How to Upgrade Firmware on Netgear Modem
Your modem needs to update its firmware whenever the manufacturer problems a new version of information technology. New versions of firmware volition exist released when your modem manufacturer fixes a bug or addresses a security concern in your modem’due south software.
By updating your modem’s firmware, you’re improving both the security and functioning of your modem.
Then how do you update your modem’due south firmware?
The skillful news is, you’re not responsible for updating your modem’s firmware. Your internet service provider (Internet access provider) will transport firmware updates to your modem.
This doesn’t mean y’all shouldn’t pay attention to your modem’s firmware. In some cases, ISPs won’t update your modem firmware as oft as they should. Sometimes they won’t update your firmware at all.
It’s your chore to make sure that your Isp is updating your modem’southward firmware.
In this mail service I’ll break down everything you demand to know about updating your modem. We’ll discuss:
- How your modem firmware is updated
- Where you can detect your modem’s current firmware version
- How to determine what firmware version your modem should accept
Permit’due south get going.
What is modem firmware?
Earlier nosotros go over the process of updating your firmware, let’s start from foursquare one.
What is your modem’s firmware, exactly?
Your modem’s firmware is the software that determines how your modem functions.
This includes:
- How it starts up and shuts down
- How it connects to your ISP to provide you lot with an internet connection
- What the settings page looks similar when you log in to your modem’south settings
If you haven’t noticed by now, information technology’s a very of import part of your modem. In fact, your modem won’t work without it.
When you lot receive a modem, the firmware will come up preloaded on it. That’s because the manufacturer builds your modem with the firmware embedded on a reckoner bit in the device.
The only way your modem’s firmware can exist changed is by updating the firmware or installing brand new firmware on the device. Every bit a user, you can’t make any changes to how your modem’due south firmware functions.
Why should I update my modem firmware?
Making sure your modem’s software is updated is very important.
Whatsoever time a software bug or security flaw is constitute in your modem’s code, the manufacturer will update the lawmaking for your modem and issue an update.
If your modem’s firmware isn’t updated, it won’t receive any performance or security updates that the modem manufacturer develops.
This includes new features every bit well. If your modem manufacturer develops a new characteristic for your modem, you won’t be able to use it unless you have the latest software.
Chances are, you paid practiced money for your modem. Even if y’all’re renting information technology and paying monthly. You want to make sure yous’re getting the all-time performance, features, and security to go with information technology.
Especially today with everyone emailing, banking, and shopping online, you want to make certain your internet connection is as secure equally possible.
How to update your modem firmware
When information technology comes to updating your modem, at that place’s good news and bad news.
The expert news is that the procedure for updating your modem doesn’t require as much effort as
updating your router does. In fact, updating your modem requires no activeness on your role at all.
That’due south right. Yous read that correctly.
You aren’t responsible for updating your modem. Your Internet access provider is.
Ok so if that’due south the expert news, what’s the bad news?
Before we get into that, let’s break down how the modem update process happens.
How does your ISP update your modem firmware?
Any time your modem manufacturer bug an update to your modem’s firmware, they send it to your Internet access provider.
From in that location, it’s your Isp’s task to brand sure your modem gets updated.
Earlier the update is pushed to your modem over your internet connexion, there’south more to be washed.
When an Internet service provider gets a firmware update for a specific modem, they accept to cheque and test it. Starting time and foremost, your ISP needs to make sure that the cyberspace connection between the ISP and the modem owner (you) still works properly after the update.
Once the modem update has been tested and everything works properly, your Internet service provider will issue the firmware update.
This firmware update volition only affect the modems connected to the Internet service provider of that specific make and model. In other words, your modem will just be updated if your manufacturer issued an update for your specific model. All other modems connected to the ISP won’t be updated.
When your modem receives the update, it’ll automatically install it.
This’ll all be invisible to you. The but way to know if your modem was updated is to cheque the firmware version on the device, which
we’ll become to later on.
Ok. Then earlier I mentioned there was bad news when it comes to updating your modem.
Now that I’ve described how your modem should be upgraded, let’s accept a look at the downside.
The bad news almost modem updates
What’s bad nigh your Internet service provider updating your modem for you? It seems similar a pretty easy process.
The problem with your ISP existence in charge of updating your modem is that your modem doesn’t always get updated similar it should.
This can be especially truthful when your net plan isn’t with a big provider. For example, I’m talking virtually the major players similar AT&T, Comcast/Xfinity, Verizon, or Cox Communications.
Let’s looks at it from an ISPs perspective.
They have thousands of customers, and their customers all have different modems.
Some modems are brand new.
While others are older.
Some are made past large manufacturers.
While others are made from smaller, less well known manufacturers.
The lesser line is that there could be thousands of dissimilar modems connected to a given Internet service provider. Equally a consequence, it makes it really difficult to manage all of these modem updates.
Allow’s say you have an older modem that’south not very popular.
