How to Update Router Firmware and Tighten Home Wi-Fi Security

Routers receive firmware updates in one of three ways: automatically in the background, through a single button in the maker's app or admin page, or by downloading a file from the maker's support page and uploading it yourself. Begin by signing in to the router to see which version it runs and whether automatic updates are switched on. Then, while you are there, check a short list of security settings that matter as much as the update itself.

What router firmware is, and why updates matter

Firmware is the software built into the router. It runs the Wi-Fi radios, the admin page, the firewall and the link to your broadband line. Updates close security holes, fix bugs and sometimes add features such as newer encryption modes. Because a router faces the internet around the clock and every phone, laptop, TV and camera in the home passes through it, an outdated one is a weak point for all of them at once.

Before you start

• Model and hardware version. Both are printed on the label underneath. Some models exist in several hardware revisions that take different firmware files.
• Admin address and login. These are often on the same label. If you or your provider changed the admin password, you will need the current one.
• Provider-supplied routers. A router from your internet provider may update itself and block manual updates. The provider's support line can confirm how it is handled.
• Your current settings. Note the network name, Wi-Fi password and any special rules such as port forwarding, in case the update resets them.

How to update router firmware, step by step

1. Connect a computer to the router, ideally with an Ethernet cable so the connection cannot drop halfway.
2. Type the router's admin address into a browser, or open the maker's app.
3. Sign in and find the firmware section. It is usually under Administration, System, Maintenance or Advanced.
4. Note the current version number, then choose "Check for updates" if the option exists.
5. If there is no online check, download the firmware for your exact model and hardware version from the maker's official support page, then install it with the Upload or Browse button on the firmware screen.
6. Wait. Do not unplug, restart or close anything until the router reports that it has finished and rebooted. Losing power during an update can leave a router unusable.
7. Sign back in, confirm the new version number and turn on automatic updates if the router offers them.

Security settings to check while you are signed in

What is WPA3?

WPA3 is the current Wi-Fi security standard and the successor to WPA2. Its main gain for home networks is a new way of agreeing the connection that makes it far harder to capture a sign-in exchange and then guess the password offline at high speed; each guess has to be made live against the router. Both the router and the device must support WPA3. Transition mode lets newer devices use it while older ones still join with WPA2.

What is a guest network?

A guest network is a second Wi-Fi network from the same router, with its own name and password. Devices on it reach the internet but, with isolation switched on, cannot see the computers, printers or storage drives on your main network. It suits visitors, smart plugs and cameras, and small firms that run screens in a shop window or waiting room like those in our guide to digital signage displays, where a display has no reason to share a network with the till or the office PC.

Common mistakes

• Installing firmware meant for a different hardware version of the same model.
• Running the update over Wi-Fi from a laptop that goes to sleep halfway.
• Changing the security mode and then wondering why an old printer or TV vanished from the network.
• Leaving the admin password at its factory setting after all the effort.

When updates stop coming

Makers eventually stop releasing firmware for older models. If the support page has listed nothing new for a long time, or marks the model as end-of-life, replacing the router is the safer choice. A new router is also a chance to rethink coverage; see mesh Wi-Fi vs extender before you buy. If a new security mode or password means rejoining every device, finding the saved Wi-Fi password on a phone or laptop you already own spares you some typing.