Firmware upgrades are needed to fix bugs, improve security, and add new features. You can easily upgrade the IXrouter's firmware from inside the IXON Cloud at any time.

We strongly recommend reading the full article before starting a firmware upgrade.

• What do I need to know before upgrading?
• How do I upgrade my IXrouter's firmware?
• Troubleshooting - What if my IXrouter doesn't come back online?

What do I need to know before upgrading?

The firmware upgrade process usually takes 5 minutes with any decent internet connection. As part of this process the IXrouter will reboot twice. This means that any communication going trough the IXrouter will be interrupted for a few seconds. This includes any communication between devices directly connected to the IXrouter's LAN ports (e.g. a PLC and HMI), and any communication going from WAN to LAN and vice versa. Once the firmware upgrade has finished the IXrouter will automatically come back online.

In the rare case that the IXrouter is unable to download the new firmware version, either due to a firewall blocking communication or due to a poor or unstable connection, the IXrouter will try again (requires firmware 3.22 or higher). In total it will attempt 20 times. If all attempts fail, it will automatically reboot and come back online with its previous firmware version. With a decent connection this may take roughly 15 minutes. With a poor connection this may take longer.

Before you start an upgrade, make sure:

• There is no USB flash drive in the IXrouter as it may contain an old configuration file, resulting in the IXrouter being configured incorrectly and not being able to come back online.
• You have someone available near the IXrouter to reboot the IXrouter in the very rare case that it doesn't come back online automatically (only if running firmware 3.21.1 or lower). In such a case, wait at least 30 minutes and then reboot the IXrouter.

How do I upgrade my IXrouter's firmware?

Follow the steps below to upgrade your IXrouter's firmware.

• Go to the IXON Cloud Fleet Manager app, which is accessible from the Apps menu in the top right corner if you are currently in a different IXON Cloud app.
• Open the main menu , go to Devices  , and select the concerning device.
• Go to Info  and click [Manage] next to firmware version.
• Select a firmware version and click on [Start upgrade].

Troubleshooting - What if my IXrouter doesn't come back online?

In rare cases it might happen that your IXrouter doesn't come back online. There are two common reasons for your IXrouter to not come back online. Please first check if there is a USB drive with a configuration file inserted in your IXrouter. If this is the case, this is the likely cause of the issue. Otherwise, the IXrouter likely can't retrieve its upgrade file.

• There was an USB with a old configuration file inserted
• The IXrouter can't retrieve its upgrade file

There was an USB drive with a old configuration file inserted

When a usb drive with on old configuration file is still inserted in the IXrouter, the router will try to register according to that configuration file. This means that the firmware upgrade won't succeed and the router doesn't come back online. Please follow the steps below to retrieve your IXrouter:

• Go to the IXON Cloud Fleet Manager, which is also accessible via the Apps menu  in the top right corner if you are currently in a different IXON Cloud app.
• Open the main menu  , go to Devices  , and select the concerning device.
• Go to More  and enable "Recover upon next registration".
• Return to the main menu  and select Tools , now click on [Start configuration] for the Router config-file.
• Set-up and download the configuration file as desired.
• Insert the USB-drive in the IXrouter and restart the IXrouter by disabling and re-establishing its power supply. 

The IXrouter can't retrieve its upgrade file

Sometimes the IXrouter can't download the new firmware version, either due to a firewall blocking communication or due to a poor or unstable connection.

• If your IXrouter is running firmware 3.22 or higher, the IXrouter will automatically come back online. With a decent connection this may take roughly 15 minutes. With a poor internet connection this may take longer. Please wait patiently for the IXrouter to come back online on its own. Manually restarting the IXrouter may break the device.
• If your IXrouter is running firmware 3.21.1 or lower and it has been offline for over 30 minutes you can restart your IXrouter manually. It will then come back online with the old firmware version.

Please review your company firewall settings to check if your firewall isn't blocking any of the IXrouter's outbound connections to the IXON Cloud. If your firewall isn't blocking the communication, it's possible the internet connection is poor or unstable. Try to connect your IXrouter to a different network and try to upgrade your firmware again.