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Docs Firmware & Software Firmware Update in the Field

Firmware Update in the Field

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Updating firmware away from a computer: the options, the risks, and why the beacon is designed to make updates rare.

Firmware Update in the Field

The beacon is designed to not need updates on a mission: its configuration is field-editable, and its firmware is version-stable. But the option exists, and this page is the honest assessment.

The options

MethodNeedsRisk
USB serialLaptop + cableLow, standard
Pre-flashed spareA second programmed boardNone
OTAWiFi portal extension (not in the base firmware)Medium

The base firmware does not include over-the-air updates: they add flash size, security surface, and a second failure mode to a device whose job is reliability. A pre-flashed spare board is the field answer.

The field rules

  1. Never update firmware mid-mission. A failed flash is a dead beacon at the worst moment.
  2. Update before the trip, bench-test, then treat the result as the mission firmware.
  3. Keep the previous version’s binary: rollback is a flash away (see Release Process).

The config concern

Firmware updates can change the config format (see Changelog for the v4 to v5 migration). Before updating: back up the config over serial (config dump), update, factory-reset if the format changed, then restore.

The spare board habit

The most field-honest practice: program two boards identically, test both, carry one as the spare. A firmware update then never happens in the field; it happens on the bench, and the spare covers the risk.