
I understand what a factory reset is. I am saying it should be use as a last resort to recover a totally screwed system, not as a tool to be used in the normal course of everyday maintenance and upgrades. The external paper clip reset exists on many devices, to be a sure way of restarting a device that is locked or in an endless loop, for example. Anyway it’s not a true factory reset, as the startup configuration is at the entry level of the currently installed firmware, not a factory base with just the basics and no firmware.
A warm restart carried out from within the software is what’s needed, to zero out user configurations but retain customisations that have no impact on the way the system operates. Under this scenario a user about to upgrade has the choice of bringing the system back to basics first (retaining customisations) then install the FW upgrade, or upgrading over the top of what’s already there.
