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UniFi - Changing the Firmware of a UniFi Device

Overview

This ar�cle describes how to change the firmware on UniFi devices, including instruc�ons on the more common upgrade to the most recent release via
the GUI, as well as manually changing the firmware version, be it to an unreleased version or rever�ng to an older firmware version.

NOTES & REQUIREMENTS:

If you are planning on using a different firmware version than what is offered by the UniFi Controller, make sure you disable Automa�c
Upgrades in the Controller first. Scheduled upgrades will also revert the firmware back to the version offered by the Content Delivery
Network (CDN). It's important to note that to be able to obtain new informa�on from the CDN, the Controller must have internet access.

Table of Contents

1. Simple Upgrade to Newest Firmware Version

2. How to Change the Firmware Via the Controller Web UI
3. How to Change the Firmware Using Local Upgrade Via SSH
3.1 UniFi AP and UniFi Switch
3.2 USG and USG Pro
4. How to Disable Automa�c Upgrades
5. Related Ar�cles

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Simple Upgrade to Newest Firmware Version
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A simple device upgrade to the most recent release can be done within the Controller, in the Devices sec�on. An upgrade op�on will appear under the
Ac�ons column of each device when there is an available upgrade.

There is also the op�on of a rolling upgrade for APs. To do so, go to the Devices tab and click on APS. A bu�on will appear on the upper, right-hand of
the screen, offering the op�on to Start Rolling Upgrade if there are UAPs with pending upgrades on the list.

The rest of this ar�cle describes how to change the firmware when a simple device upgrade is not what the user is looking for. You might be in need
of an older version or a non-released version. This can be handy to help with adop�on issues, for troubleshoo�ng, or simply upgrading to the latest
available firmware if a new Controller isn't yet available. It is possible to run a different version of firmware on any UniFi device. Typically, you would run
the same version on APs, or switches, but in some cases, you may only want to test a new firmware in a certain loca�on before rolling it out site-wide
(or to mul�ple sites).

How to Change the Firmware Via the Controller Web UI

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Applicable for: UniFi AP/UniFi Switch/UniFi Security Gateway/UniFi Security Gateway Pro

For unadopted APs and Switches, you will see an upgrade bu�on in the Devices tab of the Controller. You will be able to use this op�on even before
adop�ng the device, this will be especially useful if you are experiencing issues adop�ng a device.

For any adopted UniFi device, you can easily upgrade or change the device firmware from the device Proper�es window. In the Devices tab click on
Name/MAC address of the AP to expand the Proper�es panel. Select the Configura�on tab > Manage Device > Custom Upgrade.

In this sec�on, you can enter a link that points to the new firmware version. Firmware links can be found on our official download page, HERE, and also
within the release notes or firmware blog posts HERE.

ATTENTION: When upgrading from an older factory firmware it may be required to use h�p:// instead of h�ps:// in the URL.

NOTE: When using a link to a firmware binary on our CDN, the UniFi device will need to be able to properly resolve the host via
DNS/access the WAN. The custom upgrade would also work for a locally hosted FTP or HTTP server.

How to Change the Firmware Using Local Upgrade Via SSH

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Applicable for: UniFi AP / UniFi Switch

Internet Upgrade

If the UAP/USW has Internet connec�vity, it’s easiest to let it download the update file, then install it. Via SSH to the device, run the following,
Can't find what you're looking for?
replacing the URL with one to an actual USG firmware update file.

upgrade https://dl.ubnt.com/path/to/upgrade-vX.Y.Z.bin

It will download the specified file, upgrade it, and reboot into the new version.

IMPORTANT: To perform a local firmware update, the firmware.bin file's name needs to be changed to fwupdate.bin.

Mac/Linux Users:

1. Download the firmware.bin file from our Downloads page.

2. Issue the following command to change the file name from firmware.bin to fwupdate.bin , and to place it in the UniFi device filesystem.
Remember to make appropriate subs�tu�ons in the command below:

scp /foldername/firmwarefile.bin user@IP-of-UAP-or-Switch:/tmp/fwupdate.bin

3. If you have downloaded the firmware file from our Downloads page, the path must change to the saved loca�on of the file. The command above
will copy the firmware file to the required directory and rename it.

3. You will now be prompted to enter the password that you use for SSH access. As you type, no characters will appear on screen for security
purposes. Carefully enter the correct password, and press Enter.

4. Then connect via SSH and issue the following command to ini�ate a local upgrade.

syswrapper.sh upgrade2 &

Windows Users:

1. Download the program WinSCP. This will allow an SCP session over SSH with a folder structure GUI. Use the SSH creden�als to login into the
UniFi Device.

2. Download the bin file from our Downloads page.

3. Move the .bin file to the device's /tmp/ folder by dragging and dropping the file, rename the file to fwupdate.bin.

4. Connect via SSH and issue the following command to ini�ate a local upgrade.

syswrapper.sh upgrade2 &

Can't find what you're looking for?

 User Tip: Ge�ng an "Invalid Firmware" error when upgrading via SSH: might be caused by installing an incorrect version first. Correct this

Applicable for: UniFi Security Gateway / UniFi Security Gateway Pro

All models of USG allow local upgrade, though they use a .tar file rather than the .bin used by the APs and switches. There are two op�ons for a local
upgrade, one downloading via HTTP or HTTPS (HTTPS highly recommended) from USG itself, and one method of doing an offline upgrade.

Internet Upgrade

If the USG has Internet connec�vity, it’s easiest to let it download the update file, then install it. Via SSH to USG, run the following, replacing the URL
with one to an actual USG firmware update file.

upgrade https://dl.ubnt.com/path/to/upgrade-vX.Y.Z.tar

It will download the specified file, upgrade it, and reboot into the new version.

Offline Upgrade

Where the USG is not yet connected to the Internet, you can download the upgrade.tar file to your local system, then use SCP to copy it to USG.

scp /foldername/upgrade-vX.Y.Z.tar user@<IP-of-USG>:~/upgrade.tar

Then SSH to the USG, and run the following to perform the upgrade using that file.

sudo syswrapper.sh upgrade upgrade.tar

How to Disable Automa�c Upgrades

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When you enable the op�on to "Automa�cally upgrade AP firmware" all access points will upgrade the moment you upgrade the Controller's so�ware
version. If you are changing the firmware of one of the devices to one other than the released version, you will want to disable the Automa�c Upgrades
to avoid it rolling back to that public release.

Can't find what you're looking for?

1. To do so, go to Se�ngs > Site

2. Make sure the checkbox for Automa�cally upgrade firmware is le� unchecked. The wording might be slightly different depending on the Controller
version.

Related Ar�cles
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Intro to Networking - How to Establish a Connec�on Using SSH

UniFi - How to Manually Change the Cloud Key's Controller Version via SSH

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