R6400 FIRMWARE UPGRADE v1.0.1.46_1.0.32 = REDUCED WIfI COVERAGE AREA

[NotAnITgenius]

Updated R6400 Router to recommended firmware V1.0.1.46_1.0.32 and immediately noticed a reduced WiFi coverage area for all peripherals that tried to connect. Is there a way to reverse the upgrade?

[NotAnITgenius · Accepted solution]

Was able to get good WiFi coverage/signal back after upgrading firmware, but it required a HARD RESET of the router and I had to re-configure all my equipment to access it.  Happy that I got it fixed.  NOT Happy that it took a full day to get everything re-configured.  NETGEAR PLEASE FIX YOUR FIRMWARE UPDATE TO KEEP ALL SETTINGS IN PLACE WHEN AN UPGRADE IS COMPLETED, or at least warn the user of the specific settings that are not compatible with the update and may have to be re-configured after the update.

[plemans]

this post written by @TheEther  gives all the info on how to downgrade an R7000. the procedure is the same for the R6400 other than you're going to search the support website for your specific model and firmware and follow the procedure for your device and the firmware you want. 

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Nighthawk-WiFi-Routers/How-to-Downgrade-Firmware-on-Nighthawk-R7000...

Key point is making sure you do a hard reset or erase after downgrading the firmware. 

[michaelkenward]

Before going back to old firmware, did you reset the router to factory settings after the firmware flash?

New firmware sometimes introduces changes that are not compatible with the old configuration.

So while it isn't guaranteed to fix problems a factory reset is the first thing to try if you have issues with new firmware.

This is a nuisance because you then have to reconfigure the device all over again.

You can backup your settings before you reset and restore them later. But that may just bring back the fault. Then again, at least you will know if the reset fixed the problem.

If that gets you nowhere, then follow the link from @plemans.

[NotAnITgenius · Accepted solution]

Was able to get good WiFi coverage/signal back after upgrading firmware, but it required a HARD RESET of the router and I had to re-configure all my equipment to access it.  Happy that I got it fixed.  NOT Happy that it took a full day to get everything re-configured.  NETGEAR PLEASE FIX YOUR FIRMWARE UPDATE TO KEEP ALL SETTINGS IN PLACE WHEN AN UPGRADE IS COMPLETED, or at least warn the user of the specific settings that are not compatible with the update and may have to be re-configured after the update.

[michaelkenward]

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@NotAnITgenius wrote:

NETGEAR PLEASE FIX YOUR FIRMWARE UPDATE TO KEEP ALL SETTINGS IN PLACE WHEN AN UPGRADE IS COMPLETED, or at least warn the user of the specific settings that are not compatible with the update and may have to be re-configured after the update.

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What you really mean is "Network industry please fix...." They all do the same thing, probably because they all but their chips from the same handful of suppliers.

This is why experienced users have screen grabs of their settings for future reference. Meanwhile, add your vote here:

Never rebuild a configuration from scratch again! - NETGEAR Communities

As I say, it seems to be an industry wide problem. You can't export and reimport bits of the configuration.

By the way, the release notes for the latest firmware for your device clearly state:

Write down all the settings which you changed from the default values, since you may need to re-enter them manually.