LF Audio | Help Center

Firmware Updates

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Overview

WVC base stations and wireless knobs receive over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates over Wi-Fi via the LF Audio AuralSync app. Updates deliver new features, signal analysis improvements, and bug fixes. Wi-Fi is the only OTA path for the WVC family; the Bluetooth OTA path is reserved for the HPVM and WTH-PRO / WDD families which don't have on-board Wi-Fi.

Checking for Updates

  1. Open the LF Audio AuralSync app and connect to your unit.
  2. Tap on the device tile to open its detail view.
  3. If an update is available, an orange notification banner will appear at the top of the screen showing the current and new firmware versions, along with release notes. You can also verify your current firmware version at any time:
  • On the knob: Hold the top button > Knob Info
  • In the app: Open the device > firmware version is listed in the device info section

Setting Up Wi-Fi (Required for OTA Updates)

Wi-Fi credentials must be entered in the app before performing OTA updates. You only need to do this once per unit.

  1. In the AuralSync app, open your device settings.
  2. Enter your Wi-Fi SSID and password in the Wi-Fi fields.
  3. Tap Save / Confirm.

    The unit connects to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only. If you do not have a 2.4 GHz network nearby, you can temporarily enable a Wi-Fi hotspot on your phone and use those credentials.

Updating the Base Station

  1. In the AuralSync app, tap the firmware update notification on your device.
  2. Select Install via Wi-Fi.
  3. The unit will connect to your Wi-Fi network and begin downloading the update.
  4. A progress indicator and ETA timer are shown both in the app and on the unit's display.
  5. Once complete, the unit automatically restarts. No manual action is required.
  6. After restart, re-open the device in the app to confirm the new firmware version.
    Note

    When you start an update, the base station downloads each firmware image over WiFi and installs them in sequence: on the 6-channel unit, the daughtercard processor first; then the secondary processor (which handles wireless link and audio support); and finally the main controller. Each processor restarts after its own image is installed, so you may see the on-display progress indicator pause between stages while a processor reboots and rejoins.

Note (firmware 4.0.0): Starting an update from the WVC PRO-6 touchscreen now asks for confirmation before the update begins, so a stray touch cannot start an update by accident.

Force Update (Recovering an Interrupted Update)

A normal update check only offers firmware that is newer than what the unit is running, so once you are on the latest version it reports "up to date" and stops. Force Update removes that restriction: it re-downloads and re-installs the latest published firmware even if the unit already has that version. This is useful if a previous update was interrupted (for example, by a power loss or a dropped connection) and the unit needs a clean re-flash to recover, or to re-apply a freshly published build. Force Update arrived in firmware 3.9.0; firmware 4.0.0 added the on-touchscreen confirmation dialog described in the next note.

Use Force Update only when a normal update did not complete and you need to repair the installation. For routine updates, use the standard update flow above.

Note

Force Update relaxes the "must be a newer version" check, but it does not override compatibility safeguards. Hardware support ranges, firmware support ranges, and any LF Audio server-side block on a specific release are still respected. This protects your unit from being re-flashed with a build that isn't safe for it.

Tip

If a unit is behaving unexpectedly after a failed update, a Force Update re-installs the same firmware cleanly without waiting for a newer release.

More Reliable Updates (Firmware 4.0.0)

Firmware 4.0.0 makes updates more robust on marginal connections. If a firmware transfer to a connected component does not go through, the unit now automatically retries that transfer in a slower, more robust mode, so updates succeed even when the connection is less than ideal.

Two-Stage Updates (Storage Layout Migration)

Starting with firmware 3.11.0, the WVC base station migrates the internal storage layout of one of its processors to make room for larger future updates. The first time you install 3.11.0, that processor restarts automatically partway through the update to apply the layout change, then the update continues normally. Do not disconnect or power off the base station during this process. The AuralSync app shows a banner if migration is in progress, pending, or unable to complete.

To stay on the latest firmware, every base station must run 3.11.0 once before any newer release can be installed. The update path is enforced automatically: pre-3.11.0 units are always offered 3.11.0 first, then the newest available release on a subsequent update. You do not need to install 3.11.0 manually before checking for the latest version; the app and the unit handle the sequence for you.

Updating the Wireless Knob

The knob receives its firmware update through the base station's WiFi connection:

  1. In the AuralSync app, tap the knob firmware update notification.
  2. The base station shares its WiFi credentials with the knob wirelessly.
  3. The knob connects to WiFi and downloads the update directly.
  4. Progress is shown on the knob display.
  5. Once complete, the knob restarts automatically.
Note

The knob must be connected to a base station with valid WiFi credentials to receive updates. If you have an RTC, it can also update independently using saved WiFi networks.

Force Update Knob (firmware 4.4.0+): The knob's firmware-update menu has a Force Update Knob option in addition to Update Knob Only. Update Knob Only installs a newer version and stops if the knob is already current; Force Update Knob re-downloads and re-installs the knob's current firmware even if it is already up to date, the same way Force Update works on the base station. Use it to recover an interrupted knob update or to re-apply a republished build.

Improved reliability (firmware 3.11.0+): Recent knob firmware uses an encrypted connection to the LF Audio update service when checking for new releases. This resolves rare cases where captive-portal hotel and airport networks, or internet providers that intercepted plaintext traffic, prevented the knob from learning that an update was available. If you previously saw a knob update fail to start on a particular network, updating to the latest firmware resolves it.