DZone
Thanks for visiting DZone today,
Edit Profile
  • Manage Email Subscriptions
  • How to Post to DZone
  • Article Submission Guidelines
Sign Out View Profile
  • Post an Article
  • Manage My Drafts
Over 2 million developers have joined DZone.
Log In / Join
Refcards Trend Reports
Events Video Library
Over 2 million developers have joined DZone. Join Today! Thanks for visiting DZone today,
Edit Profile Manage Email Subscriptions Moderation Admin Console How to Post to DZone Article Submission Guidelines
View Profile
Sign Out
Refcards
Trend Reports
Events
View Events Video Library
Zones
Culture and Methodologies Agile Career Development Methodologies Team Management
Data Engineering AI/ML Big Data Data Databases IoT
Software Design and Architecture Cloud Architecture Containers Integration Microservices Performance Security
Coding Frameworks Java JavaScript Languages Tools
Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance Deployment DevOps and CI/CD Maintenance Monitoring and Observability Testing, Tools, and Frameworks
Culture and Methodologies
Agile Career Development Methodologies Team Management
Data Engineering
AI/ML Big Data Data Databases IoT
Software Design and Architecture
Cloud Architecture Containers Integration Microservices Performance Security
Coding
Frameworks Java JavaScript Languages Tools
Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance
Deployment DevOps and CI/CD Maintenance Monitoring and Observability Testing, Tools, and Frameworks

Integrating PostgreSQL Databases with ANF: Join this workshop to learn how to create a PostgreSQL server using Instaclustr’s managed service

Mobile Database Essentials: Assess data needs, storage requirements, and more when leveraging databases for cloud and edge applications.

Monitoring and Observability for LLMs: Datadog and Google Cloud discuss how to achieve optimal AI model performance.

Automated Testing: The latest on architecture, TDD, and the benefits of AI and low-code tools.

Related

  • What Are the Key Applications and Benefits of IoT Fleet Management?
  • 4 Best Practices for IoT OTA Updates
  • Addressing Bias in Facial Recognition Systems: A Novel Approach
  • How To Streamline Translation Workflows for Websites and Apps

Trending

  • API Design
  • The Stairway to Apache Kafka® Tiered Storage
  • Spring Authentication With MetaMask
  • Docker and Kubernetes Transforming Modern Deployment
  1. DZone
  2. Data Engineering
  3. Big Data
  4. Over-The-Air Firmware: The Critical Driver of IoT Success

Over-The-Air Firmware: The Critical Driver of IoT Success

Learn the basics of OTA firmware updates and how they are transforming the future of IoT products. Here, we'll use the Particle platform to lend a hand.

Jeffrey Lee user avatar by
Jeffrey Lee
·
Dec. 27, 17 · Opinion
Like (5)
Save
Tweet
Share
11.28K Views

Join the DZone community and get the full member experience.

Join For Free

In the early days of IoT, updating remote devices often caused intermittent disruption and performance degradation. As IoT platforms have matured, they have embraced a novel way to remotely and reliably update connected devices with little to no disruption: over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates.

Over-the-air firmware updates refer to the practice of remotely updating the code on an embedded device. The embedded hardware must be built with OTA functionality for this mechanism to work.

Here is a visualization of how OTA firmware is delivered to remote devices using a device management system:

Why OTA Firmware?

Prior to OTA updates, you had to go out and retrieve the device, take it apart, connect it to your computer, reprogram it, put the device back together, and then take the device back.

However, this process is overly burdensome and unscalable for companies who have devices out on the field. Although, it hasn’t stopped some from trying...

  • In 2015, Chrysler was criticized for patching a software vulnerability via mailed USB drives. Chrysler’s method put many consumers at risk because the USB drives could be intercepted, modified, and resent.

On the other hand,

  • In 2016, Tesla drivers woke up to find substantial new features to their car after the company sent out an OTA firmware update. Consumers could now self-park their cars without having to manually update their vehicles.

You tell me which is the better headline.

OTA Firmware Benefits

  1. Bugs and product behavior can be continuously improved even after the device is in the hands of your consumers.
  2. Companies can test new features by sending updates to one or multiple devices.
  3. Companies can save costs by managing the firmware across their fleet of devices from a seamless, unified interface.
  4. Developers can deploy frequently and reliably, knowing that products will stay functional as updates are released.
  5. OTA firmware augments scalability by adding new features and infrastructure to products after they are released.

OTA Firmware and Device Management

To send out OTA firmware updates, you need a device management system that can interface with microprocessors and local software on IoT devices. This is complicated to build because few companies have an IoT software and hardware ecosystem that can process OTA firmware updates and manage remote devices.

“The updating of software/firmware over-the-air (SOTA/FOTA) is being seen as a critical methodology to manage software updates with the latest revisions for the entire lifecycle of a system.” — Stephane Strahm, Smart 2.0

Implementing OTA Firmware Updates

There are two options companies can take: you can build your own OTA firmware system or buy a managed OTA firmware system. For the build route, it is imperative that you research, plan, and consult domain experts to help you add OTA functionality to your hardware and software. Implementing the proper industry encryptions, finding the compatible hardware/software, and finding domain experts who can actually help you will be some of your biggest concerns.

However, due to the complexities of transmitting of the data and security concerns, you could harness a managed platform solution. For example, one such platform is by Particle.

Getting Started with Particle and OTA firmware

Particle is a full-stack IoT platform that offers the hardware and software tools to connect everyday electronics to the internet. Part of this platform, Particle cloud and console, also allows consumers to control fleets of devices and products with wireless firmware updates. Here are some of the benefits of using Particle for OTA firmware updates:

  1. Future-proof your products knowing that Particle is taking care of the infrastructure, hardware, and software.
  2. OTA firmware updates are sent in chunks so your device won’t brick. If your device loses connection during the update process, it’ll just resume when the connection comes back online.
  3. Firmware updates are delivered quickly because the update is just sent to the application layer and not the system layer. Particle only pushes parts of the application that have changed to the device.
  4. Easily scale from sending OTA firmware updates from 1 to 1,000 devices without hardware scalability or software issues.
  5. Test application updates by sending firmware updates to one or a controlled group of devices.
  6. Deliver updates securely knowing all communication channels between the device and Particle cloud are fully encrypted and authorized.
  7. Document each release thoroughly via Particle console to provide your team a comprehensive picture of what has changed in each version.
  8. Devices can be set into safe mode so it doesn’t execute any application code, which can be useful if new application code contains bugs that stop the device from connecting to the cloud.

All and all

OTA firmware is the critical driver for IoT success because it is powering the reliability and scalability of connected devices. Companies must decide whether building their own OTA firmware system is worth the time and potential costs, or if purchasing a platform that has OTA firmware functionality is a more efficient and effective way to update remote wireless devices.

Firmware IoT Driver (software) Software application workplace consumer Management system

Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.

Related

  • What Are the Key Applications and Benefits of IoT Fleet Management?
  • 4 Best Practices for IoT OTA Updates
  • Addressing Bias in Facial Recognition Systems: A Novel Approach
  • How To Streamline Translation Workflows for Websites and Apps

Comments

Partner Resources

X

ABOUT US

  • About DZone
  • Send feedback
  • Careers
  • Sitemap

ADVERTISE

  • Advertise with DZone

CONTRIBUTE ON DZONE

  • Article Submission Guidelines
  • Become a Contributor
  • Visit the Writers' Zone

LEGAL

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy

CONTACT US

  • 3343 Perimeter Hill Drive
  • Suite 100
  • Nashville, TN 37211
  • support@dzone.com

Let's be friends: