C6300 firmware update

[fearandloath]

I discovered that my R6300 Modem/Router is in need of a firmware update. By all accounts I can not do this myself in the usual fashion and everything I am reading says that my ISP must do the update. Of course, since it is not their equipment that was an emphatic NO. Now I'm stuck. Wi-Fi is starting to have drop outs and this is a fairly recent piece of equipment. I don't want to have to get a new router every time it needs an update. My current firmware is V2.01.04 How do I get this firmware update?

[ErnestTheGreat · Accepted solution]

@Belcantor Looks like the issue you have is a minor bug that has been fixed and will be available in next FW release once Comcast has approved it and pushes it out. In the meantime there is a work around you can use to address. So in order to avoid issues with DNS you need to make sure all 3 DNS fields are filled out.

Workaround for C6300 Minor DNS Bug:

1. Log into your C6300

2. Go to Advanced > Setup > Internet Setup

3. On Internet Setup page select Use these DNS Servers.

4. Fill in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary DNS server boxes.

5. For Primary and Secondary DNS use Comcast DNS and for Tertiary either copy the 2nd DNS server to it or use 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4 or 1.1.1.1 or 1.0.0.1. For best performance and security you probably want to use the Cloud Flare DNS 1.1.1.1 or 1.0.0.1

6. Once all the DNS settings have been specified click apply and you should be good to go.

PS: If you need more info on 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 DNSs you can see it here https://1.1.1.1/

[SuperTweaker]

The firmware is now version: V2.01.26.   Your ISP will push this to your C6300 automatically.   You may find yourself disconnected after the update and will need to power-off/power-on Router after a few minutes.  Usually it happens in the backround without interruption.

[fearandloath]

Well it has been a week since I received the message that I would be receiving the firmware update through my ISP. It has not happened and I am still having lagging issues with my signal. Can't you just send a link and instructions to update the firmware myself. I should not be having issues with such a simple thing. And reading through these threads I am not the only one.

[SuperTweaker]

I would call your ISP and ask them "what is the delay"?  We can't download our own firmware because the ISP needs to make  sure the firmware meets their specifications first.

[fearandloath]

I called my ISP again today, for the third time about this same matter, and they claim they do not send out updates for equipment other than their own. They even checked and said they don't see anything that has come through. The tech even claimed that they had never even heard of a company doing this. And in truth, neither have I. I can not believe you could not send me to a link so I can download it myself. It's apparent the ISP wants or has nothing to do with this so what is the issue? Obvoiusly they don't care about specs. I called Best Buy, where I bought it, and they claimed they could update it but wanted $99 to do it. For that much I may as well buy a new one. And I shouldn't have to pay for something that should be free. I spent good money on what I thought was a good router/modem. I shouldn't have to replace it in less than 18 months because I can't get a simple update. I know I am not the only one with this problem so I am asking again... PLEASE HELP!  

[vkdelta]

who is your ISP?

which city/State are you located?

on Cable Devices, ISPs are responsible for pushing the FW. Some of the ISPs have a complete process and they keep updating devices frequentlty and NTGR pays them certification fees. An Example is Comcast.

[fearandloath]

I live in Selinsgrove PA 17870. I purchase my internet through Service Electric Cablevision which is serviced by Penteledata.

[vkdelta]

we provided FW to Service Electric but not sure about Penteledata

Ask Penteledata to contact NTGR to request files for customers through this portal. It has to be ISP engineer who can contact through this link.

http://www.netgear.com/service-providers/contact-us/CableMSO.aspx

[fearandloath]

OK I give up. I have contacted my cable company, Service Electric Cablevision AGAIN. I got the same answers that they don't update firmware on equipment they don't own. I told them about the link and they said if somebody would do that it would have to be Penteledata. I contacted Penteledata for the second time in as many days. The nice lady I talked to had at least heard of companies doing this but she said they only provide the internet and Service Electric is responsible for any and all equipment upgrades. She even did an internet search for me for a firmware upgrade but the download was for the Genie, which is no help. Nobody would even take the link you sent. So here I am stuck in a circle between you, Service Electric and Penteledata. Each of which is pawning it off on the other guy. Meanwhile I sit here with a now crappy piece of equipment that I paid good money for and is not more than 18 months old. I can't believe there is not a simple solution to this problem from you guys. Just send the update to me and I will install it. It's obvious the cable company could care less but if you would like to contact them here is the phone numbers...   Sevice Electric - 570-286-5951 and Penteledata - 800-804-5783. I have talked to them numerous times and get the same answer every time. Something this simple should not be this complicated. 

