Hey everybody! This time around, I am going to show you how to upgrade your router's firmware without losing all of those custom settings that we have been adding on DIY. Things like your Internet user name and password, ports that are opened for cameras or BitTorrent, NTP time settings, etc. You have put a lot of work into making sure your network is in tip-top condition and runs all kinds of special hardware. Well, you don't want to lose all of that information, so I will show you how simple it is to upgrade and hang on to your settings.

So, let's start off by checking the firmware version that our router is currently running. This is easy to find. All D-Link routers and most other devices display the current firmware version in the upper right corner. If you don't see your firmware version in the upper right corner, just select the "Status" tab (1) at the top of the page, then the "Device Info" button (2) to the left. You will see the firmware version in the middle of the page as shown below.


The next thing we will want to do is back up our current configuration. This is a simple task. Just log into your router, click the "Tools" (1) tab at the top of the screen then the "System" (2) button to the left. Now just click the "Save Configuration" (3) and you will be given the option to save a file called "gateway.gws." This is just a generic filename, so you are free to call it whatever you would like, as long as the file extension is ".gws" I recommend adding a date to the file name and the firmware version, like "01012009 1.20 Router Setting.gws" Navigate to save it someplace you will remember easily.


Now let's get the latest firmware by opening a web browser and point it to http://support.dlink.com. Once the page loads, you are going to want to enter the model number of your router into the field near the upper left. This will open the support page for your specific router.



One of the links in the upper right will be "Firmware." (1) Click this to get a list of firmware links to choose from. Click the "Download" (2) button and save the firmware someplace you can find it easily. I recommend keeping firmware and your router's custom configuration files in the same folder.


To upgrade the firmware on your router, click the "Tools" (1) tab at the top of the interface, then the "Firmware" (2) button. In the middle of the page you will see a "Browse" (3) button. Click this and navigate to where you downloaded the firmware file. Then just click the "Upload" (4) button. The router will now be updated, which will take a couple of minutes to complete. After it reboots, there won't be a password. Just log in without one.


All there is to do now is reload our custom configuration information. You can do this by selecting the "Tools" tab (1) and clicking the "System" button (2). Next to Load From Local Hard Drive you will find a "Browse" button (3). Clicking this button will open a window that allows you to navigate to the settings file (.gws) we saved earlier. Select your file and click "Open." Then just click the button labeled "Restore Configuration from File" (4) under the field. This will take a couple of seconds to complete depending on how many custom settings your router had.


Well there you go. Your router will now have all of the features included with the latest firmware version and you haven't lost any of the hard work you have done customizing your network.

If you'd like to watch the video that goes with this blog, click here.

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