Nighthawk MR1100 FW NTG9X50C_10.20.05.02 Wont Update

For those of you who are using MR1100-1A1NAS and stuck on FW 10.20.05.02, we are working with AT&T to help you to upgrade to the latest release. Please standby.

Sorry for the inconvenience and thansk for your patience.

Regards

So its June 2020 now, and seems both NetGear and AT&T can't come to an agreement as to who fixes this and how. 

My Scenario:

MR1100 - 1A1NAS, manufactured by NetGear for AT&T, which has its exclusive firmware, where only option from the UI > Settings > Administration > Firmware Update, is to select the button labeled ' Check for Updates'. (which has never worked)

Been clicking this button on a regular basis now since Aug 2019, to no avail. 

Finally opened a tkt with NetGear Support, who had me do factory reset multiple times, among other feats of magic, and nothing was able to 'sneak' this thing into doing the firmware upgrade. 

A level 2 Tech finally called me and advised the MR1100 I have is an exclusive build for AT&T (note the AT&T meatball on the screen when the MR1100 boots up), and that they / AT&T control the firmware upgrade for this specifc device, and that I will need to contact AT&T to have them instruct or do the firmware upgrade for me. (would have been good to know this on day 1 of opening a tkt with Netgear, instead of 2 weeks of run around, and them somone to tell me this on day 15).

So called AT&T and they put in an 'order' to have the firmware pushed to my device within the next 24 hrs, and I should be good to go. (To me this sounds like next level BS ) Coming from AT&T its highly unlikely this will accomplish anything.  

I will post an update here over the next week, to advise on how this went. 

Cheers, 

Thanks Marblazed for the link, but I did this procedure months ago, and did not work for me. I have a Mac, got putty installed and cannot access the MR1100, either through Wifi or directly connected to the ethernet port. 

For those with a Mac, to install 'putty' is not a point-n-click exercise like it is on a Windows PC. Link below covers all that's required:

https://websitetoon.com/2018/07/26/install-putty-mac/

I can ping the MR1100, but cannot establish any kind of telnet / putty session, so the option of downloading the latest firmware and installing manually via command line over a 'putty' session did not work for me.  

For the latest call I did with AT&T where they were going to 'push' the firmware update to my MR1100, that never happened nor did I ever get a call back from anyone at AT&T, which is typical for AT&T support.

Anyone using a Imac, been successfull at using the 'putty' procedure, please chime in, maybe I'm missing something, otherwise 

my next steps are to get access to a Windows PC, and try the 'putty' procedure there, to resolve this. 

So finally got this to work using a Windows 10 PC, and the result is like having a new MR1100, in that the UI, and display look quite different, and have a few features that the AT&T firmware did not. 

Also wanted to add a few notes and link to the process, so everything is in one place.

How about from a Mac?  (procedure below does not work on a mac. Find a friend with a windows PC or use 'Bootcamp' to install Windows on your mac)

@Mrblazed wrote:

Download the newest generic firmware from the Netgear support site for your country (the routers country).
https://www.netgear.com/support/product/MR1100.aspx#Firmware%20Version%2012.06.11.00

Download FDT.exe version 4.6.2.0. (You’ll have to Google)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s27ftyfjpvn9819/fdt.exe?dl=0

Download AC78x Netgear drivers version 4.3.00

http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/aircard/AC_790S_Telstra/AC78xSDrivers.exe

Download Putty
https://www.putty.org

1) Put everything in the same folder (ex. C:\Desktop\mr1100 )
2) Install drivers
3) Connect MR1100 directly to computer with USB cable. 
There are 2 USB ports on the MR1100. Standard and Micro (micro is same port used for charging the MR1100).
Use of the micro USB port for connecting the MR1100 to your PC. 
4) Open putty, telnet into MR1100 ip address (default is 192.168.1.1 which is no secret) with port 5510
Note: normal telnet session prompts for login ID and password. You don't get that here, so just start typing the following command.
5) AT!BOOTHOLD
Once you type this command, you will get a response back just saying 'OK'. You should also see 'NetGear' boldly displayed on the MR1100, 
and the small status LED will be flashing red. 
6) Close Putty
7) Open 'cmd' window, change directory prompt to where you downloaded everything to (ex C:/Desktop/mr1100). Type ”fdt.exe insertfilename.secc.spk” and hit enter.
8) Do not touch anything. If the command prompt tells you after “resetting device” that the upgrade failed, ignore it and let the MR1100 do its thing. The screen on the MR1100 may show its downloading the firmware, and at some point It may look like it’s frozen, but it should finish and boot by itself after about 10 minutes. Again as Mrblazed advised, DON'T MESS WITH IT UNTIL COMPLETELY DONE. 

9) When its done, the display on the MR1100 should look different, and have status info, usage amount...etc on the display. 

make sure you can page through the different displays on the screen using the 'home' button on the MR1100. You can also log into the MR1100, and navigate to Settings > Administration > Firmware Update... there you should see the new firmware version, which also confirms your MR1100 update was successful. 

 

I work in IT, but addmittedly am not the sharpest tool in the shed. So if I can do it, you can too. 

and Kudo's to Mrblazed for putting all this together. 

 

Cheers, 

 

This is not solution.

It actually flashes the generic version firmware to the at&t device

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cgigate wrote:

This is not solution.

It actually flashes the generic version firmware to the at&t device

 

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That certainly IS the solution.

You lose Band 48 LAA...

and overheating

You GAIN:

Speed

Stability

Fully charging the battery

The ability to update

I use the MR1100 as primary internet very far from "civilization".

