Everynet announced it has launched a new Firmware Over the Air (FOTA) update capabilities for LPWA networks.
Claiming to be the industry first, the patent-pending FOTA algorithms and Continuous Delivery toolchain help device manufacturers, LPWA network operators and end users overcome the challenges with LPWA’s low data rate networks by simplifying firmware updates for IoT devices, said the company.
The company’s FOTA solution is available through LoRaWAN semiconductor manufacturers and will be available soon for all LPWA networks.
According to Everynet, LPWA networks were not designed to transfer large amounts of data, and this creates a problem for updating firmware within IoT devices in the field. Fixing simple bugs or installing new features to millions of IoT devices is time consuming, bandwidth constrained and expensive for companies. Manual, device-by-device updates in the field are not always possible as access to IoT devices can be limited. Updates can place a drain on the device itself, as it needs to be “awake” for the length of the update, consuming valuable battery and potentially shortening the life of the device.
Everynet has developed a new patent-pending class of compile-time optimization: output difference minimization. This optimization forces the compiler to produce a “minimum difference” between the old version of the device’s firmware and the new. Combined with a patent-pending compression algorithm, this significantly reduces the number of messages sent to a device, as only an incremental update is sent over the air through the low-speed channel, not the entire firmware set, said Everynet.
Everynet’s FOTA solution is already delivering these tangible benefits throughout the LPWA ecosystem:
- Chip manufacturers are adding new FOTA capabilities to their products to enable cloud-based monetization of value-added features. Everynet is continuing to work with semiconductor manufacturers to further advance its unique FOTA technology in the LPWA marketplace.
- End device manufacturers can reset devices and push firmware updates remotely, extending the life of products in the field. Device manufacturers have unprecedented flexibility to manufacture common units at scale with vertical application configuration performed per use case, significantly reducing time-to-market.
- Network operators delivering services can reduce operational costs by making updates remotely instead of sending service technicians to update devices individually, oftentimes in hard-to-access places.
- End users will not be inconvenienced by service requests for direct access to their IoT-enabled devices, for example, to update smart meters inside their home or apartments.
Vitaly Kleban, CTO of Everynet
Continuous delivery is a cornerstone to producing quality software in short cycles, especially for exponentially growing the IoT market. Everynet’s goal is to provide all of the necessary FOTA technology to enable this full continuous delivery cycle.
Lawrence Latham, MD of Everynet
Everynet’s bespoke FOTA algorithms remove this obstacle, providing a simple and effective way for device manufacturers, chip manufacturers and operators to push firmware updates to IoT devices.
