In the rapidly evolving landscape of the Internet of Things (IoT), the ability to update devices remotely, known as Over-the-Air (OTA) updates, has become a cornerstone of modern technology. Machines and equipment are not only becoming increasingly connected to allow extracting valuable insights from the data they generate, but they are also growing increasingly intelligent and capable, powered by larger applications and more sophisticated code.
But this evolution of connectivity and intelligence comes at a cost: Potential security vulnerabilities are revealed when devices are exposed to the Internet, and the necessity to regularly enhance software and distribute Artificial Intelligence (AI) across both Cloud and Edge computing platforms becomes apparent. OTA updates serve as the conduit for this security and intelligence distribution, allowing for the seamless transition of software enhancements and adaptations to the very core of IoT devices.
Scenarios requiring OTA Updates
Security and intelligence distribution are the principal motivators for enabling and implementing Over-the-Air updates. However, the scale of IoT projects often involves a vast array of devices, making manual updates impractical, costly, and time-consuming. Furthermore, many IoT devices are situated in remote or difficult-to-access locations, rendering physical updates virtually impossible. Here are some of the main scenarios to better illustrate how critical the feature is becoming.
Patching Security Gaps: As vulnerabilities are identified, OTA updates provide a swift and efficient method to secure devices against potential threats. When devices were not connected, the only way to “hack” them to steal information, compromise, or take control of them was to have physical access before you could even start sniffing the running code for vulnerabilities, and even then, the damage you could cause or the leverage you could get extended to that one single device you could access and compromise. Now that devices are connected to a local network and often to the Internet, they are exposed to all sorts of threats from ill-intended individuals or entities. Imagine you are operating a water utility and have deployed smart connected water meters at every single one of your customers to optimize water consumption and offer better services to your customers. A security vulnerability could be exploited by hackers trying to ransom or scam your customers into paying them additional fees. You will want to not only monitor your devices’ integrity and security, but you will also want to patch the devices’ code to prevent hackers from discovering and exploiting vulnerabilities that you have identified or that were revealed by some attack rapidly and efficiently with minimal disruption for customers. And you will want to update the entire fleet as soon as possible and as seamlessly as possible, not just the compromised devices.
Enhancing Functionality: Updates can add or improve new features, keeping devices relevant and functional. Imagine you are developing and operating an asset-tracking solution. You have hundreds of sensors deployed and in operations, and your R&D team has put together a way to enhance the precision of the location tracking of your devices while saving a considerable amount of battery, just with software enhancements. Deploying such an update will prove valuable only if the cost of say deployment doesn’t exceed the potential added revenue, which means you cannot really afford to send an operator to update the firmware of every single asset tracking device in the field manually, you need to be able to deploy this new functionality remotely, securely and at scale.
Adapting AI: For devices operating on machine learning algorithms trained in the Cloud, OTA updates are essential for deploying the latest models and ensuring optimal performance of your solution. For example, suppose you have a device with cameras tracking defects of electronic components on an assembly line and you are using some Vision AI models to detect these anomalies. In that case, you will likely continuously enhance these models by retraining them in the Cloud based on new fresh data. You will need to deploy your retrained models to all the devices in operation without human intervention, Over the Air.
Strategies and Considerations for Implementing OTA Updates
When it comes to implementing OTA updates, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The path chosen can range from developing bespoke systems from the ground up to leveraging off-the-shelf solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure. Factors influencing this decision include internal expertise, budget constraints, and specific feature requirements.
Increasingly, IoT platforms are integrating OTA updates as a core feature of their offerings. Solutions like Particle.io, Arduino, ByteBeam, Canonical or Golioth are examples of the many at the forefront, responding to the industry’s demand for robust OTA update capabilities.
When picking a strategy for implementing OTA updates for your application, or picking a pre-made solution, you need to consider many aspects and requirements. Here are some of the main ones:
Partial and modular updates: Instead of full firmware overhauls, consider a modular update approach. This allows for updating specific components or services within the device software, reducing the risk and bandwidth requirements and minimizing downtime. Additionally, you might need to ensure that the update mechanism supports updating peripherals’ firmware, which can be crucial for maintaining the entire ecosystem of the device.
Intelligent update campaigns: You need to plan for device downtime during updates. You’ll have to develop tools, processes and strategies for intelligent update campaigns that will minimize business impact, schedule updates during off-peak hours, and consider staggered or batch updates to prevent simultaneous downtime across your entire device fleet.
Risk mitigation: OTA updates carry inherent risks, such as the potential to ‘brick’ devices or for updates to be intercepted and compromised. To mitigate these risks, you might need to implement hardware features like redundant storage to roll back to a previous firmware version if an update fails or use encryption and digital signatures to ensure the integrity and authenticity of firmware binaries. Always analyze what the risks may be and make sure both your hardware and software will allow mitigating them.
Network adaptability: IoT devices often operate in environments with varying network conditions. They could be installed in remote locations or in zones with lots of radio traffic generating interference, or you might need to reduce and optimize radio transmissions to save battery. To accommodate this, devices might need to support multiple network technologies. For instance, utilize low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) connections like LoRaWAN or Mioty for regular telemetry to conserve energy, and switch to Wi-Fi or cellular networks for the larger data transfers required for OTA updates.
Fleet management autonomy: You need to understand how much control over your device fleet you need, and if you need to develop in-house capabilities for OTA updates or just leverage existing third-party solutions as-is. This is important to understand as you will need swift responses to issues and may not want to rely on third-party services, which can be costly and less responsive to your specific needs. But this is not a black and white situation, as you can see looking at existing packaged solutions mentioned earlier, they are not all offering the same level or granularity of control and customization, so you need to shop and pick the best option for you to be able to operate your own solution.
The best OTA implementation is the one that works best for you and that aligns with your IoT infrastructure’s unique requirements, ensuring reliability, security, and efficiency.
You are not alone
While implementing OTA updates is crucial for the longevity and relevance of IoT devices and solutions, we’ve seen that it is not without its risks. Incorrect software updates or interruptions during the update process could render devices inoperable (a situation further complicated when devices are remote and challenging to service), updates deployed over the air could be compromised, and mitigating all the risks while responding to your specific requirements can involve adaptation on the hardware design and impact your choice for a third party solution, all elements that you might not be familiar with. This underscores the importance of specialist intervention to guide and help you mitigate risks and ensure the successful deployment of OTA updates. While you are an expert in your industry, IoT is its own beast, and you don’t have to become an IoT expert yourself to be successful: pick the right seasoned partner to choose and implement the best OTA strategy that will increase your device lifespan, security, performance and user experience while reducing your maintenance costs.
If you’re interested in learning more about IoT, or if you’re seeking a partner to help implement security solutions, you can reach out to us at https://axceta.com/contact/
We are specializing in end-to-end integration of IoT solutions in the agtech, mining, and energy industries. With deep expertise in IoT and a strong understanding of customer needs, we help design and implement IoT solutions, from sensors to data.
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