Third party firmware updates

Devices & Integrations
1

How are third party firmware updates handled in smart home network?

If my smart home network is compromised of hardware from the same manufacturer then firmware updates aren’t an issue. Hue lights connected to a Hue Bridge for example are automatically updated. It happens in the background without any intervention from me for the most part.

Let’s say I decide to purchase a SmartThings hub to control lights from multiple different manufacturers. Will the third party devices receive firmware updates? What if attach a GE bulb to a Hue Bridge, will it get firmware updates?

Thanks in advance

2

Nope…But you picked the worst example, though :slight_smile: Ge bulbs can only be updated via link connect or Wink (to my knowledge) I turned all of mine into “dumb” leds…

3

I just had to purchase the Osram Litify gateway to “update” my osram bulbs. . . time consuming and does not "automatically " happen.

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4

At the present time, the SmartThings hub does not have the ability to do “over the air” firmware updates (OTA). They have said they would like to add that in the future for both Z wave plus and zigbee, but they don’t have it now.

So for now, the only way to do updates for many of these kinds of devices is to have another controller which is capable of doing OTA updates, move the device over to that controller, do the update, and then move it back to SmartThings.

If that all sounds like a lot of work, it is. :disappointed_relieved:

The only community members I know who do this on a regular basis are some of those with Osram Lightify bulbs who also purchased the lightify Gateway as part of a package deal. If Osram does a big update, they sometimes move the bulbs back to the Osram Gatewayto get that done.

Some manufacturers, such as Aeon labs, do publish firmware updates as downloads on their site, and you can download the file to a laptop and use a USB cable to Connect those devices (like the Aeotec minimote) to do the update that way. Obviously that doesn’t apply to bulbs and other devices that don’t have USB connectivity.

And as you mentioned, some manufacturers have their own Internet connectivity, such as the Phillips hue bridge, the Logitech Harmony hub, ecobee, and others, and those will just handle their own updates in the usual way.

But for now, SmartThings does not provide OTA firmware updates for Z wave or zigbee devices connected directly to the SmartThings hub.

The following thread has some staff discussion:

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5

That’s actually true for everything. I had to do that for any zigbee and zwave device I have.

6

Exactly why I have so many damn unused hubs kicking around. I can’t recall ever upgrading ZW device FW though. Wink/GE & Osram bulbs definitely . Securifi outlets are a PIA

Actually Schlage locks had to be taken out and sent back to Shlage to have FW updated

7

Well, Aeon puts out firmware. I remember I updated my minimotes once. But my take is, if it’s working why upgrading…

8

Security. Security vulnerabilities are often patched via firmware updates.

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9

I didn’t even think about Minimotes. Yes have updated those, but not OTA. Plugging USB into computer to update is a whole different thing.

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10

We are actively working on support for ZigBee firmware updates. We have received updates from some manufacturers so far and are testing them out internally before we release them. The updates do generally improve things but sometimes require changes in device handlers or elsewhere in platform.

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11

I’ll take it, with a heads up to community developers to update their DHs.

1 Like
12

I just noticed a “Firmware” section for one of my new Zigbee devices. Is this new and related to updating firmware OTA?

firmware section.jpg906×248 16.7 KB

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I don’t think this is anything new. I think I’ve been seeing this for a month or so with my new devices. It might have been an add to get a step closer. As of right now my hub firmware is still the current production version and not the beta or OTA updates.

14

Hi @tpmanley,
Will support for Z-Wave firmware updates shortly follow the ZigBee Firmware update functionality I see you currently rolling out? I just bought a whole bunch of Homeseer WS-100+ and WD-100+ switches and am wondering if I’ll be able to update their firmware through my Smartthings V2 hub sometime in the near future.

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Z-wave devices don’t do OTA firmware updates.

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The Z-Wave plus do have the OTA firmware upgrade capability including the Homeseer listed above.

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We have discussed it internally but it is not something that will be coming in the near future.

18

Sorry… realize this post is months old… Anyway, HomeSeer released Z-Flash a few weeks ago. It includes updated firmware for the HS-WD100+ and HS-WS100+. To update your HomeSeer switches, you’ll need the Z-Flash kit (includes a USB dongle) or just the software alone if you already have a USB dongle. Use the “Secondary Controller Method” outlined int he docs and that will allow you to update your wall switches without needing to remove them from your hub. Here’s a video of the software using this method: https://youtu.be/QWeWfNOtS6U

19

The homeseet z-flash says it can flash 3rd party z-wave objects as well. It mentions compatibility with smartthings and says something about secondary controller. Has anyone tried using htis kit to update non-homeseer objects?

20

anyone???