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Forum Discussion
RBR850 (RBK850) not showing that there are updates when there are on the website
Hi my RBR850 router and one satellite does not show any firmware updates available but when i checked the download site there are.
Does anyone know why updates are not being shown?
6 Replies
Thank you. So I have confirmed that:
- Automatic updates are enabled but obviously didn't work because from the router and satellite's perspective there was no update.
- The "check" for new versions did not show any new versions and apparently according to Netgear that "happens sometimes". Note I do do this check regularly.
The outcome is that you do have to manually check for updates.
NB it is my own router and not related to an ISP. I primarily configure it as an access point anyway because the router function was troublesome when you already had an ISP provided router.
For the AX series NG doesn't have anything up on there AU system so ya, your system won't see anything while using AU. Doesn't mean the system isn't working. That's just the current conditions and results. Also historically NG would push FW updates and break users systems. So NG has become less pushy and leaving it up to the users to update there systems. Only if something major is needed would be seen up for being pushed.
If something is more resent then what you have on there download site, you can, of your choice, to update manually.
Auto updates is only used for certain major FW versions or certain time frames during the life of the project. Minor changes are not sent via AU. So if you don't see anything on the system or from the system giving notice of something new, then users can check the download site for new stuff and choose to manually install something:
Procedure to Manually Firmware Update Orbi and Nighthawk Mesh systems. | NETGEAR Communities
Hi my RBR850 router and one satellite does not show any firmware updates available but when i checked the download site there are.
Does anyone know why updates are not being shown?My impression is that there are four types of firmware update for Netgear routers:
- Automatic Update. This is when Netgear pushes a firmware update to the router with no user action of any kind.
The user does not open the smartphone app or the web interface. does nothing. - Informed Update. This is when the user opens the smartphone app or the web interface and a notice appears stating that "New Firmware Available".
The user can then take action or ignore the notice. - Search. The user opens the web interface and deliberately navigates to the Firmware Update page, which causes the router to actively search for new firmware and report.
(This feature does not appear to be available on the smartphone app.) Users are frustrated and annoyed when they have deliberately looked for new firmware and have been told that no new firmware is available when there IS new firmware on the web site.) - Manual Update. In this case, the user deliberately downloads firmware from the support site, navigates to Firmware Update in the web interface, and chooses the Manual Update feature.
Without documentation, users on the Community Forum have proposed (speculated) explanations for how a particular firmware update moves from one category to another.
- When new firmware is released, it sort of "makes sense" to allow Early Adopters (i.e. risk takers) to discover and install new firmware. If their reports are positive, that would argue for making the firmware more widely available. If there are negative reviews (and some have been HORRIBLE), then the firmware can be quietly removed and worked on.
- Sometimes new firmware stays in this limbo category (Manual Update) for weeks. In some instances, however, new firmware has remained "not found" for up to a year.
- There also seems to be no definite pattern for firmware moving from "if you search, it will be found" to "if you open the app or the web interface, we'll tell you about it."
- There also seems to be no clear pattern for when Netgear will just install new firmware. If there is a security vulnerability SO SEVERE that customers are in DANGER, then someone at Netgear might say, "There will be hell to pay if we don't fix this!" No one knows.
It is pretty clear that some customers never manage their routers. They open the box. Plug it in, and use the WiFi credentials on the label to access it. Done. No configuration. No setup. No management.
- Automatic Update. This is when Netgear pushes a firmware update to the router with no user action of any kind.
Netgear has not published any documentation about how firmware updates are supposed to work. What we observe on the Community Forum is a constant stream of comments from users that their Netgear router claims "no new firmware", but that there IS newer firmware on the support web site. This pretty much leaves the decision up to the customer
