Schedule Firmware Upgrades On Unifi!
One draw back up a lot of the entry level wireless platforms is the inability to schedule firmware updates. Ubiquiti, Aruba’s instant series, Cisco Small business, etc. make great products that can do a number of advanced features. But the number one thing they are all missing is the ability to schedule firmware updates. This causes 3 scenarios:
- The units never get updated. — Bad idea
- The upgrade procedure is done during the middle of the business day causing downtime for clients — Annoying but do-able-ish…maybe.
- The IT Guy has to do the updates after hours. — varies but is dependent on the business hours.
Recently Ubiquiti has updated the user interface of the Unifi controller. So I updated my home Unifi controller from 5.6.40 to 5.9.29 and to my surprise I found this little gem.
Obviously, for this to work the controller needs to be online. Some installers just put the Unifi controller software on their laptop, that is NOT going to work and the configuration will have to be migrated to something else. For most small companies, running a Linux VM or purchasing a Unifi cloud key isn’t that big of an expense when compared to the money they save from unexpected downtime or the hardware/licensing costs of other wireless providers.
To update you’re Unifi Controller go to Unifi Downloads and download the latest software. Depending upon the version of the Unifi Controller you’re currently running, you may have to do a multi step upgrade to get to the current version. Read the release notes to see the required versions.
-Terry Sheridan