OTA Connect Developer Guide

Introduction

Learn what OTA Connect is and why you should use it.

What is OTA Connect?

HERE OTA Connect is a highly secure, open, over-the-air software management solution, designed specifically for the automotive industry to deliver software and firmware updates to embedded devices in a cost-effective and scalable manner. This technology enables software-based vehicle updates and upgrades that can reduce costly recalls, introduce new on-demand functionality for user satisfaction, and pave the way for new revenue opportunities inside of vehicles.

Why use OTA Connect?

For starters, it’s highly secure. HERE OTA Connect was developed according to IEEE-ISTO 6100, the Uptane standard for secure over-the-air updates for automotive. Uptane is the first comprehensive security framework guiding the implementation of OTA update systems on a design level, and we’ve been an active participant every step of the way, developing the first commercial implementation and contributing heavily to the standardization work.

OTA Connect is also completely open source, so you don’t have to worry about being tied to a proprietary solution. Absolutely everything on the client side is open source and highly customizable. We offer a SaaS solution for all server-side functionality, but if you’d prefer to set up your own server, most of our server-side functionality is open source too—​including all of the security-sensitive elements.

It also has a great set of features. You can use it to create targeted update campaigns, monitor existing campaigns, and securely update software and firmware inside a vehicle. You can use our developer tools to enable OTA updates on your devices and our user interface to distribute updates to those devices.

Who is this guide for?

This guide is for developers who want to set up OTA update functionality on devices. You can start with our standalone client and then integrate our client library into your own projects.

Before you start these steps, make sure that you meet the following prerequisites:

  • Access to a Linux-based operating system.

    The more technical steps should work on Mac OS. If you’re a Windows user, you can download a Linux-based software image and install it in on a virtual machine by using a free tool such as Oracle VM VirtualBox.

  • Experience with the Linux-command line.

    You might run into trouble if you don’t understand what some of the commands in these steps are doing.

  • Knowledge of C++.

    This is necessary if you intend to do any integration work. You’ll need be familiar with C++ to follow our examples.

  • A login to the OTA Connect Portal

    If you don’t have one yet, you can find out how to get one in the OTA Portal Connect guide.

If those prerequisites look OK to you, you can start by getting to know our developer tools.