RBR850 Firm Update Indicated

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amweiss wrote:

Ok..so I shouldn't believe the app or web interface when it says no update avaiable.  Is that right (meaning the update indication in the app and web are useless)?

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The situation is more nuanced, not a 'yes/no' situation.

 

When Netgear develops a new firmware version, they release it on the support web site where 'Early Adopters' find it and some decide to manually install it and see what happens.  Perhaps they are simply curious. Perhaps they see something in the release notes that pertains specifically to their situation. Perhaps they are irritated by some aspect of the current firmware and hope that a new version will be 'better'.  The forum contains very long discussions where people comment on new firmware releases, and a lot of the discussions are not entirely positive.

 

After some time goes by and the consensus is that this new version is well-received, Netgear makes the new firmware detectable by the Orbi web interface and app. People who open the Firmware Update function will see it.

 

Then, Netgear may have the web interface and app pop up a notice any time the user opens them for any reason.  Hey You.  There is new firmware.

 

Many users never open the web interface or the app.  At some point, Netgear will push the new firmware during the night with the idea that the user will be blissfully unaware that it even happened.

 

I watched very carefully when the latest firmware was released for my RBR50.  It was six weeks from the time the latest firmware became available on the support web site until one morning it appeared on my router.

 

In May of this year, there were many strong complaints about the 750 and 850 systems.  Netgear developed a new version and immediately pushed it out to thousands of customers and all hell broke loose.  Two months later there are still problems caused by that release.