Netgear C7800 Firmware Update

dadbaud

I have contacted Spectrum support multiple times about receiving an updated firmware for my owned modem/router combo.

According to the Netgear documentation, Netgear supplies the necessary firmware updates to the ISPs, and these are released at the discretion of the ISP. In this documentation, it appears that for the Netgear C7800 (Nighthawk) the latest firmware release is V6.01.07. For the column detailing Spectrum (Approved) it is only listed at V3.01.40
Reference: https://kb.netgear.com/000036375/What-is-the-latest-firmware-version-of-my-NETGEAR-cable-modem-or-modem-router

Is anyone able to reach out internally at Spectrum to run this up the chain and provide an update as to when the latest firmware will be pushed out? It is my belief that this has been out of date for several years and as a loyal Spectrum customer and cybersecurity industry professional, would like to see attention to customer-owned equipment treated with the same urgency as Spectrum-provided equipment when it comes to security, feature, and quality updates that firmware updates regularly apply.

William_M

Hi @dadbaud, welcome to our community!

Firmware updates are deployed automatically once they have been approved by our network engineers. They first go through multiple levels of testing for compatibility and network stability, and they may also be customized to meet our network requirements and security standards prior to being rolled out. The difference in version numbers does not necessarily mean our firmware version is significantly out of date or has neglected any critical security fixes. If your modem is showing the firmware version indicated under the Spectrum column for your model, then it is updated and requires no further action.

dadbaud

@William_M I understand your response, however, I would like more information as to why other (all other) ISPs have authorized or approved the update to the latest firmware, and Spectrum has not. I understand that they go through multiple tests for the reasons you had listed, however the difference in versions (between what Spectrum approved and other ISPs approved) available for this model have differed for years!

My next move is to reach out to Netgear to provide me with release information between the firmware differences to see exactly which security and quality updates have been addressed, as it is not readily available on the Netgear website.

Are you able to provide me with any information as to whether a jump to the latest firmware for this model is on any roadmaps, and any timeline information if so? Thank you for your response!

Renee_T

I apologize, we are not provided details on possible release dates for updates prior to the updates being rolled out.