Overview
This article describes how to upgrade or downgrade the firmware version on UniFi devices (access points, switches, gateways), including instructions 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 reverting to an older firmware version. Please see our Related Articles below if you are searching for information on how to update the UniFi Network Controller software, or how to change the Cloud Key's firmware version.
Table of Contents
- Simple Upgrade to Newest Firmware Version
- How to Change the Firmware Via the Controller Web UI
- How to Change the Firmware Using Local Upgrade Via SSH
- How to Disable Automatic Upgrades
- Related Articles
Simple Upgrade to Newest Firmware Version
A simple device upgrade to the most recent release can be done within the Controller, in the Devices section. When there is an update available, an Upgrade option will appear when you hover over each device along with the Locate and Restart options (if in list view). If using the grid view a small upgrade icon will appear to the upper right of each device as applicable.
There is also the option of a rolling upgrade for wireless devices. To use this feature, go to the Devices tab and click on Wireless. A button will appear on the upper, right-hand of the screen, offering the option to Start Rolling Upgrade if there are any wireless devices with pending upgrades on the list.
The rest of this article describes how to change the firmware when a simple device upgrade is not what you're looking for. You might be in need of an older version or a non-released version. This can be handy to help with adoption issues, for troubleshooting, or simply upgrading to the latest available firmware under development. It is possible to run a different version of firmware on any UniFi device. Typically, you would run the same version on each type of device, but in some cases, you may only want to test a new firmware in a certain location before rolling it out site-wide (or to multiple sites).
How to Change the Firmware Via the Controller Web UI
Devices with Internet Access
For unadopted devices, you will see an upgrade option in the Devices tab of the Controller when hovering over that device on the list. You will be able to perform the upgrade action before adopting the device, which is especially useful if you are experiencing adoption issues.
For any adopted UniFi device, you can easily upgrade or change the device firmware from the device Properties window. In the Devices tab click on the device to expand the Properties panel. Select the Config tab 
> Manage Device > Custom Upgrade.
In this section, you can enter a link that points to the new firmware version. Firmware .bin (or .tar for USGs) links can be found on our official Downloads page under the Firmware section, or within the Releases section in our Community. If using the Downloads page:
1. Use the menu to the left to select your device.
2. Click on the newest firmware available (shown under the Firmware header, as opposed to the Software or Documentation headers). This will expand the firmware information.
3. Click Download and read and accept the terms presented.
4. The next pop-up window will provide the firmware name (now is a good moment to verify this is a firmware .bin file if upgrading a UAP or USW, or a .tar file if upgrading a USG)—but definitely not a software file (.exe, .pkg, .deb), a Download button, and a Direct URL. The direct URL is the link you must copy for this method.
Devices without Internet Access (Cache)
If the devices do not have internet access, but the UniFi Network Controller does, then a good option is to cache the firmware, which basically allows the UniFi Network Controller to provide the firmware link directly for upgrade. Caching the firmware can also be used as a tool when other upgrading methods are failing, by keeping it all within the controller.
1. Cache firmware by going to Settings > System Settings > Maintenance > Update > Device Firmware Cache and selecting the Available Firmware tab.
2. Hover over the device to see the Cache action. Click on it to download the firmware onto the controller. This will add it to the Cached Firmware tab.
3. Once you verify the firmware is now in the Cached Firmware tab, go to the Devices section of the controller. The devices with cached firmware that need an upgrade should have the "Upgrade" option along with the usual "Locate" and "Restart".
How to Change the Firmware Using Local Upgrade Via SSH
Applicable for: UniFi AP / UniFi Switch
Devices with Internet Access
If the UAP/USW has Internet connectivity, it’s easiest to let it download the update file (direct URL), then install it. SSH to the device, then run the following command replacing the URL with Direct URL found in the Downloads page. You'll be able to copy this link once you locate the firmware file, click Download and read and accept the terms. Please verify you are using the firmware .bin file specific to your device (UAP, USW, etc) and not the UniFi Network Controller software.
upgrade https://dl.ui.com/path/to/upgrade-vX.Y.Z.bin
It will download the specified file, upgrade it, and reboot into the new version.
Devices without Internet Access
1. Download the firmware .bin file from our Downloads page. Please verify you are downloading the firmware .bin file specific to your device (UAP, USW, etc) and not the UniFi Network Controller software.
2. Using a terminal such as the Terminal application in macOS/Linux or PuTTY on Windows, issue the command below to transfer the .bin file to the device, and to place it in the UniFi device filesystem. Remember to make the appropriate substitutions before running the command:
scp /foldername/firmwarefile.bin user@IP-of-UAP-or-Switch:/tmp/fwupdate.bin
See below an example of this command for a UAP-FlexHD with the firmware version 4.0.80 file downloaded and saved on a Macbook Pro's desktop, where the UAP's IP address is 192.168.1.219:
scp /Users/alexpro/Desktop/BZ.mt7621.v4.0.80.10875.200111.1635.bin Alex@192.168.1.219:/tmp/fwupdate.bin
3. You will now be prompted to enter the password that you use for SSH access. If you are unsure of the SSH authentication user or password of your devices, take a look at this article.
As you type, no characters will appear on screen for security purposes. Carefully enter the correct password, and press Enter.
4. Then connect to the device via SSH and issue the following command to initiate a local upgrade.
syswrapper.sh upgrade2 &
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 options 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 connectivity, 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 found in the Downloads page. Please verify you are downloading the firmware .tar file specific to your device and not the UniFi Network Controller software.
upgrade https://dl.ui.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 tar file that corresponds to your USG model from the Downloads page 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
Applicable for: UniFi Dream Machine / UniFi Dream Machine Pro
Connect to the UDM device via SSH, and then run one of the following commands, replacing the URL with one found in the Downloads page. Please verify you are downloading the firmware .bin file specific to your UDM model and not the UniFi Network Controller software.
This command pulls the firmware directly, downloading it and then using it to upgrade your UDM-Pro. If you have a link for the firmware .bin file then this is a good method to use:
ubnt-upgrade https://fw-download.ubnt.com/data/udm/e649-udmpro-1.6.6-0761feeda3504456bdb80e09527ab56a.bin
For the following method, download the firmware .bin file and place it in the device (UDM-Pro in this example) using SCP as described in the instructions above for Devices without Internet Access. Then issue the ubnt-upgrade command followed by the path of where it is stored. It is recommended to be stored in /mnt/data/ so command would look something like this (substituting "firmware-name.bin" with actual firmware file name):
ubnt-upgrade /mnt/data/firmware-name.bin
How to Disable Automatic Upgrades
UniFi Access Points
When you enable the option to "Automatically upgrade AP firmware" all access points will upgrade the moment you upgrade the Controller's software 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 Automatic Upgrades to avoid it rolling back to that public release.
1. To do so, go to Settings > Site > Services section.
2. Make sure the checkbox for Automatic Upgrades (Automatically upgrade AP firmware) is left unchecked. The wording might be slightly different depending on the Controller version.
UniFi Dream Machine and UniFi Dream Machine Pro
The UniFi Dream Machine also has the option to enable or disable automatic firmware upgrades, but these are configured in the device management platform itself, accessible by typing the IP address of the device in your browser bar.
Running v1.5.X
Within the UDM Management user interface go to Settings and change the Update Frequency to Disabled.
Running UniFi OS
1. Enter Settings > Advanced
2. Change Automatic Firmware Updates to Disabled.
