Firmware and Software Updates
Firmware and Software Updates
Firmware and Software Updates
A radio with the pre-Fusion 2 firmware will work fine on a node/repeater with the new software. It’s the node/room operators that MUST update. The radio owners SHOULD update to benefit from the bug fixes, performance improvements, and new features.
Radio owners who do not update experience more problems using the radios and will experience greater incompatibilities over time as well as having less than optimum performance. We (MNWis) do not assist people with radio problems until the firmware is update. (Why beat an old horse to death?)
The firmware update is risk-free. You CANNOT “brick” a radio. The reason you have to move switches around is because the radios use a robust system for performing the updates such that you can ALWAYS recover from an update error. The biggest problem in doing the update is to get the drivers installed and to FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY.
Since I have all of the Fusion radios, I’ll do the update for anyone who is a bit shy about it. A full update can usually be done in about 5 minutes.
Fusion is not like DMR. DMR is what it is and will never change. Fusion is developing and getting better every year. Updates will slow down. Some of the radios updated in October had not received updates for over 2 years. Any future updates in the next year will likely be bug fixes rather than feature enhancements or performance improvements.
Like with computers and smart phones, life is better when everybody keeps things up to date. Fortunately we don’t have to put up with monthly (or more frequent) updates like we do with our computers.
For the firmware and software status of most Fusion products, look for Firmware and Software Versions on the Fusion Help page.
Tuesday, December 5, 2017