XR1000 router firmware 1.0.0.68

[lincssausage]

I stumbled upon this link yesterday which is supposedly to 1.0.0.68 firmware for the XR1000:

https://drivers.softpedia.com/get/Router-Switch-Access-Point/NETGEAR/NETGEAR-XR1000-Router-Firmware-...

I downloaded the zip and it has a release notes file XR1000-V1.0.0.68_1.0.54_Release_Notes.html

Is this something that was leaked? Is it a hack attempt? The latest version I am aware of is 1.0.0.64. Can someone shed some light on this?

[Netduma-Fraser · Accepted solution]

The firmware was accidentally uploaded before it was ready and was then taken down. I would not recommend downloading firmware from anywhere but the official source and especially in this case downloading a firmware that was not meant to be upgraded to and therefore could have lots of issues if you were to upgrade.

[FURRYe38]

Probably leaked or some hack. I see it's been removed. 

Only get your FW files from NGs main download page:

https://www.netgear.com/support/

Or from here in the forums. Avoid any 3rd party sites. 

[Netduma-Fraser · Accepted solution]

The firmware was accidentally uploaded before it was ready and was then taken down. I would not recommend downloading firmware from anywhere but the official source and especially in this case downloading a firmware that was not meant to be upgraded to and therefore could have lots of issues if you were to upgrade.

[lincssausage]

Thanks for the replies. I figured it was a leak or something similar. I have not installed it. The official firmware seems to be a bit unstable at times so I did not want to rock the boat with unreleased firmware.  

I've had 1.0.0.64_1.0.49 installed since it was released and it worked well for a few months. The past month I had to reboot my router every day or two and my throughput was slowing. My family was all complaining of bad internet speeds. It checked with a computer connected directly to the cable modem and I was still getting about 1Gb down which is normal. The DumaOS UI would stop responding too until rebooted. I had to do a factory reset on the router for speeds to return to normal. I also did a factory reset when installing 1.0.0.64. This is the third or fourth factory reset I have done since I bought the router because it keeps doing this after a few months. This is why I was looking to see if there was new firmware. 

It's working fine right now but chances are it will start running slow again. I switched from a TP-Link Archer AX50 which loved to overheat. It also liked to slow down if I did not reboot every day. It would crash when uploading large files to the attached USB drive. I can't get away from router issues.

I might build my own router box next time.

[Netduma-Fraser]

If it happens again downgrade the firmware and see if you have more stability on that one in the meantime.

[FURRYe38]

FYI, new FW is available:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Nighthawk-Pro-Gaming-Routers/New-XR1000-Firmware-Version-1-0-0-68-R...

@lincssausage 

[MetFox123]

Still no hybridVPN?? is this a joke?

[Netduma-Fraser]

Netgear had to release a version as soon as possible to fix a security vulnerability, more updates will be coming