How to Upgrade the Firmware of Pharos Series Product?

Notice:

• After you downloaded the firmware from TP-LINK website, please use decompression software, such as WinZIP or WinRAR to extract the firmware file to a folder;
• Do NOT turn off the power or cut down the Ethernet cable during upgrade process;
• It is recommended to upgrade the firmware via Ethernet cable connection but not wireless connection;
• It is recommended to back up the current settings so you can restore the settings manually after the upgrade.
• It is recommended to upgrade the firmware with Chrome and Firefox.

There are two methods to upgrade the firmware:

1. Upgrade the firmware via web management page of the PharOS devices.
2. Batch upgrade the firmware via centralized management software Pharos Control.

When you have many Pharos series devices that need to be upgraded, the Method 2 is recommended, since it supports batch and scheduled upgrade; while if you have only one or two Pharos series devices, you can choose method 1).

Preparation:

1. Please verify the product model and the hardware version of your device from the label on the bottom of the device to make sure you are using the correct firmware. Wrong firmware upgrading may damage your device and void the warranty.

If there is no hardware version indicated on the label as seen above, it means it is the first hardware version (V1).

2. Find and download the corresponding firmware according to the model number and hardware version from the TP-LINK official website http://www.tp-link.com/en/support.html. And then extract the bin file.

Note: Please search the product with the model number and find the firmware on the support page.

Method 1: Upgrade the firmware via web management page

Step 1 Enter the IP address of the device (Default: http://192.168.0.254) into the address bar of the web browser such as Chrome, Firefox. Then log into the TP-LINK Pharos device with your Username and Password. 

Note: If you have changed the IP address manually or allocate an IP address automatically via the DHCP server, please use the changed IP address.

Step 2 Navigate to the System tab, at the Firmware Update field, click the Browse button to choose the firmware you already extracted in the folder.

Step 3 Click the Upload button. A pop-up window will provide you three options:

1. Keep: keep your current configurations after the upgrade
2. Restore: restore to factory default after the upgrade
3. Cancel: cancel the upgrade.

Click Keep or Restore as needed to perform firmware upgrade.

Step 4 Wait for the upgrade to complete. After the upgrade, the device will reboot automatically.

Step 5 Log into the devices again, navigate to the Status tab, and check the Firmware Version to see whether the device has been upgraded successfully.

Method 2: Upgrade the firmware via Pharos Control

Step 1 Install and run Pharos Control in your host, then open the web interface of Pharos Control and manage the devices need to upgrade firmware. For detailed information about how to make it please refer to Pharos Control User Guide.

You can download the Pharos Control from the website below, it support Windows and Linux operation system.

http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/cat-37_Pharos-Control.html

Note: before you upgrade the firmware, please make sure the devices’ status is Managed as shown in the picture above.

Step 2 Navigate to the Firmware tab, and click on the Add icon, then it will pop out the window to Add Firmware. You can click the Browse button to choose the firmware you already extracted in the folder.

When you upload the firmware successfully, you will see it in this tab.

Step 3 Navigate to the Device tab, check the devices that need to be upgraded and click on the Upgrade icon, then it will pop out the window of Upgrade Confirmation. You can choose the firmware you have uploaded to upgrade.

Step 4 Wait for the upgrade to complete, during the time the status will show as Upgrading.

Step 5 After the upgrade complete, the status will show as Managed again. You can check in the Version tab to see whether the devices have been upgraded successfully.