As the IoT booms, rapidly evolving networks and security standards are driving the need for frequent device software updates. Physical maintenance of large and/or global device fleets has become cost-prohibitive and logistically impractical for most implementations. Over-The-Air updates (OTA), much like updates for laptops and smartphones, provide a path to the future for IoT devices.
Over-The-Air (OTA) updates are critical to IoT application success because:
- Emerging software-based business models require regular firmware updates
- Cellular network evolution must be supported to eliminate connectivity issues
- Emerging security vulnerabilities must be mitigated in real-time
Here’s the rub.
For the majority of IoT deployments, especially those using highly efficient Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) connectivity, the constraints of remote updates including power consumption, bandwidth limitations, and data fees can outweigh the benefits.
That’s why OTA update strategies must be carefully designed to balance firmware requirements with LPWAN bandwidth and speed while protecting the battery life of the device.
The Cinterion IoT Suite Software Updates offer orchestrates massive update campaigns simultaneously across large and globally distributed fleets. This helps enterprises proactively and cost effectively control the lifecycle of device firmware.
There's more.
Secure remote updates are achieved by leveraging encryption mechanisms and digital signatures that ensure only trusted software is accepted on an IoT device.
The IoT Software Update Services offer is part of a broader array of Cinterion IoT Suite services, providing extremely efficient and secure remote management of IoT device software and firmware.
Key Benefits:
- One-click maintenance updating keeps your IoT devices up-to-date and safe
- Software application management allows fixes and new features to be deployed remotely
- Efficient Incremental FOTA strategy saves time, cost and energy
- Update planning tools helps reduce data and energy costs for large update campaigns
- Secure execution environment ensures software authenticity
- Flexible pay-as-you-grow model
The result?
Thales Software Updates keep the overall cost of operations low while maintaining millions of widely-distributed global assets, keeping them up to date, secure and working at their best.
Is your FOTA strategy efficient enough for LPWAN applications?
LPWAN networks such as LTE-M and NB-IoT offer important benefits for industrial IoT applications - reliability on existing LTE networks and forthcoming 5G, long-range and coverage in remote locations, and exceptional energy efficiency. However, developers that use LPWAN have learned some hard lessons about the importance of a well-planned FOTA strategy.
Unexpected firmware updates and software rewrites can quickly burn through bandwidth, data plans and battery life. In some cases, it's even more cost and time effective to design a new solution from scratch with a more efficient updating strategy.
Thales delivers a unique incremental FOTA strategy that updates only the portion of code that needs it. This reduces the average firmware file size by 95% compared to competing industry solutions.
Whitepaper: Implementing Cost-efficient Software Updates for Cellular IoT Deployments
Challenges, Considerations, Best Practices. Although the benefits of OTA software updates are clear, IoT devices that implement cellular IoT technologies are limited by processing power and energy budget. To execute efficient OTA updates, companies should utilize the correct tools to assess risks and monitor their software updates process closely. This whitepaper guides you towards achieving excellent fleet operations to contain cost and achieve customer satisfaction.
Download the whitepaperThales Cinterion IoT Suite
Lifecycle management services to connect, optimize, update and secure your IoT devices