Re: Hello DarrenM

Retired_Member · ‎2017-12-20

Hi DarrenM

As someone who appears to have an inside view of the Netgear Operations, can you answer the following:

1. Why does it appear that each Orbi firmware update continues to create home network issues? (Fix some/break some)

2. Does the Netgear firmware engineers view the posts here?

3. Advice to those who may have no issues with their Orbi with regard to the 'need' to update the firmware.

Thanks for your time.

DarrenM · ‎2017-12-20

Hello VAJim

1. I am no engineer but the engineers are trying there best to keep adding features and fixing issues that sometimes new issues start happening they may not shown up in internal testing.

2. Yes the community is viewed by the teams that develop the products I also inform them of what is being said.

DarrenM

aaz · ‎2017-12-20

@Retired_Member wrote:

1. Why does it appear that each Orbi firmware update continues to create home network issues? (Fix some/break some)
...
3. Advice to those who may have no issues with their Orbi with regard to the 'need' to update the firmware.

I know it was not directed to me, but as a former software developer and someone currently in IT.

1. Software development is hard. The issue I had with netgear was their testing methodology before releasing. I would wish they would make wider public beta's available - and to a degree they are doing that now by putting up software available to download to the community before it gets auto rolled out. I just wish they would publicly mark it as Beta if it has not been well tested, and then after it's been well tested release it as production. Thay way it would be my choice if I wanted to run Beta code and not be fooled into thinking it's production ready. Release beta more often, but release it for testing.

3. From an IT perspective, you need to update because (A) security fixes. You don't want that nasty crypto on your home computer. (B) standards march along and as new devices are released software has to be made to work with it.

Hope that helps.

Retired_Member · ‎2017-12-20

@aaz wrote:
@Retired_Member wrote:

1. Why does it appear that each Orbi firmware update continues to create home network issues? (Fix some/break some)
...
3. Advice to those who may have no issues with their Orbi with regard to the 'need' to update the firmware.

I know it was not directed to me, but as a former software developer and someone currently in IT.

1. Software development is hard. The issue I had with netgear was their testing methodology before releasing. I would wish they would make wider public beta's available - and to a degree they are doing that now by putting up software available to download to the community before it gets auto rolled out. I just wish they would publicly mark it as Beta if it has not been well tested, and then after it's been well tested release it as production. Thay way it would be my choice if I wanted to run Beta code and not be fooled into thinking it's production ready. Release beta more often, but release it for testing.

3. From an IT perspective, you need to update because (A) security fixes. You don't want that nasty crypto on your home computer. (B) standards march along and as new devices are released software has to be made to work with it.

Hope that helps.

Thanks to both of these posts. I agree about the concept of 'Beta' release. As someone who has 'played' around with having the latest version or firmware updates for over 20 years, it can be a real challenge. I like the idea of perhaps making those you choose to participate in the 'Beta' program do so with certain understandings. At the end of the day there is the realization that things may not go they way the way they are intended. In do this, I would hope it would cut down on all the negative posts on community forums such as this. The message would be,....Be warned...you know what you signed up for. At the same time companies like Netgear could compensate the Beta testers in some fashion. The way the operation is running now, a handful of excited IT type minded folks ( I was in that group years ago) are downloading something that may not be ready for prime time and expressing themselves accordingly. Not good for all concerned. Thanks again. I want the Orbi to succeed as well as all on here to get the features and speed they paid for.