Netgear routers: No automatic firmware security updates or user notification system

I have the R7000 and recently, my mail wasn't synchronizing itself, because their server addresses no longer got properly resolved. After a long and ardourous "support-battle" with my professional mail provider, we managed to pin the problem down to my Netgear router. Turns out, the router's firmware was in need of updating, including a security update (!), after which DNS resolution and hence mail worked properly again.

I understand that I *could* look at my router setup every x months to make sure there might, maybe, under some circumstance, be an update around that I should (have! see next) install(ed). But I don't think that is user-friendly or scalable (I've got another router at my office, another router at my parents site, and another at my parents-in-law, each of which I maintain). Also, say, an urgent security update is released the day after I made my routine check - my networks would be unprotected for months, until I check again. So that's a clear: No, that suggestion is neither scalable, and its a security liablity. So if the router is not able to update the firmware by itself (I had expected that was happening by default, and am quite astonished its not possible to turn such functionality on for my router!), I would have expected that Netgear is able to provide some kind of email notification support for this.  Turns out, that isn't an option, either. As this is a security liability you buy-in with owning Netgear products, it certainly is a big red flag for my next router purchase.