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Update the Firmware on a photoSentinel Controller

Updating firmware can assist with troubleshooting issues and allow you to use new features.

While you can update the firmware yourself, the photoSentinel Support team is available to upgrade your system’s firmware on your behalf and is very familiar with the process.

While we have developed verification methods to reduce the risk of a failure or outage during the firmware update process, the nature of updating firmware involves processes which could render the system unresponsive, potentially requiring a return to photoSentinel for repair.

The best time to update firmware is when it can be undertaken during or ahead of an upcoming maintenance visit to the system, or when the system is in your office ahead of redeployment.

You can view the APEX Firmware Version Changelog here, or the Mach II Changelog here.

Firmware update requirement checklist

• To update the firmware on a photoSentinel controller, your user account must be provided permission to do so. If your account does not have the ability to update firmware, you may contact support@photosentinel.com to request this permission.
• The SIM card or LAN connection data plan must have an internet connection to the photoSentinel servers and have sufficient data available to complete the upgrade process. Each firmware update can take as much as 200MB for Mach II/Tempo, or 2MB for Lite/Mini/Pro. Successive update failures will result in retries that may consume more data, until the update is successful or cancelled. The network connection should be stable in order to provide the best possibility of success on the first attempt.
• For Mach II units on version 4.5.3 or earlier, the voltage level must be above 7.9V in order to initiate the firmware update. The Tempo/Lite/Mini/Pro/Mach II units on versions later than 4.5.3 do not have this requirement.
• Time must be available to update the unit; during this process photos will not be taken and connection attempts will not be made. The firmware update can take up to 20 minutes to apply, depending on the versions involved. If the firmware update fails, the time needed may be longer due to multiple attempts, or the inability of the system to recover.

Firmware update steps

1. Login to your photoSentinel Control Hub.
2. Click on the Controllers link at the top of the page.
3. Click on the Details hyperlink for the desired controller to go to its Controller Details page. 
4. Click on the Change Firmware Version to: drop-down field and select the desired firmware version. In most cases, this will be the highest-number available from that list. 
5. Click on the Save Changes button to schedule the firmware update. 
6. The controller will receive the firmware update request upon its next scheduled check-in. 
7. On a Lite/Mini/Pro controller, the LED will show a pink light while downloading and applying a firmware update. On the Mach II/Tempo, the OLED screen will display a notification indicating the stage of the firmware update.
   It is important that you do not interact with the controller or its connections during a firmware update, as doing so could render the controller inoperable, requiring return to photoSentinel for repair.
8. Once the update process has completed, the system will restart and attempt to check-in to the photoSentinel servers, providing a status update. The Firmware Version will show the new values if the update has been applied successfully. 
9. Depending on the version of firmware that was running previously, multiple firmware updates may be required in order to bring the controller up to the latest version. Please check this by repeating the above steps until you can see no new versions on the Change Firmware Version to: drop-down field on the Controller Details page.  

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