A router firmware update goes bad

This existence Computerworld, the number of readers who update the firmware in their router is probably high. But, I doubtable very few non-techies continue their firmware current, or even know that the software in their router needs updating (and is called "firmware" rather than "software"). Information technology's quite understandable.

For one affair, the security issues raised by old firmware don't generally scream at y'all. And the update procedure is never correctly or fully documented. And, the procedure varies, us techies take to deal with unlike upgrade procedures for different routers.

Then as well, information technology's unsafe. If a firmware update (like a BIOS update) fails halfway through, you're indeep trouble. And, even if the update works, the new firmware may have reset some settings, settings that very few people are likely to notice or empathise.

So, it was with some trepidation that I recently updated the firmware on an Asus RT-N66U Dark Knight router endemic by a relative.

Knowing the dangers, I had procrastinated the update. At finish of September 2014 the router was however running firmware that had been installed in early January 2013 (version 3.0.0.four.260). That's too long, especially since there were multiple updates in the interim.

The firmware update hassle starts with learning virtually new firmware releases. Inconsistency is the rule.

The worst routers crave that y'all periodically bank check the website of the manufacturer for updates. Side by side upwardly the chain, are routers that offer a transmission check for new firmware in their web interface. Some companies automate the process past sending you lot an e-mail you lot when new firmware is released (Peplink and NAS vendor Synology practise this). Other routers can automatically cheque for updated firmware, but they just notify you if and when you lot login to the router to look.

asus router new firmware edited 1

The RT-N66U works this way. When you login to information technology subsequently information technology has detected new firmware, there will be a blinking yellowish exclamation point in the pinnacle correct corner. Hovering the mouse over the yellowish icon produces the message shown here.

In the onetime days, updating firmware meant downloading a file (often a zip file) to a computer and then uploading a file to the router. At present, some routers, the RT-N66U among them, can practise virtually of the work on their own. A couple clicks in the administrative website downloads and installs the newer firmware.

At first, the procedure went well and the firmware was updated to version 3.0.0.4.374_720 (what's with the looooong version numbers?).

asus.router.firmware.complete

Of course, when I say the process went "well" I'm grading on a curve. After the message that the firmware had been successfully updated, everything stopped. What adjacent? Asus offers no clue. You're on your ain.

I guessed, correctly, that the side by side footstep was to log dorsum in to the router.

Feel has shown that routers don't always update themselves to the latest firmware, and then after the update, I had the router check once again for newer firmware. Certain enough, it was non current.

The get-go update had gotten me to September 2013. The next one would have me to June 2014.

The router doesn't place the new firmware version that it wants to install in whatsoever fashion shape or course. Afterwards, I learned that it wanted to install version 3.0.0.4.376_1071.

The second update proceeded like the first ane, including the lack of instructions for what to do after the update completed. Later information technology was done, notwithstanding, I could non connect back into the router.

Had it lost its IP address? The default IP accost of the router is not on the box itself, and so this was a lesson learned the difficult way: download the manuals for the thing before upgrading its firmware.

Turns out that I couldn't connect to the router because all the wireless networks were gone. Worse nevertheless, I couldn't connect to it by Ethernet either. Was the thing bricked?

With no other options, I unplugged the power from the router and allow it sit down. And sit. And sit down some more. Why so long? Interesting story.

In early 2014, The Wirecutter picked the Asus RT-AC56U as the best router. A few months later, after "some stability issues", they switched to recommending the Netgear R6250. The issues were that clients had trouble connecting to the RT-AC56U on the two.4GHz band.

Quoting The Wirecutter

.. Asus acknowledged via email that the RT-AC56U had had a 2.4 GHz problem but said that a firmware update last twelvemonth fixed it. All the same, we encountered the same ii.4 GHz bug with our RT-AC56U, which had upward-to-appointment firmware. At one point, our wireless-n connectivity ground to a near-standstill. The 5 GHz connection worked merely fine, but on the 2.4 GHz ring [we] couldn't even admission the router's Spider web interface ... We power-cycled the router and fifty-fifty returned information technology to mill default settings with no success. The issue only fixed itself after we turned off the router off for a while and so turned it on over again.

For a while? They had to turn the RT-AC56U off "for a while". A normal power bicycle did not clear things upwards. And so I let my RT-N66U sit down unplugged for about xv minutes.

And it worked.

That said, when I first logged in to the 2nd new firmware, there was a warning nearly SAMBA sharing. The router is not used for file sharing, so I disabled SAMBA. While I was at it, I disabled the DLNA media server too. IP v6 was already disabled. Its proficient Defensive Computing to turn off features you're non using.

If non for the scare this put into me (a houseful of people with no Internet access), I would have updated the firmware a third time. A subsequent check of the Asus website showed that a newer firmware (3.0.0.four.376.2524) had been released two weeks before.

It's now almost a month since this latest firmware was released, and the RT-N66U withal says that the version from June is the latest and greatest. So it goes.

asus.router.new.firmware.check


The important point here is preparing for router failure. Even without a firmware update, a router tin fail for other reasons, such as old age, an electrical surge or the cat knocking information technology to the floor.

1 approach is having a backup router. Like a spare tire in the torso of a car, it doesn't have to exist as full featured, it just has to work. A lesser of the line router can exist had for around $30.

Another option that tin can tide you over is using your smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

At that place is a third option too, simply I have not seen information technology in a consumer grade router.

Nigh people make a one-to-one connection between a router and its firmware. That is, ane router equals one firmware. Information technology doesn't take to exist that manner. In that location are routers capable of maintaining two copies of the firmware.

Such a router would permit you lot download new firmware and non employ information technology immediately. If, for case, you downloaded new firmware on a Wednesday you could wait to reboot the box until the weekend to try out the new version. If there are problems, you can fall back to the prior, known good, version of the firmware.

Peplink is a router visitor that offers multiple firmwares, even on their cheapest models. Here is a screen shot from their depression end Pepwave Surf Soho showing the two bachelor firmware releases that you can reboot the box into.

peplink.firmware.reboot


If you know of other routers with multiple firmwares please leave a annotate below or email me at my full name at gmail and I'll add a note here near it.

Which of these three approaches do I use? All of them, of form.

Michael Horowitz is an independent consultant who has long been focused on Defensive Computing.

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