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Forum Discussion
Orbi firmware v2.1.1.16 discussion
do we need to do nvram wipe for this 2.1.1.16 Firmware just released today? noticed it downloaded automatically.
OMFG. Netgear, you screwed up this update massively.
I just returned from an extended business trip. Halfway through, I started noticing messages in my daily Orbi log reading:
[WLAN access rejected: incorrect security] from MAC address [some MAC address]
At first it was just a couple of messages from one MAC address. I figured that someone was trying to login to my WiFi network - and failing, since I also have a separate network monitor that diligently watches the network for unknown devices, and it wasn't finding any.
The messages turned into a flood. My log for today has LITERALLY HUNDREDS of these messages. And upon further investigation - I found that all of the MAC addresses are for *my own devices*. Something had happened that started arbitrarily excluding devices from my WiFi network. And I'm not just talking about iPads: I mean devices like SMOKE DETECTORS and SECURITY CAMERAS.
I just got home, and immediately noticed that my phone would not connect to the WiFi network - bad password. So here I am, at 1:30 in the morning after a business trip, trying to figure out WTF is happening with my WiFi network. And now I have the answer:
The latest Orbi firmware altered my WiFi password.
When I left home, my WiFi password was a combination of numbers, symbols, and one specific dictionary password. I now see that it is ONLY THE DICTIONARY WORD. All of the numbers and symbols have been stripped out.
I have tried updating it to the intended password. No dice: the Orbi firmware will no longer accept numbers or symbols.
I cannot describe how absurdly bad this is. First, the update kicked mission-critical security devices off of my network. Second, it spontaneously changed my WiFi password from a secure password to a password THAT COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN BRUTE-FORCED.
At the moment, I'm inclined to rip the network cables out of the back of the Orbi, smash all three of them with a hammer, and go buy new WiFi hardware from a company that has the faintest clue about security. Please explain to me why I shouldn't do that.
I'm not sure what happened with your network - but I am using numbers and letters in my password without issue. No symbols because I have other security on my network devices so I don't worry too much about LAN intrusions going undetected.
I have also heard that the $ symbol was rejected from firmware 2.1.1.12 but I thought .16 fixed that, and I tested it with my guest on 2.1.1.16 and that works. So not really sure what issue you are having but it's unlikely that the cause of it is the firmware stripping out all your numbers and symbols from your password. Something else has to be at play here.