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How to Downgrade Firmware on Nighthawk R7000 router?
This is a question which I think should be in FAQ's and if it is I apologize. Also a person who know about computers but needs a little more definition in wording which I think would help many and if...
Cognizant1 wrote:This is a question which I think should be in FAQ's and if it is I apologize. Also a person who know about computers but needs a little more definition in wording which I think would help many and if it has been explained before sorry. Currently using the newest version of Firmware 1.0.6.28, Windows 7 HP SP1 64bit.
Since there has been many problems with the Latest firmware ver. 1.0.6.28.
1. Could anyone please list step by step how to downgrade to a previous better ver. or the Beta I have been seeing.
Go to support.netgear.com, enter R7000, and download the desired firmware version. I recommend 1.0.4.30 or 1.0.4.28. The instructions for installing the firmware are in the Release Notes. Here are the notes for 1.0.4.30 (link).
2. Also, I have seen reset to factory or just reset or hard reset. Explain the difference. (Is a reset just using paper clip and pressing till all light go out then release? Is that correct just for resetting the settings and not reverting back to when you pulled it from the box? Is this what people are saying to do after flashing the older firmware to clear settings?) I think that this would be helpful to many people and should be written by Netgear.Factory reset and hard reset are the same thing. It's accomplished by using a paper clip and pressing for 8 to 10 seconds until all lights go out and then release, as you stated. It can also be done by logging into the router, going to ADVANCED > Administration > Backup Settings and clicking Erase. A factory reset is generally recommended after flashing firmware. It's not always required and many people get away without doing it. But 1.0.6.28 and 1.0.4.X are known to be incompatible, so you must perform a factory reset after switching between these versions. Moreover, do not restore configuration settings from a file, because the file is tied to the firmware version that generated it. You must reconfigure settings by hand.
I just don't need to brick it right now. I was just going to download and go into Advanced settings and upload that manually. Wasn't sure if I needed to restore to factory first which I didn't think I needed to and after it reboots on it own what people were saying about resetting it after it was finished. ( Because to me that sounded like after downgrading the firmware resetting would bring back to original firmware thus needing a better explanation.It's usually a good idea to perform a factory reset before and after installing firmware. Resetting before installing firmware insures minimal configuration incompatibility and should maximize the chances of a successful install without bricking the router. Resetting after installing insures that any old, incompatible configuration settings are wiped out.
A factory reset only clears configuration settings. It does not bring back original firmware. The router only has maintains one version of firmware at a time. There is no ROM to store original firmware.
Cognizant1 wrote:This is a question which I think should be in FAQ's and if it is I apologize. Also a person who know about computers but needs a little more definition in wording which I think would help many and if it has been explained before sorry. Currently using the newest version of Firmware 1.0.6.28, Windows 7 HP SP1 64bit.
Since there has been many problems with the Latest firmware ver. 1.0.6.28.
1. Could anyone please list step by step how to downgrade to a previous better ver. or the Beta I have been seeing.
Go to support.netgear.com, enter R7000, and download the desired firmware version. I recommend 1.0.4.30 or 1.0.4.28. The instructions for installing the firmware are in the Release Notes. Here are the notes for 1.0.4.30 (link).
2. Also, I have seen reset to factory or just reset or hard reset. Explain the difference. (Is a reset just using paper clip and pressing till all light go out then release? Is that correct just for resetting the settings and not reverting back to when you pulled it from the box? Is this what people are saying to do after flashing the older firmware to clear settings?) I think that this would be helpful to many people and should be written by Netgear.
Factory reset and hard reset are the same thing. It's accomplished by using a paper clip and pressing for 8 to 10 seconds until all lights go out and then release, as you stated. It can also be done by logging into the router, going to ADVANCED > Administration > Backup Settings and clicking Erase. A factory reset is generally recommended after flashing firmware. It's not always required and many people get away without doing it. But 1.0.6.28 and 1.0.4.X are known to be incompatible, so you must perform a factory reset after switching between these versions. Moreover, do not restore configuration settings from a file, because the file is tied to the firmware version that generated it. You must reconfigure settings by hand.
