Firmware version 2.3.1.44 landed on my Netgear Orbi last night, bringing with it a decent
number of bugfixes and new features, probably the most notable of which is the NETGEAR Armor
security system to make your home Internet and all devices connected to it much more
secure. So, let’s take a quick look.
If you’ve not already got a Netgear Orbi WiFi system, then you’re missing out! Click
the first link in the video description to check pricing and availability, and click
the little “i” in the top right corner to see my detailed setup, review and test.
It’s an awesome system which blankets your entire house in strong, fast WiFi so you get
no deadspots and the full speed of Internet access that you’re paying for.
So back to the update, when you open up either the Orbi mobile app or the web interface on
desktop, you should see a notice informing you that new firmware is available. If you
don’t see that you can go into Advanced Settings, then Administration and then Firmware
update to check.
As I said, the standout new feature in this release is the addition of the NETGEAR Armor
security service powered by Bitdefender, which protects your entire home network right at
router level. It promises “Advanced cyber threat protection for your home and all your
devices”, which certainly doesn’t sound like a bad idea, and could be especially helpful
for the less tech-savvy users out there . Features include things like blocking fake or malicious
websites on your home network, automatically scanning your home network for devices which
have issues and vulnerabilities that could cause problems, or just that are using weak
or default passwords, as well as ransomware protection and blocking of unauthorised devices
trying to access your network.
Once the new update is installed, you’ll see a new Security section on the web interface
as well as on the mobile app. For some reason, it seems you can ONLY do this stuff via the
app at the moment. Once activated, if you tap the new Security icon you’ll be taken
to the Armor portal, and once it’s had a little while to have a think about your network
you’ll be able to see its assessment of how you’re doing, as well as install the
Bitdefender client on your various devices like smartphones, tablets and PCs, if you
want, so you can be protected even when not connected at home.
Whilst Armor got itself sorted, I got a barrage of notifications on my phone as it said hello
to each and every device on my network for the first time!
It’s worth noting that the Armor service isn’t completely free - you get a 90 day
trial after which you have to pay an annual subscription fee, so I’ll keep an open mind
over the next three months to see if I reckon it’ll be worth paying. I’d be interested
to know your thoughts, so let me know in the comments.
Other things new in this update include Netgear encouraging strong Admin passwords which is
certainly good practice. Mine is extremely strong, as you’d expect, but it still told
me it wasn’t - I imagine this is because of being the first time this new process had
run, and since passwords clearly aren’t stored in a readable format, which is a good
thing, it couldn’t have assessed it previously. I kept the password I had previously and it
passed the test.
Now, I’ve been using the Orbi for about 4 or 5 months now and I’ve had to reboot
it due to crashes a few times, maybe 2 or 3... so not awful, but disappointing and it’s
certainly been a bit less stable than I’d expected, so I’m hoping the “crash and
reboot” error that’s meant to have been fixed will sort that, although my issue did
affect wired connections too, so time will tell.
It looks like they’ve also increased the security on the OpenVPN certificate as well
which is a good thing, although I’ve not yet tested that out because I already use
PiVPN to dial into my home network when out and about. I’ll be doing a video on the
VPN feature soon, so subscribe to the channel to see that.
I’ll put the full details of this firmware update in the video description so you can
see all the changes and enhancements. Has it hit your Orbi yet? What do you think, are
you happy with the changes and are you going to use or even pay for Armor? Let me know
your thoughts in the comments below!
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if you’re feeling extra super amazing. There’s an unboxing video showing the RBK53 Orbi system
with router + 2 satellites on screen now, as well as detailed setup, test and review
- so check out those videos if you haven’t already.
So that’s all for this video, I’ve been @paulfp for Switched On Network, and I hope
to see you again soon. Thanks for watching!