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StarkmanAlive's avatar
StarkmanAlive
Aspirant
Mar 19, 2019
Solved

R6300v2 - Can I restore settings after firmware update?

Greetings all,

 

I'll be doing a firmware update to our R6300, and I've already made a backup of the settings (which only contains simple stuff like security settings and password stuff). After the update, can I restore the configuration and not mess anything up? I know that sometimes there's advice given to not restore the settings because it can undo what you're trying to do via a firmware update.

 

Thanks.

  • antinode's avatar
    antinode
    Mar 20, 2019

    > [...] my router was issued by my cable company, and it doesn't allow
    > updates (they said they do auto updates, but who knows).

     

       What's your "my cable company"?  What's the actual firmware version?
    If it has a "CH" suffix (or similar), then that would be consistent with
    ISP-specific firmware ("CH" for Charter).

     

       There have been efforts to replace such ISP-specific firmware.  See,
    for example:

     

          https://community.netgear.com/t5/x/x/m-p/1543374

     

       But, if you're still using that ISP, then replacing the firmware
    behind their backs could be unwise.  If you just bought a used R6300v2
    for general use, then using generic firmware might make more sense.

4 Replies

  • antinode's avatar
    antinode
    Guru
    Mar 19, 2019

    > [...] After the update, can I restore the configuration and not mess
    > anything up? [...]

     

       First, you shouldn't need to restore anything.  The old settings
    should survive the firmware update.

     

       Second, it's Netgear router firmware, so almost anything could
    happen.

     

    > [...] I know that sometimes there's advice given to not restore the
    > settings because it can undo what you're trying to do via a firmware
    > update.

     

       What you're probably (mis)remembering is advice not to restore old
    settings after a settings reset (not a firmware update).  If settings
    become corrupt (and that causes bad behavior), then a settings reset
    might solve that problem.  Restoring the corrupt saved settings could
    undo the benefits of the settings reset.

     

       Firmware and settings are different things.

    • StarkmanAlive's avatar
      StarkmanAlive
      Aspirant
      Mar 20, 2019
      Thanks for the input. I had forgotten to mention that the instructions say to do a factory rest (thus wiping out my settings) after installing the firmware update. Additionally, I can't do a update anyway, so I've found out; my router was issued by my cable company, and it doesn't allow updates (they said they do auto updates, but who knows).

      We'll thanks again.
      • antinode's avatar
        antinode
        Guru
        Mar 20, 2019

        > [...] my router was issued by my cable company, and it doesn't allow
        > updates (they said they do auto updates, but who knows).

         

           What's your "my cable company"?  What's the actual firmware version?
        If it has a "CH" suffix (or similar), then that would be consistent with
        ISP-specific firmware ("CH" for Charter).

         

           There have been efforts to replace such ISP-specific firmware.  See,
        for example:

         

              https://community.netgear.com/t5/x/x/m-p/1543374

         

           But, if you're still using that ISP, then replacing the firmware
        behind their backs could be unwise.  If you just bought a used R6300v2
        for general use, then using generic firmware might make more sense.