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New - RAX35/38/40/42/43/45/50/54 Firmware Version 1.0.15.128 - Hot Fix Released
New Features: 05/24/2023
- Support Speedtest server selection in web GUI.
- Support Unicode character for attached device name and router name.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixes the issue where USB stick can remove even files still in transmission.
- Fixes the issue where FW cannot restore by old configuration.
Security Fixes:
- This firmware addresses security vulnerabilities. For more information about security vulnerabilities, visit https://www.netgear.com/about/security
Download Links:
RAX35v2: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/rax35v2.aspx#download
RAX38v2: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/rax38v2.aspx#download
RAX40v2: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/rax40v2.aspx#download
RAX42: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/rax42.aspx#download
RAX43: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/rax43.aspx#download
RAX45: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/rax45.aspx#download
RAX50: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/rax50.aspx#download (Not supported on RAX50v2)
RAX54: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/rax54s#download (Not supported on RAX54v2)
To update your router’s firmware, follow the instructions in your router’s user manual.
https://kb.netgear.com/23960/How-do-I-manually-update-the-firmware-on-my-NETGEAR-router
NOTE: Nighthawk app or the routers web page may not report seeing new FW updates. NG may not push this to there auto update services immediately and may activate the newer FW update being seen on there auto update services at a later time. User will have the choice to manually update if you want too.
To Manually update FW on the router if this isn't seen on the routers web page:
https://kb.netgear.com/23960/How-do-I-manually-update-the-firmware-on-my-NETGEAR-router
NOTE: Use a wired PC and web browser to update router FW. If continued problems are seen after a FW update, it's recommended to try a >factory reset and setup from scratch with out loading any saved configurations from backup files.
https://kb.netgear.com/9665/How-do-I-perform-a-factory-reset-on-my-NETGEAR-router
NOTE: Recommend setting the default DHCP IP address pool range to the following after applying and a factory reset: 192.168.#.100 to 192.168.#.200.
This supports the following models:
Let us know how it works for you...Please leave feedback.
32 Replies
After installing the new firmware I had internet access but I could not access the router login page. I had to reboot tthe router and then I was able to access the router login. RAX54S
Downloaded and installed for a RAX43. Initially left the config the same and did nothing else but the upgrade. WIFI immediately began to misbehave and the RAX43 became unstable. Approx every 5-10 mins WIFI on both bands 2Ghz and 5Ghz would disconnect effecting multiple devices (iPhone, iMac, Windows 11 PC). Seems the WIFI will not maintain a stable connection.
Advice is to make sure you have plenty of time to play with this version as quite possibly a complete reconfigure will be required. That is a shame considering it's only a firmware upgrade.
When time permits, will do a complete reset and reconfigure to see if the results are different and provide further feedback. In the meantime, rolled back to a known good working FW which caused a factory reset so make sure you have an old config backup handy, just in case.
Looking forward to seeing others experiences.
- Which RAX43 version you have? v1 or v2? I did the upgrade on mine (v1) and had absolutely no problems. No resets done or needed, WiFi works as previously. No issues.
I have a V1 just to clarify. Again, will do a full factory reset and start fresh to see if that makes a difference. Glad the upgrade worked for you without issue.
It is recommended that if you do encounter problems after a FW update, that a Factory reset maybe needed. Set up from scratch WITHOUT loading a saved configuration from backup file. Older configs may not be compatible with newer versions of FW.
Good Luck.
Twitchrot wrote:
Downloaded and installed for a RAX43. Initially left the config the same and did nothing else but the upgrade. WIFI immediately began to misbehave and the RAX43 became unstable. Approx every 5-10 mins WIFI on both bands 2Ghz and 5Ghz would disconnect effecting multiple devices (iPhone, iMac, Windows 11 PC). Seems the WIFI will not maintain a stable connection.
Advice is to make sure you have plenty of time to play with this version as quite possibly a complete reconfigure will be required. That is a shame considering it's only a firmware upgrade.