Converting the 2A1NAS to 100NAS, and dropping back to v12.05.05 has been wonderful.

I no longer have to flip-flop bandlocking, or even reboot the unit multiple times per day.

I can stream an entire movie without touching the hotspot.

I could not do that on AT&T firmware.

Plus, you can find the At&t firmware online if you look hard enought...

Was just about to throw my nighhawk in the garbage.  I use it at my remote cabin and this summer the Arlo server is completed un-realiable and the hotpspot locks up after a few days.  Last summer on the older firmware it was much better but rebooted often and wouldn't connect to the tower for a few days - then suddenly work.  After we close our place up next week I am going to flash the non-ATT version.  

I've come across this thread trying to upgrade a Gen 1 AT&T Nighthawk - still running 12.05.05 firmware.  I've downloaded and installed drivers, etc.  When I go to telnet into the router with Putty, I am seeing a network error, and after a few seconds, the session closes.

Anyone who was successful have any tips?   Thanks.

1)  Be very careful upgrading a rev 1 unit.

     As far as I know, there are no SPK files available for that unit.

     TL;DR:  At best you are wasting your time - at worst, you'll have a pretty paperweight.

2) The driver files are not important for the Putty session.  They only come into to play so the computer can recognize the router when it goes into download mode.

3)  Make sure the ONLY connectivity between your computer and the router is USB (ie: turn WiFi "off" on the computer).

4)  Putty settings are Raw, the gateway IP address (usually 192.168.1.1), and 5510 for the port.

>>1)  Be very careful upgrading a rev 1 unit.

     As far as I know, there are no SPK files available for that unit.

     TL;DR:  At best you are wasting your time - at worst, you'll have a pretty paperweight.<<

With that advice, I'll stop and not go further.  We've had issues with the hotspot locking up / quit passing some wifi traffic and originally, I thought an upgrade might help.  From what I've read, it may be an at&t transparent proxy problem (which explains why when it happens, I can still ping, etc.)

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Smickd wrote:

still running 12.05.05 firmware.

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From my experience, 12.05.05 is themost stable.

I'm not sure what operational updates / fixes are in 12.06.x, but overheating & battery issues took center stage.

Smickd wrote:

We've had issues with the hotspot locking up / quit passing some wifi traffic and originally, I thought an upgrade might help.  From what I've read, it may be an at&t transparent proxy problem (which explains why when it happens, I can still ping, etc.)

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I see this all the time.

My experience indicates it is an issue on the towers.   I can change bandlocking, then change back to my preferred bandlock, and the issue go away.

It could be as simple as stale routes, or it could be a provisioning issue... I don't know.

I doubt it is AT&T blocking - as I will almost always exceed 100GB on any given weekend.

I average about 600GB/month usage.

If they were going to filter anybody, I figure I would have seen it by now.

It as occured to me that it could be a data issue... but who knows.  Often times, the issue is fixed with  a hotspot restart.  I've gone back and forth between a Nighthawk M1 and a Unite Explore 815S, (in front of an ASUS router) and seen similar symptoms on both of them.  Originally, I thought it was a DCHP issue in the hotspots.  We're just in the process of trying to narrow it down to one device and a simple fix. 

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Smickd wrote:

I've gone back and forth between a Nighthawk M1 and a Unite Explore 815S

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If you have multiple towers in your area, the MR1100 should be (clearly) superior.

Smickd wrote:

...(in front of an ASUS router)...

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If you have "Passthrough" configured on the MR1100, and have it connected to the router by ethernet, you can telnet into your hotspot via WiFi.

Smickd wrote:

and [have] seen similar symptoms on both of them.

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Sounds very similar to what I refer to as "stale routing" on the tower side.

It may be MAC address table corruption in the MR1100, but that shouldn't go away by changing bandlocking.

Try this:

Next time you have that situation, go to Advanced Settings, Cellular, and change the "Band Region" setting from "Auto" to "LTE All".

Wait 10 seconds, then change it back.

Wait 10 more seconds, then check and see if traffic is back to normal.

Knock on wood... the Unite Explore hasn't required a restart for over 24 hours, so I'm not touching it until it chokes again.  Usually i get 4 hours, 8 hours or 12 hours, then the hotspot chokes, or the ASUS router gets the "Your ISP DHCP isn't working correctly" error, and away we go.

I will look at the options you mention.  We do live rurally, with only one tower nearby, and I had the band set to LTE only at one point, hoping that would help.  We'll see.....

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Smickd wrote:

We do live rurally, with only one tower nearby...

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I do understand "rurally"... I live so far back we have to pipe in sunshine...

However, I find it difficult to imagine only one cell tower being within range.

I have at least a dozen towers that I can get at some level.  But, the closest is still over 5 miles away.

To add insult to injury, that particular tower is very poorly provisioned - I seldom get over 150Kbs from it.

I would suggest exploring bandlocking on the hotspot to use as a tool to audit what towers or bands are actually available.

Or, you could use a tool such as Network Cell Info on your (android) handset if it is compatible with your Hotspot's service

I can no longer use such as my handset is on Verizon, and my Hotspot is on AT&T.

What menu is 'band locking' under?   

And yes, you're correct in that there are multiple towers... the nearest one (which I assumed we were using) is about 3 miles away, the other is 7 miles - and behind a big hill... (We live in a valley, with only one side flat - which is where is assumed a signal would be coming from.)

The current setup on the UE has not required a restart  this is a first in several weeks...  It makes me wonder if AT&T fixed something on their towers, as for the past two months it's done nothing but die daily.