University Archives

Modern vehicles rely on multiple Electronic Control Units (ECUs), yet updating their firmware typically requires physical access—making maintenance slow, costly, and impractical for remote systems. This project presents a low-cost, open-source Over-The-Air (OTA) update system that enables secure, remote firmware updates for Arduino-based ECUs using a Raspberry Pi as a centralized server.

The system integrates remote network access, user authentication, firmware validation, and ECU flashing into a unified architecture. Users connect through a web interface to upload Intel HEX firmware files, which are verified using SHA-256 hashing to ensure integrity before deployment. A Flask-based backend manages secure login, version tracking, and communication between the user and connected ECUs. Once validated, firmware is transmitted from the Raspberry Pi to target devices via USB, with real-time logging and status feedback provided to the user.

By combining security, accessibility, and scalability, this system demonstrates a practical solution for remote firmware management in automotive and embedded systems, reducing downtime while improving reliability and user control.