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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...
Dear Forum/Community members, Can somebody help me understand why Netgear only explains "manual update" on the support website? Today, I used "online update" to 2.1.4.16 and admit it was a mess. I lost internet connection, had to restart a couple of times, tried different routes to switch off all, restarting routers/satellites in different sequences, with or with ethernet cables (ethernet backhaul!) pluggin or out.
Ultimately, my "online update" worked only after switching off all, restart router first, then one satellite, then the other, without ethernet cables plugged in. System was then stable, and could plug in the ethernet cables later and the system switched to Ethernet backhaul and now appears stable. Online update was definitely full of troubles.
So back to my question: Why does Netgear explains the "manual update" on support websites, and does this mean that I should never to "online update"?
Best regards
V.
Manual Update means downloading the FW update files for your system to a PC. Then wire connect this PC to the satellites first and upgrading them first, then wire connect to the router and upgrade the router lastly.
I kind of ran into the same issue when setting up my friends system out of the box. After getting the satellites upgraded and the router to v.10, I did use the routers FW upgrade to upgrade ALL using it's web page to v.16 and it workd for me:
valentinissimo wrote:
Dear Forum/Community members, Can somebody help me understand why Netgear only explains "manual update" on the support website? Today, I used "online update" to 2.1.4.16 and admit it was a mess. I lost internet connection, had to restart a couple of times, tried different routes to switch off all, restarting routers/satellites in different sequences, with or with ethernet cables (ethernet backhaul!) pluggin or out.
Ultimately, my "online update" worked only after switching off all, restart router first, then one satellite, then the other, without ethernet cables plugged in. System was then stable, and could plug in the ethernet cables later and the system switched to Ethernet backhaul and now appears stable. Online update was definitely full of troubles.
So back to my question: Why does Netgear explains the "manual update" on support websites, and does this mean that I should never to "online update"?
Best regards
V.
Thank you for your reply. I had seen your message beforen when I was looking for "online update". It came up in a thread of a user who asked a similar question like me.
Anyways ... I searched more and then stumbled across the very first post in this thread, the one in which the Netgear representative announces the 2.1.4.16 firmware and it literally says "Please use the manual firmware upgrade process to apply to your Orbi."
So this settles the question. Netgear only talks about Manual Update because that's what Netgear recommends. I find this utterly lame to propose "Online Update" in the Web Interface, and via the Orbi apps on iOS and in reality recommending a "Manual Update" for which you need a computer.
Anyways ... I can confirm that the "Online Update" was not a smooth ride. Too many issues. So manual update is the way to go. Netgear ... not what I expected.
V.
Valentinissimo, i have implemented the telnet script to turn off auto updates, as I prefer only manual updates because then I have control. I have a folder on my Mac containing several versions of Orbi RBR50 and RBS50 firmware that I know work, and that I can downgrade/upgrade to as required. The tip is to always manually install FW to the satellite first.
cheshbr wrote:
...The tip is to always manually install FW to the satellite first.
I guess I lucked out. I was checking the status of my satellites as I had just moved one to try to fix a recepetion problem. I noticed that the RBW30 satellites had all updated to 2.1.4.16, but the RBR40 had not. I updated the RBR40 manually from the admin web page, and the update ran smoothly. That update seems to have fixed the drops I'd been experiencing on some devices. So it's working better than ever for me.
I manually updated to v.10 on my friends system. Then I figured I try to use the UI to update to v.16...it worked for me...
valentinissimo Just some context: when the first post in this thread was posted, Netgear was choosing to let the users in this forum decided if they wanted to update to 2.1.4.16 at their own time, and the firmware was not yet available for update via the main support downloads page or via the admin web interface or apps. After some time (perhaps critical mass or sufficient "okay" responses in this thread), Netgear then went ahead to push the 2.1.4.16 firmware to the direct update channels. So yes, even if you found the manual update to work better for you, it's not Netgear giving "utterly lame" mixed instructions.
I appreciate that there are frustrasted Orbi users (it's not 100% perfect for me either), but I think it would really help everyone (both Netgear staff, as well as all the other forum users here) if we -all- kept cooler heads and viewpoints more on the objective end of the scale in general.
valentinissimo wrote:
Thank you for your reply. I had seen your message beforen when I was looking for "online update". It came up in a thread of a user who asked a similar question like me.
Anyways ... I searched more and then stumbled across the very first post in this thread, the one in which the Netgear representative announces the 2.1.4.16 firmware and it literally says "Please use the manual firmware upgrade process to apply to your Orbi."
So this settles the question. Netgear only talks about Manual Update because that's what Netgear recommends. I find this utterly lame to propose "Online Update" in the Web Interface, and via the Orbi apps on iOS and in reality recommending a "Manual Update" for which you need a computer.
Anyways ... I can confirm that the "Online Update" was not a smooth ride. Too many issues. So manual update is the way to go. Netgear ... not what I expected.
V.
bryandmlee wrote
”I appreciate that there are frustrasted Orbi users (it's not 100% perfect for me either), but I think it would really help everyone (both Netgear staff, as well as all the other forum users here) if we -all- kept cooler heads and viewpoints more on the objective end of the scale in general.”
i agree with this. My own experiences have been mixed and very time consuming, but in the end I nailed it, and I can’t believe that Netgear knowingly, maliciously, or carelessly publishes faulty software.
Having worked in an IT help desk environment a lifetime ago, there were many staff with no problems at all, and those who seemed to always have problems, all of us with the same hardware and software.
