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Firmware update failed, Ethernet port is not functional
Last night I attempted to update the firmware on the router. There was a problem with the update. Now I cannot connect to the internet as the ethernet ports are not functioning. I can connect to the router via wifi. How do I manually update the firmware without using the ethernet ports.
I completed a factory reset earlier today. When I did that there was no change to the LEDs. Also connecting something to those ports does not change the status of the LEDs. I have come to the conclusion, it is a HW issue.
10 Replies
Had the same problem on my nighthawk R8500 last night, went to the community for answers for restoring firmware.
Note:NEVER update firmware though your WIFI the risk of failure is to high.
My first attempt to restore my router to a working condition failed by using TFTP procedure to restore firmware. I called support and explainded that their firmware crashed my router but to be fair the attempt to update through my WIFI was the problem.
Support came back and said my router was the problem and that it failed and there wasn't anything they could do that I hadn't already tried.
Not ready to give up I found a solution to my problem.
1st. I reset the router to factory settings this restored default router IP address and confirmed by a good ping.
2nd I had to enable TFTP on my windows 10 but that wasn't enough to get a firmware update even though I followed the TFTP procedure to the letter as I was getting a unable to read local file error.
3rd. down loaded a a TFTPD64 app that I found listed in the community, the instructions for this procedure are spot on.
The app was the solution to my problem, it restore the router to working condition and while I was hard wired to the router I reconfiged the settings from factory to my custom settings and went further and updated to the most current firmware that failed to load earlier.
I highly recommend the TFTPD64 app to fix a firmware failure.
> Had the same problem [...]
Perhaps. Perhaps not. "same" has a specific meaning, different from
"similar".> My first attempt to restore my router to a working condition failed by
> using TFTP procedure to restore firmware.The TFTP recovery scheme is a multi-step procedure which offers
multiple opportunities for user input, hence user error. By itself,
saying that you tried it doesn't say much. See "As usual, [...]",
above. Especially when using a command-line program, copy+paste is your
friend.> 1st. I reset the router to factory settings this restored default
> router IP address and confirmed by a good ping.If your computer got a valid IP configuration from your router (using
DHCP), then the TFTP recovery scheme might have been overkill.> I highly recommend the TFTPD64 app to fix a firmware failure.
I prefer the command-line TFTP client program. Better error
messages, at least.
> [...] I attempted to update the firmware on the router. [...]
"attempted" how, exactly?
> [...] There was a problem with the update. [...]
Thanks for that detailed description.
> [...] Now I cannot connect to the internet [...]
What happens when you try?
A vague description of what does _not_ happen is less useful than a
clear description of what _does_ happen."cannot" is not a useful problem description. It does not say what
you did. It does not say what happened when you did it. As usual,
showing actual actions (commands) with their actual results (error
messages, LED indicators, ...) can be more helpful than vague
descriptions or interpretations.
> [...] as the ethernet ports are not functioning.Says who? Evidence?
> IMG_2596.jpg
Three of the port-status LEDs in that picture look happy enough to
me. The Internet LED shows a problem, but not necessarily an Ethernet
port problem. To what is the router's WAN/Internet port connected? Is
that (unspecified) device happy?> [...] I can connect to the router via wifi. [...]
So, _you_ can see the current firmware version? (With my weak
psychic powers, I can't.)> [...] How do I manually update the firmware without using the ethernet
> ports.Use a computer with a wireless connection? The procedure's the same.
An Ethernet connection is generally considered to be more reliable, but
if your "the ethernet ports are not functioning", then I might try to
use what was. Before I got too excited, I might try the basic stuff:Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your model number, and look
for Documentation. Get the User Manual (at least). Read. Look for the
LED descriptions and "Troubleshoot". Further reading might not hurt,
either.I attempted to update the firmware by using NetGenie and pressing the button which said to update the firmware. I'm not sure why the process failed, but I am not able to connect to the internet. I guess I should have mentioned, only port 1 is connected to the computer via ethernet. Lights 2 and 3 should be off as nothing is connected to those ports. I have the ethernet cable from the modem connected into the router.
Windows and NetGenie is reporting a connection between the computer and the router. However, they are stating there is no internet connection.
I have connected my computer directly to the modem and I am able to access the internet when I bypass the router.
As the firmware was updated last night and I've isolated the problem to the router, I believe the error is with the router.
The strange thing is that even though it appears I'm connected and port 1 is showing connected, Windows is stating there is no connection via Ethernet. However, I can connect with the router via wifi.
> [...] I guess I should have mentioned, [...]
Yup.
> The strange thing [...]
Ok, I'm willing to admit that it's seriously confused.
> [...] Windows is stating there is no connection via Ethernet. [...]
Actual message? Is it complaining about the physical link ("Media
disconnected"), or only that the router's not acting as expected?
Without a good Ethernet physical link, you'd be in bigger trouble.Before getting too deep in the weeds, have you tried a settings
(misnomer: Factory) reset, and manual reconfiguration? Look for "reset"
in the User Manual.
I avoid the automatic update scheme, and always use the manual
method. Normally, I'd avoid doing anything critical over a wireless
connection, but a case like this might be an exception.In this case, I'd try doing a manual update from a computer with a
wireless connection.If that fails, then I'd fall back to the TFTP recovery scheme
mentioned above. See, for example:https://community.netgear.com/t5/x/x/m-p/1622096#M102004
However, although your router seems to be confused, it might not be
confused enough to know how confused it is, so it might not be as
receptive to the TFTP scheme as you might like. Some fiddling with
power-on and reset sequencing/timing might be needed.