Is your Isp going to spend a lot of effort testing and checking modem updates for that modem if only a small number of their customers have that same model?
I don’t recall so.
Another thing to keep in heed is that checking and testing modem updates costs your Internet access provider money.
Are they going to spend coin to accept updates tested for a modem that merely a pocket-sized number of their customers take?
Especially if yous have an internet plan with a smaller Internet access provider. They may non take a budget for testing that other, larger ISPs take.
Hopefully you tin see the bigger movie here.
The bottom line is that you don’t have the same amount of control over your modem updates because your Isp is responsible for updating information technology.
Equally a result, all ISPs don’t update modems like they should.
How to tell if your modem firmware has been updated
If your Isp isn’t going to update you modem when they should, yous demand to know almost it.
So how do you go well-nigh confirming that you have the nigh updated version of firmware on your modem?
The first thing to do is check what firmware version your modem currently has.
How to check your modem’s current firmware version
In order to check what version of firmware is currently installed on your router, you’ll need to admission your modem’s settings.
In order to get to your modem’s settings, you’ll need to know your modem’due south
IP address.
Decide your modem’s IP address
Don’t worry if you’re non certain what your
modem’s IP address is. Y’all tin usually find your modem’south IP address listed on a sticker on the actual device.
For example, I accept a
Netgear CM600 modem. On the bottom of my modem in that location’s a sticker that lists its IP address.
Equally you lot tin can run across, my IP accost is 192.168.100.1. Most modems should have a similar IP address.
If you don’t know your IP address and your modem doesn’t accept a sticker on it, you should endeavour looking online. Modems are shipped with default IP addresses, and there are many resource online that list what those default addresses are.
For example,
this site
details the common IP addresses for Netgear modem’s like mine. Just do a Google search for the make and model of your modem and you should be able to find its default IP address.
Log in to your modem’due south settings
Once yous’ve determined your modem’s IP address, blazon information technology into your internet browser’s search bar.
This’ll bring you lot to your modem’due south login page.
Log in to your modem with the username and countersign you created for it.
If you oasis’t created a username and password, you lot can log in with the default values that come up with the modem.
How do you know what the default values are?
Luckily, this information is listed on your modem as well. Just take a look at the aforementioned sticker yous looked at to detect your modem’s IP accost.
If I hadn’t changed my default password, I’d be able to log in to my modem using “password” as my password.
If yous don’t have these default values listed on your modem, you lot can most likely find them online. Similar to your modem’due south default IP address, you should exist able to detect the default username and password for your make and model too.
As a security note, if you haven’t inverse the default password for your modem to a custom password, you lot need to. As I mentioned, the default password for your modem can be found online, which means anyone with access to your network would be able to go to your modem’southward settings.
Changing the default countersign of your modem volition help go along hackers and bad actors from being able to mess with your modem’due south settings. But irresolute the password away from the default goes a long way towards making your modem more secure.
This is very of import. Take the few minutes to change your modem’s password if you haven’t done so already.
Cheque the firmware version installed on your modem
Ok, now you lot’ve logged in to your modem.
The next footstep is to run into what version of firmware is installed on your device.
Thankfully, this is easy to notice.
Right when I log in to my modem, the firmware version is listed right on the home folio.
As you can see, the firmware version installed on my modem is V1.01.22.
If you have a different make and model of modem, your firmware version may not be listed on the Abode page. Equally a event, I’ll evidence y’all another mode of accessing this information in your modem’s settings.
Even if your modem is a unlike make and model, the steps to find out the firmware version of your device should be like.
In my case, I tin can find my firmware version simply by clicking the Advanced tab.
Once on the Advanced tab, my modem’southward firmware version is conspicuously listed.
Now yous know what version of firmware is installed on your modem.
Detect the latest version of firmware for your modem
Ok and so you know the firmware version of your modem.
The question is: is this the most contempo version of firmware that your modem’s manufacturer has released?
There’s merely one style to detect out.
We need to go to the source to meet what the latest firmware version for your modem is.
In this instance the source is your modem manufacturer’south website. That should requite u.s.a. the information we’re looking for.
I’ll employ my modem as an case. As a reminder, my modem is a
Netgear CM600 modem.
My modem’due south manufacturer is Netgear, so I did an net search for Netgear’s website.
I accessed the Support section of Netgear’due south website and was able to access the support page for my CM600 modem. Inside this page, there was a header for firmware and software downloads.
Here’due south what information was listed in this section.
This section says that firmware upgrades are provided by the ISP. We’re well aware of this at this point.
I wanted more information, and then I clicked the provided “Knowledge Base of operations” link.
The “Knowledge Base” provided a listing of the latest firmware for all of Netgear’s modems. This was exactly what I was looking for.
Here’s what it showed for my CM600 modem.
As y’all can see, depending upon your ISP yous may have a dissimilar version of firmware.
