Firmware Releases
The "stack" and "AT interface" firmware is provided by NimbeLink for the Skywire Nano. "MFW" firmware is the nRF9160 co-processor firmware, and it is provided by Nordic Semiconductor. It is independently certified by each carrier.
Each NimbeLink firmware release is certified with a specific MFW firmware version, and thus any updates to the stack and AT interface firmware should be done in tandem with an MFW update, if necessary.
Available firmware releases for each Skywire Nano hardware variant can be found in the following table. Release note pages are linked for each firmware type and version, and links for directly downloading firmware update files are provided as well. Note that not all firmware versions are still available for download. For information regarding unavailable firmware versions, please contact the NimbeLink sales team by email at sales@nimbelink.com.
| Part Number | MFW | Stack | AT Interface |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL-SWN-LTE-NRF9160-A | 1.1.1 | v0.8.7 | N/A |
| release notes | release notes | - | |
| download | - | - | |
| NL-SWN-LTE-NRF9160-B | 1.1.2 | v1.0.1 | v1.0.1 |
| release notes | release notes | release notes | |
| download | download | download | |
| NL-SWN-LTE-NRF9160-C | 1.1.4 | v1.1.0 | v1.1.0 |
| release notes | release notes | release notes | |
| download | - | - | |
| NL-SWN-LTE-NRF9160-D | 1.1.4 | v1.2.0 | v1.2.0 |
| release notes | release notes | release notes | |
| download | download | download |
Updating Firmware
Device firmware update (DFU) can be done using one of two methods: UART-based
XMODEM and Firmware Over the Air (FOTA). Steps to perform the DFU processes are
described in detail below using AT commands. If you are using the Skywire Nano's
AT interface, these commands can be run using the UART connection. If you are
using the Skywire Nano as a host for a custom application, the commands can be
run using the at_cmd library in the nRF SDK.
UART XMODEM
The XMODEM transfer can be initiated with the following AT command:
AT#FWUPD=1
The UART0 serial port -- which displays kernel logging output during normal operation -- can then be used to transfer the file's contents to the target device. Most common terminal applications can transfer files to devices using the XMODEM protocol. The firmware update files can be downloaded from the table at the top of this page.
To prevent an automatic reboot after the transfer completes, an additional argument can be provided in the AT command:
AT#FWUPD=1,0
FOTA
The FOTA process can be initiated with the following AT command:
AT#XFOTA="storage.googleapis.com","c8df907d-b4c3-4ffc-a93f-dc093de1e203/nano/<version>/<file>"
where <version> is the firmware version and <file> is the target update
file. For example, to update to version v1.2.0 of the stack firmware:
AT#XFOTA="storage.googleapis.com","c8df907d-b4c3-4ffc-a93f-dc093de1e203/nano/v1.2.0/stack_update.bin"
To prevent an automatic reboot after the transfer completes, an additional argument can be provided in the AT command:
AT#XFOTA="storage.googleapis.com","c8df907d-b4c3-4ffc-a93f-dc093de1e203/nano/<version>/<file>",,0
Updating from v1.0.1
Existing v1.0.1 firmware can be updated to any new version of firmware, however because of the ABI change in the stack firmware starting in version v1.1.0, both the stack and application firmware must be updated at the same time. Any DFU method used will need to include its "no reboot" option when updating the first image. Once the first image has finished its transfer, the second image can be updated normally with a reboot afterwards.
It is recommended that the AT interface firmware is updated first when updating across the ABI change. The AT interface update file includes additional information that indicates to the boot loader that it must have stack firmware of at least version v1.1.0. This means that if the AT interface firmware is transferred but the Skywire Nano is accidentally rebooted before the stack firmware is transferred, the boot loader will not attempt to apply the new AT interface firmware image, and will instead boot the existing version. If the stack firmware is updated first but the device is accidentally rebooted before the AT interface firmware can be updated, the boot loader will attempt to boot with the new stack firmware, but the update checkout process in the stack firmware will fail, and the boot loader will revert the stack update.