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WAC 510 Firmware Upgrades
I have two Netgear WAC 510 acess points (AP) connected to a Nighthawk R7000 wireless router. My two APs are connected and powered by POE to a 48 port Netgear switch. Everything is working fine which I know is an odd way to start a conversation with this community.
Today I decided to check the firmware version of my APs. I logged in to them and both were at version 4.0.7.3. I clicked the box to check for updates and the reply I got back was there were no updates available. I doubted that because I have not accessed those APs in over 6 years. I checked the Netgear Product Support pages for the WAC 510. The latest Firmware and MIB version is 9.9.6.8. There are 56 updates for Firmware and MIB from where I am at 4.0.7.3!!
A few questions for the Community:
- Why didn't the hardware automatically get those updates as they came out an apply them?
- If it's not broke, don't fix it. Should I just leave things alone and wait a year until I am ready to upgrade to WiFi 7?
- If there is a reason to take on this firmware upgrade task (times two APs), is there an easier way to get from 4.0.7.3 to 9.9.6.8 than applying each update in order??
Thanks in advance,
Zaffy
Why didn't the hardware automatically get those updates as they came out an apply them?
Might be because this is a commercial product (rather than residential) and corporate network managers prefer to have control over devices on the network. Page 187 of the User Manual desccribes the process to update firmware, and there is no mention of an "automatic" feature. Also, these Access Points are designed to be managed with the Netgear Insight app, which requires a subscription.
If it's not broke, don't fix it. Should I just leave things alone and wait a year until I am ready to upgrade to WiFi 7?
Good question. If "everything works fine", why look for problems?
If there is a reason to take on this firmware upgrade task (times two APs), is there an easier way to get from 4.0.7.3 to 9.9.6.8 than applying each update in order?
Perhaps it would be useful to open the Release Notes page for each of those 56 updates (OMG) and look for:
- Any indication that a firmware release was designed specifically to bridge a situation which prevented a firmware update from working correctly. (The original Orbi RBR50 firmware was programmed with a limitation on firmware size. Any firmware image larger than that size would be rejected. Netgear issued a special firmware update solely to fix that issue. Users wanting to update from very old versions had to apply that specific firmware and then they could jump "all the way" to the most recent.)
- An update that addressed a specific problem that seems important.
- As the User Manual describes, you could always attempt to "jump to the most recent" and if it goes bad, then manually reinstall 4.0.7.3
A lot of us are in a similar quandary. We have ancient WiFi5 systems and while those dozens of IoT gizmos could care less, our houses are filling up with phones, tablets, laptops, and even desktops that support WiFi6, WiFi6E, and even WiFi7. Since a change, even to WiFi6, is a "fork lift upgrade" (replacing the entire installation), it is a major decision.
3 Replies
This is the first time I have seen "MIB objects" on the Forum. Got no idea.
Sorry.
Crimpon,
Thank you for your fast response and the fact that you took the time to look into the WAC510 documentation, page 187. I did the same after I downloaded v9.9.6.8 earlier today because had to research how to apply that upgrade to a stand alone AP not managed by the Insight app. I figured it out but was reluctant to pull the trigger until I approached the Netgear Community.
I had forgotten that these APs were more commercially oriented than for residential use. And you are so right about that IoT. Twelve years ago when I built our LAN in a new house we only had two laptops and two tablets on the network. Now we are up to 30 devices. I recently had to buy a new laptop because the old Win10 could not upgrade to Win11. The new laptop has a WiFi 7 network card.
I understand my options better now. Thanks. I think I will do some reading of those release notes as you suggested. Usually the clue is “must be at version x.x.x.x before applying this update”. That may save me some time.
I am assuming that I also have to apply the MIB updates at the same time as the firmware updates. True? I haven’t researched how to apply MIB updates yet. Any insights you can share?
R/ Zaffy
Why didn't the hardware automatically get those updates as they came out an apply them?
Might be because this is a commercial product (rather than residential) and corporate network managers prefer to have control over devices on the network. Page 187 of the User Manual desccribes the process to update firmware, and there is no mention of an "automatic" feature. Also, these Access Points are designed to be managed with the Netgear Insight app, which requires a subscription.
If it's not broke, don't fix it. Should I just leave things alone and wait a year until I am ready to upgrade to WiFi 7?
Good question. If "everything works fine", why look for problems?
If there is a reason to take on this firmware upgrade task (times two APs), is there an easier way to get from 4.0.7.3 to 9.9.6.8 than applying each update in order?
Perhaps it would be useful to open the Release Notes page for each of those 56 updates (OMG) and look for:
- Any indication that a firmware release was designed specifically to bridge a situation which prevented a firmware update from working correctly. (The original Orbi RBR50 firmware was programmed with a limitation on firmware size. Any firmware image larger than that size would be rejected. Netgear issued a special firmware update solely to fix that issue. Users wanting to update from very old versions had to apply that specific firmware and then they could jump "all the way" to the most recent.)
- An update that addressed a specific problem that seems important.
- As the User Manual describes, you could always attempt to "jump to the most recent" and if it goes bad, then manually reinstall 4.0.7.3
A lot of us are in a similar quandary. We have ancient WiFi5 systems and while those dozens of IoT gizmos could care less, our houses are filling up with phones, tablets, laptops, and even desktops that support WiFi6, WiFi6E, and even WiFi7. Since a change, even to WiFi6, is a "fork lift upgrade" (replacing the entire installation), it is a major decision.
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