My internet plan is with Comcast, then information technology looks like my modem firmware should exist version V1.01.22.
What a relief.
Equally we determined in the previous steps, I saw that my modem has firmware V1.01.22 installed. This means that my ISP is updating my modem similar they should.
As a result, there’s no further action at this betoken. I just need to cheque back in a few months to see if a newer version of firmware has been released.
What to do if your modem firmware is outdated
In my instance, my modem’south firmware matches the latest version released by the manufacturer.
What if this wasn’t the example? What tin yous do?
There are a few things you tin do if your modem firmware doesn’t match the latest version.
We’ll take a expect at each one so y’all have a good idea of what your options are.
Reboot your modem
If your modem says information technology has an sometime firmware version, the first thing to try is to
reboot your modem.
When you restart your modem, it runs through multiple checks when it powers upward.
1 of those checks is to see if the latest firmware version is running on the modem.
If the modem isn’t running the latest version of firmware, it’ll get the updated firmware from your Internet service provider and install it.
Essentially what you’re doing when you reboot your modem is forcing your modem to double cheque its firmware. If it’southward out of engagement, it should update automatically as long equally the ISP has issued the firmware update.
Once your modem has powered dorsum up, cheque the firmware version once again by following the procedure I previously outlined.
If the firmware is still outdated, try contacting your Internet access provider.
Contact your Isp
When it comes to your Internet access provider, sometimes the squeaky bicycle gets the grease.
If your modem’s firmware is outdated and rebooting your modem didn’t update it, give your Internet service provider a call.
On some occasions it may take them a while to outcome a firmware update after it’s released. If you call your ISP y’all can get a status of the firmware update. They should be able to tell you if they’re working on the update or not.
If enough customers call looking for a modem update, it might motivate them to get the the update released sooner.
On the other paw, they may tell yous that they won’t be updating your modem’s firmware. If that’s the instance, you can either look into getting a new Internet access provider or purchase a new modem.
Find a new Isp or buy a new modem
Let’s say you lot’ve tried rebooting your modem and calling your ISP.
Rebooting your modem didn’t work, and your Internet service provider said they won’t by updating your modem.
What do you exercise now?
I would advise taking one of two actions. Y’all tin:
- Try to notice a new Isp
- Purchase (or rent) a new modem
Information technology’due south not condom for you to have a modem that isn’t updated, because it can leave yous open to some serious security concerns. You demand to accept activeness.
Find a new ISP
If your current Isp won’t update your modem, perchance in that location’due south another 1 that will.
Depending upon where you live, you might have a few different ISPs to choose from. If your Internet access provider says they won’t update your modem, information technology might be worth calling their competitor to see if they’ll update your modem’s firmware.
For some people this won’t be an option, equally there’south simply 1 major internet provider in the area. This is the instance for me. In that location’southward merely i ISP that provides coverage to my surface area, and so my easily are tied on this front end.
With that said, this isn’t the case for anybody. Information technology might be worth taking a few minutes to encounter if in that location’s another Internet access provider that can both provide you lot with cyberspace and update your modem.
Purchase (or rent) a new modem
If your ISP won’t update your modem, information technology’s well-nigh likely that:
- The ISP yous’re using isn’t a major provider
- Your modem is old or an uncommon make and model
If you don’t want to change your ISP (or there’southward no Isp in your area) and y’all want your modem to receive updates, you lot don’t have much of a choice. Yous’ll accept to change your modem.
Ane option is to rent a modem from your Isp. Renting a modem volition just nigh guarantee that it’ll receive firmware updates. That’s because ISPs won’t rent out modems that they don’t update.
This comes with some tradeoffs though. Rented modems from the ISP are unremarkably
modem and router combination devices, and they don’t unremarkably offer as many features as standalone modems and routers practise.
On top of that, renting a modem tin be expensive because you’re paying for it every month.
If yous buy a new modem that’s a popular make and model, information technology’ll well-nigh likely receive updates from the Isp because a lot of their customers will take the same model that y’all do. On height of that, buying your ain modem will exist cheaper than renting a modem in the long run.
The bottom line here is that y’all want your modem to get firmware updates when they get available. Whether y’all discover a new ISP or change out your modem, just make sure that your modem will become updated.
Wrap upward
I can’t say information technology enough. Your modem needs to be receiving firmware updates.
Although there may be less to do on your finish when it comes to updating your modem, that doesn’t mean you should turn a blind eye.
You still need to check to make sure your modem is being updated. The take a chance is likewise dandy from a security standpoint not to. On top of that, you don’t want your internet performance suffering because your ISP won’t update your modem.
If you have any questions or you lot would like to share your personal experiences with your modem updates, please experience free to drib a comment beneath.
If you establish this material interesting, bank check out some relevant posts I’ve previously written:
Why Do Modems Need to Be Rebooted?
How to Update Your Router: The Ultimate Guide
