In a car, the driver isn’t thinking about automotive ECUs or version control. They just want the screens in the vehicle to respond faster, the navigation to recalculate instantly.
But when that doesn’t happen, they don’t call it a firmware issue. They call it a disappointing experience.
Automotive software has become the lens through which vehicle quality is judged. It influences perceived luxury, reliability, and brand loyalty, long after the sale is made. As vehicles become more software-driven, having the right Remote Device Management solution becomes essential to keep up with customer expectations.
Through this blog, let’s understand how implementing one such solution, i.e., automotive OTA firmware updates helps OEMs meet customer demands.
What Is a Remote Device Management Solution?
A Remote Device Management Solution in automotive systems is a cloud-based solution that enables automotive OEMs to manage, monitor, and update in-vehicle ECUs over the air. It goes beyond basic firmware delivery by offering:
- Secure update orchestration
- Rollback mechanisms
- Real-time diagnostics
- Targeted campaign management
Built for scale, it helps manufacturers maintain software consistency, ensure security, and optimize performance across different vehicle models and global markets.
Feature Stagnation Gets Noticed
Many questions, one answer – Over-The-Air Solutions.
Let’s look at some of the pain points OEMs can address using wireless firmware updates.
Why does my infotainment feel outdated after a year?
For many drivers, the infotainment system is the most visible and interactive part of the car. If it lags, crashes, or lacks modern features like voice control or app mirroring, it makes the entire vehicle feel dated. Today’s users expect their dashboards to evolve with UI refreshes, new app integrations, and faster response times.
Why do I need a workshop appointment for a software bug?
Glitches in HMIs, like unresponsive screens or malfunctioning sensors often stem from firmware issues. Customers find it frustrating to take time off and visit service centers for problems that could be solved with a remote push of code. They want over-the-air solutions that fix bugs in the background, not in a workshop.
Why can’t I get new features after I buy the car?
Drivers don’t want feature sets to be frozen at the point of sale. Whether it’s support for new languages, driving modes, or UX enhancements, customers expect that the vehicle will grow with them. Static software feels like lost potential, especially when competing brands offer regular feature updates.
I own an EV. Why can’t it get smarter with time?
EV buyers are especially attuned to performance improvements. They want updates that fine-tune range optimization, improve , or reduce charging time. When their EV’s software doesn’t evolve, it impacts perceived value and competitiveness in a fast-moving market.
If my car is connected, is it also protected?
Awareness about automotive cybersecurity is growing. Customers are asking whether software updates are secure, if data is encrypted, and whether someone could tamper with the car’s software remotely. They expect bulletproof security practices like those used in banking or telecommunications industries.
Easing Driver Friction Points with Smarter OTA Solutions
The table below maps real-world customer frustrations to the features and technical capabilities of top-ranked Remote Device Management Solutions.
| Customer Expectation | What do OEMs need the Remote Device Management Solution to do? | How Embitel’s Automotive OTA Solution Helps |
| Infotainment System with regular updates | Lightweight OTA deployment to infotainment ECUs with UI and feature refresh capabilities. | Supports delta firmware updates for Android/Linux clusters, reducing bandwidth and time.
Enables rapid UI refresh cycles and improved responsiveness. |
| Avoid visits to the service centre for software fixes | Safe and secure firmware update delivery with rollback mechanisms. | Built-in rollback OTA update workflow using dual-bank bootloaders, health checks, and retry logic ensures bugs are resolved remotely without service center visits. |
| Lack of new features post-purchase | Centralized campaign control for region, variant, and ECU-specific feature rollouts. | Firmware campaigns can be managed centrally using rule-based targeting and manifest validation.
Updates can be deployed selectively based on region, model, or software version. |
| EV performance evolution with fresh software updates | EV ECU-specific OTA capabilities with post-deployment telemetry. | Uses delta firmware update to minimize payload size and push performance upgrades.
Telemetry dashboards (Grafana) validate improvements in BMS and motor control ECUs. |
| Safe & Secure OTA Updates | Fully compliant OTA architecture with end-to-end encryption and Uptane readiness. | Updates are signed, encrypted, and verified for integrity using Uptane-ready architecture. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) plays a key role in maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the update.
Secure delivery is enforced through TLS and it is hosted on a multi-tenant AWS platform. |
| Standard OTA Updates across peer vehicles | Scalable backend architecture that supports multi-brand and global deployments. | The solution is built on a scalable, multi-tenant cloud framework that supports OTA rollouts across global regions, multiple brands, and varied hardware platforms. |
| Low integration effort & time | Prebuilt SDKs, ECU agent stacks, and documentation to reduce onboarding effort. | Provides modular SDKs, stack components, and integration playbooks that shorten development cycles and reduce time-to-market. |
Automotive Software Is the New Differentiator
Remote Device Management Solutions for cars do more than push updates. They give OEMs complete lifecycle control over vehicle software.
Using Automotive OTA Solutions, OEMs can:
- Track ECU health and behaviour in real-time
- Pull performance logs directly from the vehicle
- Run A/B testing on new firmware features
- Detect failure patterns early and take preventive action
All of this is done remotely, eliminating the need for physical diagnostics or service visits.
Embitel’s Solution for Remote Device Management in the Automotive Industry
Bringing FOTA capabilities into production doesn’t have to be a drawn-out process. With the right tools and technical building blocks, OEMs can move faster without compromising safety or scale.
Ready-to-deploy solutions like Embitel’s OTA Firmware Update Accelerator are helping make that shift possible. By offering pre-integrated components and proven update workflows, it has helped OEM teams cut development timelines by nearly 50 percent.
This makes remote firmware updates not just viable, but repeatable and reliable.
For enquiries about our solution, contact sales@embitel.com
