How to Update Your Router’s Firmware
Follow these steps to update your router’s firmware:
Why Upgrade the Router Firmware?
Your router’s firmware controls the operating system that’s specifically designed to run on your make and model of router. Your router manufacturer may release a firmware update to fix a vulnerability that was detected in the current firmware. When bugs are found and corrected, updated firmware is released so that users can implement those fixes. Open the router’s IP address as a URL in a web browser, such as http://192.168.1.1 if your router’s IP address is 192.168.1.1. These are common default IP addresses for some of the more popular wireless router brands.
Apple: 10.0.1.1Asus: 192.168.1.1Buffalo Tech: 192.168.1.1D-Link: 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1Cisco/Linksys: 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1NETGEAR: 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.0.227
After you reach the router’s login page, enter the password and username for the admin user. Some routers might require a flash drive that contains the firmware file, plugged into an open USB port on the router, but others let you upgrade the firmware from the router’s control panel. Follow the steps given to you for your specific router. Router manufacturers might also issue a firmware update to add new features to the router, such as parental control settings or IPv6 support. Other upgrades might include adding new security mechanisms that weren’t in previous versions of the firmware. Besides security fixes, your router manufacturer might have found a way to enhance your router’s overall performance, which is always a good thing.
