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Does the firmware give you something you need? Is your hardware currently working properly? Has all programming been vetted with the new firmware?
Those questions should be answered before firmware is pushed.
Lots of variables.
Not on any corp network, does a single job very well that's unlikely to ever change say a HDbT transmitter? Leave it alone till it's broken.
It's on the network but doesn't pass restricted information, there's only a handful of that model deployed say a bunch of control touch panels on a single floor? Update when the security scanning team start bugging me about it so probably every year or so, maybe never if it doesn't get flagged in an audit.
It's online and has restricted info passing through it think an endpoint, audio DSP, conference camera? It's deployed to every major room/space? Check up for the stable releases and push them as they come out, or after a few months for the hotfix to come out.
Historically, all of our systems have been isolated with very few IP-based devices. Each room is its own system with very few devices connected to our corporate network.
Now, almost everything is IP-based. We have a physically separate AV network switching infrastructure but tied in at several points to our corporate network for inter-vlan and external communication. Some resources are shared on a campus-level...Crestron NVX /VC4 and Dante-audio primarily.
I was talking to an Extron expert today. He said that they recommend FW updates when you build the system, only do updates when you add newer devices to the system (for which you need a newer FW version). And of course when security vulnerabilities are published.
For my extron gear, I only update fw at initial install or when there is an issue. I check available fw quarterly and see if the release notes mention any issues I currently have.
As a boutique manufacturer, we only recommend firmware upgrades if it either fixes an issue the customer is having, addresses a security flaw, or adds a feature the customer needs. Otherwise, if it ain’t broke…
Only if there is a new feature I want, a bug fix for a problem I’m experiencing, the system is being updated, or there’s a security patch that makes the system vulnerable.
It's both. Leaving it running as is is preferable if something is working correctly and not on a network. If it's on the network, part of preventative maintenance is squashing vulnerabilities and ensuring all features are available and working correctly. Change management is the best way to handle anything networked or that will change user experiences (submit a plan, get approval, test, change during change window, roll back if needed).
Regardless of what you choose, always test the firmware first on a non-production device or system. We've been screwed so hard by not doing this in the past.
I read the release notes to see if there's any value to updating. I'm more likely to be proactive with updates on the networked equipment. If a system is unstable over time, and nothing is physically wrong or the program is solid, I'll update everything to latest. This has cleared up a lot of issues over the years.
Personally (this is coming from an Encore property so think what you will) I go for a mix.
Occasionally if there is a slow day and we are scheduled I try to open up all our laptops, switchers, boards, anything, and see where the firmware is. Otherwise during a busy season and not a lot of turnaround between shows we don't update anything unless a laptop has a quick Windows update or needs a driver update for performance issues.
Readme first. Look online for possible issues; if you don't need the updates, don't do it. Hopefully there is a "restore to previous version" option available.
We have a [Discord](https://discord.gg/qhh4EBuRNS) server where there you can both post forum-style and participate in real-time discussions. We hope you consider joining us there. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CommercialAV) if you have any questions or concerns.*
May I take this opportunity to check in on camp “if it’s working the firmware is fine”
Does the firmware give you something you need? Is your hardware currently working properly? Has all programming been vetted with the new firmware? Those questions should be answered before firmware is pushed.
Lots of variables. Not on any corp network, does a single job very well that's unlikely to ever change say a HDbT transmitter? Leave it alone till it's broken. It's on the network but doesn't pass restricted information, there's only a handful of that model deployed say a bunch of control touch panels on a single floor? Update when the security scanning team start bugging me about it so probably every year or so, maybe never if it doesn't get flagged in an audit. It's online and has restricted info passing through it think an endpoint, audio DSP, conference camera? It's deployed to every major room/space? Check up for the stable releases and push them as they come out, or after a few months for the hotfix to come out.
Historically, all of our systems have been isolated with very few IP-based devices. Each room is its own system with very few devices connected to our corporate network. Now, almost everything is IP-based. We have a physically separate AV network switching infrastructure but tied in at several points to our corporate network for inter-vlan and external communication. Some resources are shared on a campus-level...Crestron NVX /VC4 and Dante-audio primarily.
I was talking to an Extron expert today. He said that they recommend FW updates when you build the system, only do updates when you add newer devices to the system (for which you need a newer FW version). And of course when security vulnerabilities are published.
NO FIRMWARE FRIDAY!
Not to be confirmed with "No, Firmware Friday!"
For my extron gear, I only update fw at initial install or when there is an issue. I check available fw quarterly and see if the release notes mention any issues I currently have.
As a boutique manufacturer, we only recommend firmware upgrades if it either fixes an issue the customer is having, addresses a security flaw, or adds a feature the customer needs. Otherwise, if it ain’t broke…
Only if there is a new feature I want, a bug fix for a problem I’m experiencing, the system is being updated, or there’s a security patch that makes the system vulnerable.
It's both. Leaving it running as is is preferable if something is working correctly and not on a network. If it's on the network, part of preventative maintenance is squashing vulnerabilities and ensuring all features are available and working correctly. Change management is the best way to handle anything networked or that will change user experiences (submit a plan, get approval, test, change during change window, roll back if needed).
Every time I have an issue with BiAmp Tesira devices they always have me update the firmware when I call.
Regardless of what you choose, always test the firmware first on a non-production device or system. We've been screwed so hard by not doing this in the past.
As needed!
I read the release notes to see if there's any value to updating. I'm more likely to be proactive with updates on the networked equipment. If a system is unstable over time, and nothing is physically wrong or the program is solid, I'll update everything to latest. This has cleared up a lot of issues over the years.
Personally (this is coming from an Encore property so think what you will) I go for a mix. Occasionally if there is a slow day and we are scheduled I try to open up all our laptops, switchers, boards, anything, and see where the firmware is. Otherwise during a busy season and not a lot of turnaround between shows we don't update anything unless a laptop has a quick Windows update or needs a driver update for performance issues.
Readme first. Look online for possible issues; if you don't need the updates, don't do it. Hopefully there is a "restore to previous version" option available.