How to upgrade firmware on a Ubiquiti UniFi access point using SSH

How to upgrade firmware on a Ubiquiti UniFi access point using SSH

1 - Download PuTTY from https://www.putty.org/

2 - Log into your Unifi controller and navigate to Site by clicking on the Settings gear wheel on the bottom left of the controller screen.

3 - Click the eye to see the SSH authentication password.

4 - The username and password shown above are required for SSH login using PuTTY. Often the password is a series of hexadecimal characters if it wasn’t changed during the initial setup of the controller.

5 - Open PUTTY and type the IP address of the device you want to connect to and click Connect.

6 - You will be presented with the following dialog box so please read its contents and think about them before clicking Yes as it is a security alert.

7 - The PuTTY window will open, type the username shown in the Enable SSH Authentication screenshot above and press enter.

8 - Type the password shown in the Enable SSH Authentication screenshot in step 3 above and press Enter,  ***Please note when typing the password, the cursor doesn’t move***.

9 - Go to www.ui.com/download and find your device by navigating through the list on the left.

10 - Accept the End User License Agreement after reading it.

11- Delete the S from HTTPS as some older devices only recognise HTTP and most newer devices can be upgraded by using HTTP.

***Please note*** if the upgrade fails, you may need to repeat the process without deleting the S from HTTPS.

12 – Click COPY URL after deleting the S

13 – Go back to PuTTY and type Upgrade then right mouse click to paste into PuTTY and press enter

14 – The Upgrade will begin

15 – The device will reboot and the light will flash white before eventually turning solid blue.

16 – The device should now be visible in the controller and the status should be Updating or Adopting.