[vkdelta]

There is no GUI to upgrade the FW on the device. Even if we sent the files (although we cannot), there is nothing you would be able to do with unless you have to Cable Headend system.

Which area are you located? Several folks I have spoken to just take the devices to their friends house with Comcast connection and just connected it for few mins. Comcast will automatically push the FW in few mins to the device. It is not an ideal solution but something people have done. 

Cable devices are managed by operators whether they are leased or customer purchased. 

[fearandloath]

So let me get this straight, after well over a month of going back and forth between you, my cable company and their internet supplier this is what I got... You won't or can't update your own equipment. My ISP is supposed to send it through for you even though it's not their equipment. But apparently, because they are not one of the major cable corporations in the country, they can't or won't do it. And in fact claim they have never even heard of such a thing. And now your best recommendation is take it somewhere that subscribes to Comcast, which is 60 miles away, and hook in to somebody elses internet. I don't even know anybody there. Should I put a post on Craigslist asking to rent somebody's internet connection for an hour?

Perhaps you should put a warning on your equipment boxes that says...

"This Modem/Router may only work properly for 9 months to a year until the firmware runs out. People who live in small towns or rural areas that do not subscribe to Major Corporation Cable internet will be most likely to experience these problems."

So now I am sitting on an expensive piece of equipment that is probably less than 18 months old and it is not functioning properly and there is absolutely no recourse other than go buy a new one which will again last me a limited time. What a good way to ensure people keep buying your wares. 

Well I can assure you if I am forced to buy another piece of equipment because I can't get a simple firmware update it won't be Netgear. Perhaps in the future you should find a better way to service your equipment. If you can't promise upgrades to 100% of your customers then it's time to rethink your business model.

[rekamyenom]

I beat my head against the wall for weeks looking for a firmware update to my C6300 that I bought on Amazon. Netgear won't give it to you and my service provider (Wow) will not push it out. This is what I had to do to get it. 

I took my router to my neighbors house who is on Spectrum (who is pushing the firmware updates), called tech support, told them I was my neighbor, told them I wanted to change my cable modem to my own (Netgear C6300), gave them the MAC Address, they turned it on, the upload and download lightning bolt looking arrows were flashing, that told me that the firmware was updating, to my neighbor out for Chinese food, came back, the lights were no longer flashing, inernet was up, checked my firmware version, and I am now on Hardware Version V3.0 Firmware Version V2.01.22. Called Spectrum back, told them I wanted to put my old router back on, gave them the MAC address of his original Router, and he was back up and running. Thank you Spectrum and Neighbor!

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!

[fearandloath]

Thank you for the tip. And if I lived in an area that had competing or larger cable companies this would be a great solution. But I live in a small town / rural area that has one cable company for a large area. I would probably have to travel 50 miles to find a cable supplier to give me an update and I don't know anybody in that area. So that is all of no help to me. I can't believe that Netgear can't come up with a solution to this issue. They are basically selling a product that only works properly or at full capacity for a short period of time if you don't have cable from a major supplier. And the only way I knew about it was by purchasing the product and then having to deal with this issue. Ridiculous.  

