Question

Hi

I have a RUT360 that has issues with Carrier Aggregation.  This is not the point of my question, but I see other people here with the same problems.

For that reason I want to update the firmware.  However, I cannot update to a newer version than RUT36X_R_00.07.01.2 without losing my 4G connection altogether.

The official advice from Teltonika on this forum is to update the modem firmware via SSH.  This makes me very nervous.  What I now have is two different firmwares on one device.  One can be easily updated (and rolled back) and one can't.  This is very dangerous.  I see many posts on this forum where this has gone wrong and devices have been 'bricked'.

My questions are these:

1. How can I be sure that the two firmwares (RUT360 and modem) are compatible?

2. What if I update the modem firmware and lose my 4G connection?  Can I revert to a previous modem firmware?

2. Will I need to do a modem firmware update in the future - i.e. will my RUT360 break again with a future firmware update?

Teltonika - it seems you have created a real problem here, so please answer these questions. You have gone from supplying nice reliable devices to supplying something that can be broken with a remote firmware update - a worst-case scenario for something that is supposed to be reliable.

I look forward to your response.

Answer 1

Hello,

How can I be sure that the two firmwares (RUT360 and modem) are compatible?

Router and cellular modem are two separate devices, with their own CPU from different manufacturers. Thus, the firmwares in those devices are independent and you should not be worried about compatibility issues. 

What if I update the modem firmware and lose my 4G connection?  Can I revert to a previous modem firmware?

This should not occur, as modem firmware fixes global issues, related to the functionality of the modem. However, if there are any stability issues or reduced performance with the latter firmware, you can always revert. The only condition is to have a WAN source other than mobile during modem update procedure.

Will I need to do a modem firmware update in the future - i.e. will my RUT360 break again with a future firmware update?

As long as you have a reliable mobile data connection, updating modem firmware is not suggested at all, as issues related to the router functionalities are solved with router's firmware. However, there are quite a few instances, where updating modem firmware resulted in improved mobile connectivity stability and reliability.

Best regards,

Žygimantas 

Comments

Thank you very much Žygimantas

A quick follow-on question please: Do you think that updating the modem firmware will enable me to upgrade the router firmware without losing connection to EE?

---

For the modem firmware to update, a necessary condition is to have the router connected to a different WAN source, as the connection to the carrier will be lost.

During firmware update, you lose any access to the device as the device gets disconnected from all the networks and services, so, unfortunately, you will get disconnected.

Best regards,

---

Ah - sorry Žygimantas - I was not clear.

What I meant was that last time I updated the router firmware I lost connection to EE (in the UK) and was unable to reconnect without downgrading again.

My question should have been: Do you think updating the modem firmware will solve that problem?

I have no problem connecting to a different WAN source during the update.

---

It might help, however, I would like you try to update with the Keep settings option disabled, and try using manually entered APN. If the device does not establish mobile connectivity, I would like you to attach a troubleshoot file to your question. To generate the file, access router's WebUI, go to System -> Administration > Troubleshoot section and download troubleshoot file from there.

I would like to check at the logs first.

Best regards,