Firmware updates
You install the Scout software from a computer only once. After that, Network Survey installs firmware updates over Bluetooth, from the NS Scout page.
Is there an update?
Section titled “Is there an update?”The Firmware line on the NS Scout page shows the version the Scout runs and how it compares with the latest release:
- “0.1.0 · Up to date”
- “0.1.0 · Update available”
- “0.1.0 · Newer than the latest release”
- “0.1.0 · Update needed”, when the Scout’s software is too old for this app (the status then reads Needs a firmware update)
The app checks for a new release when you open the NS Scout page, at most once a day; a check that fails is tried again the next time you open the page. The Update firmware row under it reads “Checks for a newer version”, “0.2.0 is available”, “Available after the survey stops” while a survey records, or “Updating now”.
Releases come from the network-survey-esp32 releases on GitHub. Checking and downloading need an internet connection.
Updating
Section titled “Updating”- Tap Update firmware on the NS Scout page (or on the Needs a firmware update notice). The update screen always checks for the latest release first.
- The screen shows the versions, like “0.1.0 → 0.2.0”, with “Released Oct 24, 2026 · signed by Network Survey”. Before it starts: “Downloads 1.2 MB, then takes about a minute. Keep NS-5CFA powered and next to this phone. If the connection drops, the update picks up where it stopped.”
- Tap Update. The steps are Downloading, Sending firmware to the Scout (with “N% sent”), The Scout is checking the firmware, The Scout is restarting, Checking the new version, and Done.
Keep the phone next to the Scout until the screen reads Updated to 0.2.0: “NS-5CFA is ready to survey.” The phone reconnects to the Scout by itself after the restart, with no pairing prompt. If you leave the app once the firmware is being sent, the update keeps going and the Updating Scout firmware notification shows how far it is. A download that finishes while you are away waits for you to come back to the screen before it sends anything.
- Back, or the arrow at the top of the screen, during the download or the transfer asks Cancel the update? first. Canceling stops it, and the Scout keeps its current firmware. Once the Scout is checking the new firmware, the update can’t be stopped.
- If the Bluetooth connection drops, the app reconnects and continues where it stopped. If it can’t reconnect, Resume update picks up from there.
- Updates are blocked while a survey records: “Stop the survey before updating NS-5CFA.”
- The Scout must be connected. If it isn’t yet, the screen waits: “Connect NS-5CFA first: keep it powered and near this phone. It connects on its own while this screen is open.”
Reinstalling the version the Scout already runs, or installing an older version, needs you to tick a box first (“Reinstall the version the Scout already runs” or “Install an older version than the Scout runs”).
What the app checks
Section titled “What the app checks”Before anything is sent to the Scout:
- The release information and every firmware image must be signed with the Network Survey release key, which is built into the app. A release that isn’t signed by a trusted key is refused.
- Everything is downloaded over HTTPS only.
- The image must be built for the Scout’s board model and chip.
- After the download, the size, the SHA-256 checksum, the signature and the version inside the image must all match the release.
- The app remembers the newest release this phone has seen. If the release server later offers an older one, the screen says “This phone saw a newer release (0.2.0) before. The release server may be out of date.” and installs it only after you tick “Install it although 0.2.0 was released”. A release that a newer one marked as no longer safe is refused.
The Scout checks the image again before it switches to it. If the new firmware fails to start, the Scout goes back to its previous firmware, and the app says so: “NS-5CFA went back to firmware 0.1.0: the new firmware didn’t start correctly.”
Firmware the app can’t install
Section titled “Firmware the app can’t install”The app installs only signed official releases. A board that has no official firmware image in the release can’t be updated from the app; the update screen says “There is no official firmware for” the board, and to install your own build from a computer over USB. The firmware repository has the build and flash steps. For a supported board, the web installer puts the official firmware back.