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Forum Discussion
nepalisherpa
Apr 04, 2020Aspirant
Question regarding Voxel firmware
Hey everyone! Quick question regarding Voxel firmware. I have a RBK53 system (bought from Costco). I'm thinking about installing Voxel firmware only if it prevents Netgear from forcing an update. ...
Retired_Member
Apr 05, 2020
CrimpOn wrote:
Retired_Member wrote:
Users shouldn't view firmware updates as something to avoid. What they should be doing is NOTHING. Stop this mind set that you must have the latest wiz bang update. Your're clicking yourself to wasted hours trying to figure what happened.If your system works WHY in the world woukld you want to click and click? Leave it alone and enjoy the fact that it works.
My impression from many of the posts is that people were happily enjoying their Orbi until Netgear goaded them into updating. (a) by sending an email, "You should update firmware.", or (b) by flashing a notice on their Orbi App, "New Firmware Available." That's what brings them to this forum: Netgear. They would never have sought out the forum if Netgear had not prompted them to (do or be unable to do) a firmware update.
email or app prompt...it doesn't matter....at the point of install...that was their decision.
Then once it fouls up, then they end up in here.
SLK-Purdue
May 31, 2020Luminary
Flashed Voxel firmware on and RBR50 and it was running fine. It experienced a power cycle (I knocked the power cube out with my knee :-) ) and it now beboots (fast LED flash) and then goes into a white LED pulsing varing brightness up an down). Ethernet ports are dead and I can't do TFTP, but I see that plugging in a USB drive get some activity on the drive. Any chance there is a UBS recovery trick or a way to "autorun" a firmware update to reflash this? Doesn't pulsing white mean trying to do factory reset? Thanks.
Scott
ps. this is a test RBR50 so I am not SOL but would like to unbrick this.
- michaelkenwardMay 31, 2020Guru
This really is not the best place for detailed advice on third party firmware.
Not because it is banned – Netgear never intervenes – but because this place has very few people who use this stuff in anger.
Someone may turn up with deep knowledge, but have you tried asking the Voxelites what to do? That might be quicker.
- SLK-PurdueMay 31, 2020Luminary
Where is the best place to find Volex experts? The one forum I found has nothing in several years. Thanks.
michaelkenward wrote:This really is not the best place for detailed advice on third party firmware.
Not because it is banned – Netgear never intervenes – but because this place has very few people who use this stuff in anger.
Someone may turn up with deep knowledge, but have you tried asking the Voxelites what to do? That might be quicker.
- CrimpOnMay 31, 2020Guru
SLK-Purdue wrote:Where is the best place to find Volex experts? The one forum I found has nothing in several years. Thanks.
This forum is pretty active:
- FURRYe38Jun 01, 2020Guru
This can be a factor:
Check your Windows versions. Possible TFTP issues seen with 10 vs 7.
SLK-Purdue wrote:Flashed Voxel firmware on and RBR50 and it was running fine. It experienced a power cycle (I knocked the power cube out with my knee :-) ) and it now beboots (fast LED flash) and then goes into a white LED pulsing varing brightness up an down). Ethernet ports are dead and I can't do TFTP, but I see that plugging in a USB drive get some activity on the drive. Any chance there is a UBS recovery trick or a way to "autorun" a firmware update to reflash this? Doesn't pulsing white mean trying to do factory reset? Thanks.
Scott
ps. this is a test RBR50 so I am not SOL but would like to unbrick this.
- SLK-PurdueJun 10, 2020Luminary
Update on this - there were really two problems. First, the Orbi was in "soft brick" mode and, secondly, the eEhernet interface had a hardware issue. The second is NOT related to Voxel in any way. After I understood it, the first was a self-inflicted issue again, not related to Voxel. Voxel does nice work and this sould not have be posted as relating to Voxel. My bad!!
After I was able to get the serial interface working (most certainly something that voids the warranty :-) ), I was able to use U-Boot to unbrick the router. WiFi worked great but Ethernet still completely dead. I am debugging that issue now but it is hardware and not software.
If there is interest, I can post information about the serial interface access but that is NOT for people without some real experience with hardware/firmware access.
Scott
- CrimpOnJun 10, 2020Guru
SLK-Purdue wrote:After I was able to get the serial interface working (most certainly something that voids the warranty :-) ), I was able to use U-Boot to unbrick the router. WiFi worked great but Ethernet still completely dead. I am debugging that issue now but it is hardware and not software.
Is the the U-Boot you employed to "Unbrick" the Orbi?