I just don't need to brick it right now. I was just going to download and go into Advanced settings and upload that manually. Wasn't sure if I needed to restore to factory first which I didn't think I needed to and after it reboots on it own what people were saying about resetting it after it was finished. ( Because to me that sounded like after downgrading the firmware resetting would bring back to original firmware thus needing a better explanation.
It's usually a good idea to perform a factory reset before and after installing firmware. Resetting before installing firmware insures minimal configuration incompatibility and should maximize the chances of a successful install without bricking the router. Resetting after installing insures that any old, incompatible configuration settings are wiped out.
A factory reset only clears configuration settings. It does not bring back original firmware. The router only has maintains one version of firmware at a time. There is no ROM to store original firmware.
Thank you and Thank you TheEther.
I appreciate the time and easy to understand answer you gave. Oh, forgot to ask I don't have to disconnect from Modem at all during this right. I wouldn't think so because never have during upgrading firmware (sorry stupid ques.) I will follow your advice, the other question is, I have also read
about a "Reset" which causes the Power light to turn amber and flash. I will say that your last post answered my questions and is the solution,
but it would be great if you could explain that one as well.
Is there also a place were I could look for recommended settings to get the best performance for the router.
I have about 4 wireless clients(2 Laptops Intel advanced N-6250, Iphone, Printer) and 2 wired Roku and Xbox. Usually not all on at same time.
Everything hopefully will go back to normal like they were before the latest update. Do you suggest the Beta 1.0.5... or the 1.0.4.30 which seemed to work
great it's just that I had it set to automatically update which I will know uncheck after this fiasco.
Thanks again and God bless. Your help is most appreciated
Cognizant1 wrote:Thank you and Thank you TheEther.
I appreciate the time and easy to understand answer you gave. Oh, forgot to ask I don't have to disconnect from Modem at all during this right.
Correct, no need to disconnect from modem.
about a "Reset" which causes the Power light to turn amber and flash. I will say that your last post answered my questions and is the solution,
but it would be great if you could explain that one as well.
I not aware of any standard definition of "Reset". Some people equate it to a hard reset whereas others equate it to either power cycling or rebooting the router from the Advanced menu.
Is there also a place were I could look for recommended settings to get the best performance for the router.
There are a lot of guides on the Internet but I haven't really found one best place. Generally, other than setting up a Wi-Fi password using WPA2 and picking the least congested Wi-Fi channels, I find that the default settings are usually the best. I try to avoid turning on things that I don't really need. I leave QoS, traffic metering, access control, port forwarding, site blocking all turned off. Most, if not all, of the these features disable hardware acceleration and require expensive processing by the router's CPU. That said, some people need those features and the CPU cost does not always translate into any noticeable speed penalty. In other words, the CPU can keep up with most burdens. The notable exception is with Gigabit speed Internet service. Without hardware acceleration, some Netgear routers can forwarding only at 50% of a Gigabit Internet service's capacity.
I have about 4 wireless clients(2 Laptops Intel advanced N-6250, Iphone, Printer) and 2 wired Roku and Xbox. Usually not all on at same time.I suggest you place as many devices as possible on the 5 GHz band. While 5 GHz has less range, it is usually much faster than the 2.4 GHz band. The 2.4 GHz is generally more congested with neighboring networks, channel widths are usually restricted to 20 Mhz versus 40 MHz and 80 MHz on 5 GHz. At reasonable distances, you should see 2x faster speeds on 5 GHz than 2.4 GHz. If you upgrade your laptops to 802.11ac, then you will see eye-popping speeds, provided your Internet service is not the bottleneck.
Everything hopefully will go back to normal like they were before the latest update. Do you suggest the Beta 1.0.5... or the 1.0.4.30 which seemed to workI have not tried the Beta. Based on what I've seen, many people have reported positive things about it, but it still seems to have some minor issues. I used to use 1.0.4.30 for a long time and never had any issues with it. Some people have had issues with 5 GHz. For them, 1.0.4.28 works better. Lately, I've been using 3rd party firmware and have not looked back. The R7000 is a great router with lots of firmware options.
Thanks again. As always you have given great advice. Hopefully like you said things will get back to normal and will be able to get back to work. I will look into the DD-Wrt but will use the 1.0.4.30 for now because I believe it did work the best for me also. To anyone else experiencing the same things look for TheEther's suggustions always has helped out a lot of frustrated user's.