Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Netgear Router Firmware Upgrade

Did you know your Netgear router might have security issues?

This blog post has been prompted by the news that some Netgear routers have security issues and therefore the company are releasing an upgrade to the firmware in order to fix the problem.

Models affected are JNR1010v2, JNR3000, JWNR2000v5, JWNR2010v5, N300, R3250, WNR2020, WNR614, WNR618. To check your router model look on the router base or once you login into the router the model number will be stated on the admin screen.

Even if your model is not affected, doing an upgrade to the firmware is a good idea as it often fixes problems or security issues.

For those of you not sure what a router is it is the device that you use to connect you to the internet. Netgear is a brand and will look something like this image below and will usually say Netgear on it.




Initially you need to log in to your router. To do this open a web browser (like Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer) and in the address bar at the top type 192.168.1.1 (this is the usual 'IP address') and press return. Another window will appear where you need to enter the User name and Password. The default user name is admin and the password is password.


You should now be in the routers admin area and newer models will have a screen similar to the image below. If the router needs an upgrade there will be a message across the top saying "A new firmware upgrade is available. Click here to get it". Click on the message and it will take you to the upgrade area where you can select upgrade.


For older models your login screen may look something like this. Click on 'Router Upgrade' to go to the screen to check for upgrading the firmware.


Then select 'Check' on the next screen.



Install any upgrades needed. The upgrade will take a few minutes depending on your broadband speed.

If this blog has you scratching your head or if you have any problems completing the upgrade then please do get in touch!

Sunday, January 25, 2015

AVG Anti-Virus Update

I highly recommend AVG Anti-Virus software, however you have to be careful when it updates. This happens a few times a year and when it does the following pop-up will appear.


After you click Update now another screen will appear. This screen will have pre-selected 'Ultimate protection' (as shown below). You may not want this as is it costs you, so you have to decide whether you really want to pay. AVG give you a free 30 day trial of this if you want to try it and it is not too difficult to down grade to the Basic version at a later stage. Personally I have found the Basic version adequate for my needs.


So if you want to stay with the Basic version, select Basic protection (as shown below) and continue installing the update.


I hope you have found this helpful and feel free to check out my other posts or get in touch with me if you have any questions.