STMicroelectronics has enhanced its STM32 LoRaWAN software expansion package for developers (I-CUBE-LRWAN) to support the latest Firmware Update Over The Air (FUOTA) specifications.
FUOTA cost-effectively future-proofs LoRa devices by simplifying applying application-layer updates and RF-stack updates to devices in the field, increasing the value of LoRa as a long-range, low-power technology for connecting IoT devices. The LoRa Alliance has published three FUOTA LoRaWAN application specifications (v1) that together support and standardize FUOTA: Application Layer Clock Synchronization, Remote Multicast Setup, and Fragmented Data Block Transport. They are respectively involved in time synchronization, sending messages to groups of end devices, and data-file splitting.
By supporting the full firmware update as described in the current set of LoRa Alliance specifications, I-CUBE-LRWAN now enables STM32 developers to create LoRa endpoint devices that support FUOTA for STM32L4 microcontrollers taking benefits from the Secure Boot and Secure Firmware Update solution (X-CUBE-SBSFU) with open source crypto library. Indeed, this allows the update of the STM32L4 built-in program with new firmware versions, adding new features and correcting potential issues. The update process is performed in a secure way to prevent unauthorized updates and access to confidential on-device data. The pack includes the LoRaWAN stack with hardware abstraction layers and sample application code for STM32L0, STM32L1, and STM32L4 microcontrollers to ease evaluation and kick-start development. A test application for LoRaWAN certification tests is also included.
ST’s I-CUBE-LRWAN software can be used with LPWAN development boards and sensor expansion boards of the STM32 Nucleo ecosystem, such as the LoRa nodes included in the P-NUCLEO-LRWAN2 and P-NUCLEO-LRWAN3 developer packs.
The latest I-CUBE-LRWAN expansion package with FUOTA support for STM32L4 can be downloaded immediately, free of charge, from www.st.com/i-cube-lrwan. It has been made interoperable with various Network Servers, including those from Actility and Senet.
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