When time permits, will do a complete reset and reconfigure to see if the results are different and provide further feedback. In the meantime, rolled back to a known good working FW which caused a factory reset so make sure you have an old config backup handy, just in case.
Looking forward to seeing others experiences.
Upgraded my RAX45. All good so far except for the custom NTP settings. No matter what I choose or set, after clicking save it blanks out and timezone reverts to default. However logs show successful sync and the time/timezone is correct so it may be a gui only bug.
My DHCP log entries are excessive as well for mainly just a single Win 11 laptop but it did that on older firmware as well. Confirmed via wireshark that the laptop is indeed sending DHCP requests for its own IP (but from 0.0.0.0 as if it doesn't have one) every few minutes for whatever reason. It acts like it is dropping off the network, but it isn't (constant ping to GW proves this), and the router is responding with DHCP NAK as if the address is taken...well it is, by the very laptop that is requesting it.
Just moved the laptop closer to the router and it stopped doing this for about 30 mins (it switched to 5ghz band). I moved it back further away to where it was originally (maybe 20 feet) and it started doing it again (it switched to 2.4ghz band). Interesting...
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:31:16
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:29:57
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:27:02
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:24:29
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:21:25
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:18:20
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:15:31
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:13:49
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:11:09
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:10:16
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:06:30
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:05:42
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:02:52
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 10:01:49
[DHCP IP: (192.168.1.15)] to MAC address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, Monday, May 29, 2023 09:59:27What browser are you using? Happens in other browsers?
Try a factory reset and setup from scratch to see if this resolves?
Chrome/Firefox. Upgraded my parents' RAX45 and it did the same. It came up with the wrong time - I set the NTP source and timezone, clicked save, it syncs and corrects but blanks out and shows defaults. So, not a big deal being a gui glitch - not going to factory reset.
Does this release resolve the Sonos Play1 WiFi connection issues that were created by the .120 firmware update on the RAX45?
Something to try out and see.
I have a question about the DCHP settings... On more than one occasion FURRYe38 has stated:
FURRYe38 wrote:NOTE: Recommend setting the default DHCP IP address pool range to the following after applying and a factory reset: 192.168.#.100 to 192.168.#.200.
I've set it from 100- 200 but I'm wondering why I did it. Why is this recommended?
-- Also, I see people are having trouble with the 5GHz WiFi channel after the "HOT FIX". Can anyone tell me if the 5GHz GUEST WiFi error is fixed? With FW RAX50-V1.0.12.120 update when someone logged onto the 5GHz Guest WiFi, it shows up in the 'connected devices as the 5GHz GUEST WiFi, but in the 'ACCESS CONTROL Menue' it shows them connected to the PRIVATE 5GHz. Has this been addressed/corrected?
Thanks, James.
Most home users don't have 253 devices. Setting a small DHCP IP address pool allows for better router management of IP addresses for total device count. Of course, can always be adjusted at any time.
No idea if issues seen were fixed. Something to try and let us know what you see.
It’s interesting that I got an Email from Netgear telling me to upgrade the firmware. LOL, I’ll do it when they get it fixed.
IT’s been a while, is there anything good to say about this update?
-Jaz
Hello Netgear Community,
I recently came across this Firmware Version 1.0.15.128 Hot Fix for the RAX40v2 router. While I appreciate the ongoing efforts to improve the router's performance and security, I have a couple of questions that I hope can be addressed:
1. Security Vulnerabilities Patched:
The release notes mention that the hotfix addresses security vulnerabilities but do not provide specific details. Could someone from Netgear or the community shed light on what vulnerabilities were addressed? Detailed information would be highly beneficial for users who prioritize security.
2. Auto-Update Issue:
I've noticed that this firmware version has not appeared in the auto-update feature of my router, even though it was released four months ago. Is there a reason for this delay? Are "Hot Fixes" not included in the standard update cycle, or is there another explanation?