[Belcantor]

I've been following this thread with much interest. The latest firmware update pushed by comcast has hardcoded their dns servers and removed the ability to change them. If you enter your own choice of a dns, you get a message that says invalid ip and returns you to the page with Comcast's dns servers loaded. Btw, this is not a leased modem, it is mine. Yesterday I was able to reach the third level of tech support and he tried but had no way to push any firmware, let alone an earlier version. I asked to speak to his supervisor who did'nt speak english well and somehow got the idea I was complaining about spyware in my modem and I got referred to a person who deals with that sort of thing. Of course no help there. He referred me to a customer relations retention person who then swore to me that I needed to contact Netgear, which we know is not true. Now I'm on a call-back list and am supposed to hear from someone by 2pm Pacific Time tomorrow. Somewhere somehow someone at comcast is reponsible for acquiring the update from Netgear, certifying it for their own system, and pushing it to the customer. I'm not too unhappy at the hardcoding the dns but am furious that it can't be changed. I could change each device but it is the principle of the thing. I will keep this thread posted as to the results of my efforts. I'm retired and have the time to be a huge thorn in their sides. If it can't be fixed, I'm considering a small claims suit to recover the cost of the modem they ruined. I think also this makes for a possible class action suit as I've seen refernces to this exact problem going back at least five years.

[fearandloath]

Thank you for the info. I finally threw my hands in the air and purchased a modem/router from my cable company so I know that my equipment will stay updated. Even though my expensive Netgear one was less than 18 months old. I used to purchase the products any time I needed that type of equipment but never again. And I am spreading the word. And I see by your post that it is not just small cable companies that people are having issues with. If Comcast can't supply an update why would I ever buy a Netgear product. Thanks for your post and keep us updated on your issue.

[ErnestTheGreat]

Looking around the cable forums there seems to be lot of questions complaints about firmware updates. Please note that the firmware update process for cable products is determined by the DOCSIS specification and in that specification regardless of what brand of cable modem you have the firmware update process is always the same the firmware has to be pushed out by the ISP. When it comes to ISP some ISPs are better than others some are not.

For Netgear when Netgear has new firmware for a cable product they provide it to ISPs some ISP like Comcast, Spectrum, Cox requires certification so Netgear will provide those ISP with firmware which they then test and certify. Once the firmware has been certified by ISP, the ISP will determine when and how they will push that firmware out to their customers.

Some ISPs will push the FW right away to all their users some will not, some ISPs will not. Some will push firmware to devices by region and etc. The point here is that once the firmware has been given to ISP and they certify it Netgear has no control of ISPs willingness to push that firmware to users or not. 

Now let’s put ourselves in ISPs shoes hypothetically speaking let’s say I am an ISP who supports Netgear, Arris, Cisco and Motorola Cable Modems that users can buy in the retail space at the same time I have couple of modems I provide to customers at a monthly rental fee of $5 to $10 dollars a month and I have a batch of 100, 000 customers. If I rent the modems to all 100,000 users I am making re-occurring revenue of 500,000 to 1,000,000 dollars a month. If I let 50,000 of those users by their own modem and I fully support them no questions asked that’s a revenue loss of 250,000 a month.  

Based on the hypothetical example above you can see why some ISPs are hesitant about pushing the firmware updates to your devices if they can convince you to rent a modem from them.

So let’s stop blaming Netgear, Cisco, Arris and other modem makers for lack of firmware updates from ISPs.  Furthermore, if you are with a smaller ISP that does not have the latest fw for your product you can have their system engineer fill out the firmware request form found here http://www.netgear.com/service-providers/contact-us/CableMSO.aspx

Sorry for the long post for those of you that have issues with DNS on C6300 I would recommend to DM one of the moderators with your issue description and contact details so you can work with support to resolve the issue(s)

[Belcantor]

The problem isn't getting the firmware update. the problem is is that the firmware has been modified so that the DNS servers from Comcast are hardwired in and you can't change them. This is so even on customer-owned modems.

[ErnestTheGreat · Accepted solution]

@Belcantor Looks like the issue you have is a minor bug that has been fixed and will be available in next FW release once Comcast has approved it and pushes it out. In the meantime there is a work around you can use to address. So in order to avoid issues with DNS you need to make sure all 3 DNS fields are filled out.

