Hi, Jo. BMD has warned for years not to use a USB hub whenever possible with the panels. If at all possible, connect it directly to the main USB port on the computer itself, and it'll always work.
If you have to extend the Advanced Panel (or the Mini or Micro panel) beyond the usual USB limit of 5 meters, then support generally has advised using the Icron 2204 or 2304 USB extender, which I believe uses CAT5. It's basically USB2 on one end, CAT5 ethernet in the middle, then USB2 at the other end. I know of facilities where the colorist and panels are more than 1000 feet from the Resolve computer, and an extender like this works just fine with the Resolve panels.
https://www.icronshop.com/icron-brand/usb-extenders/[also available on Amazon or eBay]
I'm not aware of any firmware issues, but there is an upgrade for the new buttons kit and Resolve 17, which turns the Advanced Panel into "Advanced Panel 2." When we upgraded, I think we had to reboot, power cycle, reboot, and relaunch, and then the menus were updated and it was fine. We do have a switched power outlet on the Advanced Panels so that if it's necessary, we can always exit Resolve, power cycle the panels, then relaunch, and everything is fine 99% of the time. My experience is that the Advanced Panels are very, very reliable. I don't think I've had more than 20 minutes of downtime with them in 3-4 years (total).