Firmware Upgrade

A firmware upgrade enables hardware devices to continue operating efficiently and securely. Upgrading your UPS firmware is not only important for enhancing the features and functionality of your hardware device, but also for protecting them against cybersecurity attacks.    Why should I upgrade? By upgrading your UPS firmware, you will receive feature enhancements, performance improvements, and security updates for your UPS.   The SmartConnect Web Portal will notify you when a firmware upgrade is available for your UPS, and you will then be able to initiate a remote firmware upgrade directly from the Web Portal. The Dashboard view will indicate which devices are eligible for firmware upgrade.   To perform the remote upgrade, select your device from the Dashboard and navigate to the dedicated Firmware page on the Web Portal.   NOTE: If you do not have an active Standard or Advanced, you can only perform a firmware upgrade via the LCD on the UPS once the display indicates a device is ready for upgrade. Refer to your UPS manual for more information.    For remote upgrade capabilities, see SmartConnect Subscriptions.   If there is no indicator on the Web Portal or your UPS device’s LCD display, you can also upgrade your UPS firmware using the Smart-UPS Firmware Upgrade Wizard on the APC Website.    

Firmware upgrades are automatically made available for your UPS via the Schneider Electric Cloud. When a new firmware version is available for your device, APC™ Schneider Electric cloud services notifies you via your Notification preference, that your firmware version is out of date. When you log in to the secure web portal, the Dashboard informs you that your UPS firmware is ready to be upgraded:   Once you receive this notification, follow the steps below:   1. Go to the Dashboard on the SmartConnect Web Portal and click View UPS.   2. In the UPS Status page, click the Active Events banner to expand the events, and click View Upgrade next to the "UPS Firmware Version Out of Date" event.   3. Depending on the model of your UPS, UPS output power may need to be turned off before the firmware can be upgraded. The Web Portal will advise you on how to proceed:   - Output Power On The UPS output power does not need to be turned off before the upgrade is initiated, or turned on again once the upgrade is complete.  The power supply from the UPS to connected devices is maintained throughout, and the UPS provides surge protection to connected devices - the AVR and battery protection features of the UPS are not available during firmware upgrade.   If there are variations in the stability of the input power to the UPS during the upgrade, for example power outages, or low/high voltage conditions, the firmware upgrade will complete successfully, but the power supplied from the UPS battery to connected devices will be interrupted:   NOTICE VARIATIONS IN THE STABILITY OF INPUT POWER TO THE UPS DURING A FIRMWARE UPGRADE WITH OUTPUT ON WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER SUPPLIED TO DEVICES CONNECTED TO THE UPS. To avoid loss of power to connected devices in the event of a input power stability variation (e.g. a power outage, or a low voltage or high voltage condition), gracefully shut down and turn off power to devices connected to the UPS before initiating a UPS firmware upgrade. Failure to follow these instructions can result in equipment damage, and data loss.   NOTE: If you have concerns regarding the stability of the input power to the UPS before performing the upgrade, gracefully shut down the devices connected to the UPS, and perform the firmware upgrade with Output Power Off.   – Output Power Off The UPS output power must be turned off before the upgrade is initiated, and turned on again once the upgrade is complete. If you upgrade the UPS firmware with the output power turned off, the power supply from the UPS to connected devices is not supported during the upgrade. Use PowerChute Serial Shutdown or PowerChute Network Shutdown to gracefully shut down connected devices, or manually shut down connected devices. Turn off the power to the UPS at the UPS LCD display.     NOTE: If there are any Critical, Warning or certain Informational (Load Shedding and Outlet Control related) level active events on the UPS, a firmware upgrade cannot be initiated. Resolve the active events to initiate a firmware upgrade. The "Site Wiring Fault" event is an exception.    4. Click Run Upgrade   5. The progres of the upgrade is indicated on the Firmware page. You can close this page, or navigate to view other UPS devices without affecting the firmware upgrade which runs in the background. The upgrade can take 5-10 minutes, and network communications with the UPS are interrupted during the upgrade. For certain UPS models, you can also view the progress of the firmware upgrade on the UPS LCD display. NOTE: Firmware upgrades for SRTL UPS devices can take up to 40 minutes to complete. When an upgrade is initiated, the UPS enters "User Initiated Bypass" mode and communications may be temporarily lost during the upgrade. When the upgrade is completed, the UPS will "Return from Bypass".   6. When the firmware upgrade is successfully completed, the new firmware version is displayed in the Device section of the UPS Status page, and the "UPS Firmware Version Out of Date" event is cleared. A new "UPS Firmware Version Up to Date" event is recorded and stored in the Event Log. NOTE: If your UPS requires "Output Power Off" during firmware upgrade, it is necessary to turn the UPS output power on again using the LCD display following firmware upgrade completion.