Workaround for C6300 Minor DNS Bug:

1. Log into your C6300

2. Go to Advanced > Setup > Internet Setup

3. On Internet Setup page select Use these DNS Servers.

4. Fill in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary DNS server boxes.

5. For Primary and Secondary DNS use Comcast DNS and for Tertiary either copy the 2nd DNS server to it or use 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4 or 1.1.1.1 or 1.0.0.1. For best performance and security you probably want to use the Cloud Flare DNS 1.1.1.1 or 1.0.0.1

6. Once all the DNS settings have been specified click apply and you should be good to go.

PS: If you need more info on 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 DNSs you can see it here https://1.1.1.1/

[fearandloath]

So I guess what you are saying is there is no way you can guarantee your equipment will be updated when needed and if I buy a cable modem/router through a retailer it could potentially be working on a subpar level within months because you can't guarantee firmware updates. So I gather I should then buy all my cable internet equipment from my ISP so I know it will be working and not have to be replaced every 12 - 18 months. That is good to know. Would have been better to have the information before I went to a retailer and dropped around $150 on your product. Perhaps Netgear should post that warning prominently on their box so consumers are aware. But then that might hurt sales. Or better yet, work on a way to distribute updates on 100% of their equipment. 

You won't ever have to worry about me buying a piece of your equipment again. I know now to always get my cable internet equipment through my local ISP.

[ErnestTheGreat]

@fearandloath The point here is that if a modem router manufacturer like Arris, Netgear, Motorola, Cisco and etc. fixes issues and provides new FW to ISP you can pretty much guarantee the big 3 ISPs Comcast, Spectrum and Cox will push that firmware to customers. Comcast is usually the fastest to roll out the updates. For smaller ISPs there is no way for manufacturers to have control of what those ISPs do and if they choose to push updates or not that’s just the nature of it. You got to be naive to think that ISPs have to do what other companies tell them they need to do.

If there is anything to take away from this thread other than the work around provided is that the firmware updates on Cable products are different as customers cannot update their own firmware ISPs have push it to their devices (i.e. load it to the TFTP Server) as this is what is mandated by Cable Labs and DOCSIS standard.

As far as buying a retail modem or renting one goes each has its advantages and disadvantages. We have ability to choose what works best for us as a consumer.  Advantage of having your own cable modem or gateway is that you don’t have to continue to pay the ISP on monthly basis and overall you get better performing hardware than the cheap low end devices the ISPs give.

[Belcantor]

So this workaround will result in bypassing the Comcast DNS servers and use whatever is in the tertiary DNS field?

[Belcantor]

Your suggestion to enter DNS ips in all three fields worked. Entered Comcast up 75.75.75.75 in first two fields and 1.0.0.1 in tertiary field and applied change. Then replaced the first two fields with Google's DNS and hit apply and it worked. Ipconfig then showed Google's DNS on all devices downstream from the router. Kudos. Unfortunate that Comcast couldn't explain this without me spending 3 or 4 hours on the phone over 3 days. A further update on Comcast tech support; not only is the business tech support willing to help non-business customers, but there is a group called high speed internet tech support you can speak with by asking for them. My advice? Avoid the consumer tech support and you will avoid major hassles.

[Jake5687]

I have Cox cable and was trying to troubleshoot an issue and noticed my firmware was v2.01.14 so called to have then push an update and they responded that since its a consumer modem they do not push firmware updates. So stuck between Netgear saying the ISP and the ISP saying they don't do that.... awesome....

[fearandloath]

I feel your pain Jake. I was back and forth with my cable company and Netgear for three weeks and as I'm sure you've read i got absolutely nowhere. I had to break down and buy a modem/router from my cable company. I figured at least I kew it would stay updated unlike my rather expensive store bought Netgear. Most small cable companies have this same policy. So unless you live in an area with service provided by a major cable company you will not have updated equipment. And until Netgear can provide 100% guaranteed update service they should put a notice on their boxes. But of course that will cost them sales so they won't. Good luck with your issue Jake!

[Trey53]

I am in the same boat as you. Also with all the same players. Guess Service Electric will be selling me a new modem too. I bought my C6300 from Best Buy on the strip and have trouble with it. From what I've been reading a simple FW upgrade will do the fix. I have a relative that works at Best Buy. I'll be sure they warn customers about this when they are considering purchasing a modem/router for their homes. Infact all retailers should give a disclaimer. What a load of crap!