Update AP Firmware in Wi-Fi Cloud

Applies To: Wi-Fi Cloud-managed Access Points (AP120, AP125, AP225W, AP320, AP322, AP325, AP327X, AP420)

We recommend you make sure that your APs have the latest firmware version installed, and that it is the same version as the WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud server software.

In Wi-Fi Cloud v11.0 and higher, the AP120, AP320, and AP322 no longer appear in the model list because the latest firmware version they can use is v8.8.3.

You can manually upgrade APs to the latest available version. You can also configure automatic upgrades for devices that connect to Wi-Fi Cloud for the first time, and schedule upgrades for existing deployed devices.

If you encounter issues with a specific version of AP firmware, you can also downgrade to a previous version.

Enable the Hitless Device Firmware Update option to minimize downtime for wireless clients during AP upgrades. APs are not upgraded at the same time as nearby APs so that wireless clients in that vicinity can remain connected to the Wi-Fi network.

AP upgrades occur over HTTPS port 443. If this port is unavailable or blocked, the upgrade process uses HTTP port 80 after three attempts.

View Firmware Update Status

To view the firmware update status for an AP in Discover:

  1. Open Discover.
  2. Select Monitor > WiFi > Access Points.

If the AP firmware version on a device is different than the version available on the Wi-Fi Cloud server, Upgrade AP device icon appears in the Update column of the AP list.

WatchGuard Discover AP Device Upgrade Indicator

Update AP Firmware

To update the AP firmware in Discover:

  1. Open Discover.
  2. Select Monitor > WiFi > Access Points.
  3. Right-click the AP you want to update, then select Update Firmware.

Screen shot of the Update Firmware action in Discover

  1. From the Version drop-down list, select the firmware version to install on the AP.
    You can select a previous version if you want to downgrade the AP to a previous firmware version.

Screen shot of the Update Firmware page in Discover

  1. Click Update.
    The firmware upgrade process begins and can take several minutes to complete.

Configure Automatic Update for New Devices

A device that has not yet been provisioned but connects to Wi-Fi Cloud is moved to the Staging Area location and is considered a new device. You can choose to upgrade new devices for any location, including the Staging Area location.

New devices tagged to a location are upgraded immediately on detection if you have enabled new device firmware updates for that location.

Device settings are not pushed to the devices that have been selected for auto-upgrade. For new devices, this ensures that the device does not operate as an AP until the upgrade is complete. New devices with an existing configuration continue to operate based on the existing configuration until after upgrade when the new device settings are pushed to the device.

To enable automatic firmware updates for new devices in Discover:

  1. Open Discover.
  2. Select a location.
  3. Select Monitor > WiFi > Access Points.
  4. Click to configure the firmware update settings.

Screen shot of the Monitor > WiFi > Access Points page with the Firmware Update options icon highlighted

  1. To apply new firmware update settings recursively to the subfolder locations, select the Apply Update Settings Recursively to Subfolders check box.
  2. Select the New Access Points tab.

Screen shot of the Firmware Update settings in Discover

  1. Select Automatically Update When Connected to Server to immediately update the firmware of a new AP when it is connected.
  2. Select Latest version for all models, or select Customize to select which AP models to upgrade.
  3. Click Done to save the configuration.

Configure Scheduled Update for Existing Devices

You can configure a schedule to upgrade existing devices at any location, except the Staging Area location. You can configure a recurring or a one-time schedule for existing devices.

When an AP has an update scheduled, an icon indicating a scheduled update appears in the Update column.

Screen shot of the firmware update scheduled icon

You can also see a notification in the AP counter at the top of the page if there are firmware updates scheduled.

Screen shot of the firmware update scheduled notification in the AP counter

To configure a schedule to upgrade existing devices in Discover:

  1. Open Discover.
  2. Select a location.
  3. Select Monitor > WiFi > Access Points.
  4. Click to configure the firmware update settings.

Screen shot of the Monitor > WiFi > Access Points page with the Firmware Update options icon highlighted

  1. To apply new firmware update settings recursively to the subfolder locations, select the Apply Update Settings Recursively to Subfolders check box.
  2. Select the Existing Access Points tab.

Screen shot of the Firmware Update settings in Discover

  1. Select Hitless Update to minimize downtime for wireless clients during AP upgrades. APs are not upgraded at the same time as nearby APs so that wireless clients in that vicinity can remain connected to the Wi-Fi network.
  2. Select Schedule Updates to schedule a firmware update for a specific data and time.
  • You can configure a recurring schedule or a one time schedule.
  • Select Latest version for all models, or select Customize to select which AP models to upgrade.
  1. Click Done to save the configuration.

About APs During Firmware Updates

More about AP firmware updates:

  • After device updates begin, the devices are unavailable until the upgrade process is complete. We recommend that you schedule device updates at a time of the day when device downtime does not cause significant network disruption.
  • When you enable hitless device upgrades, APs are not upgraded at the same time as nearby APs so that wireless clients in that vicinity can remain connected to the Wi-Fi network.
  • If a device fails to upgrade within the specified upgrade time period, you must upgrade the AP manually.
  • The status of device upgrades appears in Monitor > WiFi > Access Points in Discover. The upgrade status icons for the individual devices indicate the status of the device upgrade. To see details about the upgrade status of a device, hover over the upgrade status icon for the device.
  • When a schedule runs, only active devices are upgraded. If a device is inactive when the schedule runs, you must upgrade the device manually. For more information about how to manually upgrade an AP, see Update AP Firmware .
  • Device upgrades are not initiated after the end of the upgrade window, but some device upgrades can finish a few minutes after the end of the upgrade window.
  • When you move a device from one location to another, the device upgrade schedule configured at the new location applies to the device.