Understanding these aspects would not only help me but also benefit the community at large. Looking forward to your responses.
Best regards,
Daniel
wealth-secure wrote:
1. Security Vulnerabilities Patched:
The release notes mention that the hotfix addresses security vulnerabilities but do not provide specific details. Could someone from Netgear or the community shed light on what vulnerabilities were addressed? Detailed information would be highly beneficial for users who prioritize security.
This is not generally thought to be a good idea.
Telling you what was fixed leaves the door open for nasty people to exploit things that aren't covered in the update.
Users who prioritise security might like to consult the appropriate section:
NETGEAR Product Security | NETGEAR
2. Auto-Update Issue:I've noticed that this firmware version has not appeared in the auto-update feature of my router, even though it was released four months ago. Is there a reason for this delay? Are "Hot Fixes" not included in the standard update cycle, or is there another explanation?
Hot fixes are not always, if ever, included in the automated update process.
This happened in phases, depending on the severity of the update. The first fighting of new firmware is often on the product support pages.
As it is, experienced users tend to avoid autoupdates. (They turn them off.) They can result in a dead (bricked) router when the process goes wrong, for example, if there is a power failure mid update.
True nerds like to download updates from the support pages and to manually update the firmware.
How do I manually upgrade firmware to my NETGEAR router? | Answer | NETGEAR Support
michaelkenward wrote:
wealth-secure wrote:1. Security Vulnerabilities Patched:
The release notes mention that the hotfix addresses security vulnerabilities but do not provide specific details. Could someone from Netgear or the community shed light on what vulnerabilities were addressed? Detailed information would be highly beneficial for users who prioritize security.
This is not generally thought to be a good idea.
Telling you what was fixed leaves the door open for nasty people to exploit things that aren't covered in the update.
Users who prioritise security might like to consult the appropriate section:
NETGEAR Product Security | NETGEAR
2. Auto-Update Issue:I've noticed that this firmware version has not appeared in the auto-update feature of my router, even though it was released four months ago. Is there a reason for this delay? Are "Hot Fixes" not included in the standard update cycle, or is there another explanation?
Hot fixes are not always, if ever, included in the automated update process.
This happened in phases, depending on the severity of the update. The first fighting of new firmware is often on the product support pages.
As it is, experienced users tend to avoid autoupdates. (They turn them off.) They can result in a dead (bricked) router when the process goes wrong, for example, if there is a power failure mid update.
True nerds like to download updates from the support pages and to manually update the firmware.
How do I manually upgrade firmware to my NETGEAR router? | Answer | NETGEAR Support
Thank you for your reply. I have already manually updated the firmware before posting on this thread. My main point simply was, if there is an update with 'important security vulnerability fixes' and it is not disclosed what those are and it takes some high degree of technical skill to find this hotfix to mitigate the risk of this being exploited on my router, it is a bit of a double edged sword.
As anyone on this forum probably does update their routers like this, the majority of people have the default setting with auto update enabled and thus will never receive this hotfix and the impact of what that may have is impossible to assess if one does not know what vulnerabilities are patched in this hotfix. Well I do get the argumentation about power outages, that raises another point, why is this auto update setting on by default then? If this is the reason for not including hotfixes in auto updates, because of the small chance one router may die due to mid update power outages? Does Netgear find the risk of power outages bigger than the risk of 'security vulnerabilities being patched' being exploited on potentially the vast majority of their clientele who has not installed this hotfix? Impossible for me to tell if I don't know what the update actually does. Also, I don't think the argument holds up. When manually patching my router the power could also have a blackout. It is not necessarily something you can predict.
Just figured I'd bring this up.
With regards to the Netgear Product Security webpage you referenced, I did not necessarily find it useful. It is very generic and only offers the option to report a vulnerability and see what productrs are on their end of life cycle.
Cheers,
Daniel
Thanks; that is super thoughtful of you to share! Highly appreciated. 🙂
