Firmware overview

What is firmware?

Firmware is a set of instructions that provide low-level control of a device's hardware. This can range from a simple direction to a very complex set of instructions that can help improve or change the functioning of a device. Essentially, adding firmware reprograms a device to perform a new specific set of instructions that are coded into the firmware.

For instance, in the case of a computer that includes a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), the firmware updates the BIOS with new or improved instruction sets. The same is true of your router.

Firmware is flashed to a device, another term for uploading it to your device's internal storage. Flashing your device with new firmware is how you provide it with new instructions, features, and capabilities.

Why is firmware needed?

MyWiFi supports a feature called Presence Analytics, which generally requires flashing the most up-to-date firmware to your device. In some cases, the firmware may instead include specific instructions to connect to MyWiFi to simplify setup.

Update firmware

Firmware updates are generally released and automatically updated to MyWiFi devices. If necessary, you can also manually update the firmware by following these instructions.

Recover from firmware failure

If your firmware fails for some reason, you can recover it -- head here for some instructions.