Firmware

Current firmwarev1.6.02026-09-29

Updating a buoy

From version 1.5.0 the buoy can install new firmware over its own WiFi, from a phone or laptop, with no cable or software — Updating the Firmware walks through it. The firmware file is not published for download: contact support and Fastrrr sends you the one for your buoy.

A buoy on version 1.4.0 or older has no update page yet, so Fastrrr installs 1.5.0 or later once over USB. The e-paper display module is always updated by Fastrrr.

Phone app compatibility

Version 1.6.0 moves the buoy’s Bluetooth link to protocol version 2. The DrifterBuoy Android app 1.3.2 and older speak version 1: connected to a 1.6.0 buoy they show the newer-protocol warning, and the file list and downloads will not work correctly. Until you have an app that supports version 2, download measurements from the buoy’s web interface, which is not affected, and do not rely on app readings past the warning.

Release notes

1.6.0

Released: 2026-09-29

Added

• Delete logs from the web page — each entry on the Log files page has a Delete link, and Delete all logs clears the card in one go. Delete all asks for the update PIN and is refused during a measurement.
• SD card space — used, total and free space on the Log files and Settings pages, in red when less than 10 % is free.
• The Log files page shows how many measurements the card holds and pages through them 50 at a time.

Fixed

• The newest measurements were missing from the log lists once the card held more than 60, on the web page and in the phone app. Every measurement is now listed, newest first.
• Security: anyone connected to the buoy’s WiFi could download files other than logs, including the configuration file with the WiFi password and the update PIN. Only measurement and system logs can be downloaded now.
• Deleting the latest measurement left its result behind: it came back after a restart and was still sent to the phone app.
• The home page loads faster.

Changed

• Measurement files are named LOG_yymmdd_hhmmss.csv, without dashes. Files written by earlier versions keep their names and still work.
• The Bluetooth link uses protocol version 2: the file list now includes every measurement, newest first. It needs a phone app that supports version 2 — see the compatibility note above.

1.5.0

Released: 2026-09-29

Added

• Firmware update over WiFi — install new firmware from the buoy’s own web page, protected by a PIN. The new firmware is written alongside the running one, wrong or damaged files are refused before anything changes, and a firmware that fails to start is rolled back automatically. See Updating the Firmware.
• A new update_pin setting in the configuration file on the SD card, default 1234.

Changed

• The web pages update live instead of reloading every two seconds: no flicker, no lost scroll position, and the Start and Stop buttons change the moment the state does. A small indicator shows whether the page is live.
• Recent measurements on the home page show a direction arrow, and the table fits a phone held upright.
• At most two phones or laptops can be connected to the buoy’s WiFi at a time (was four).
• New buoys ship with a 45-second measurement window (was 30). Buoys already in use keep their own settings.
• The Settings page shows which firmware slot is running and, if an update was rolled back, which one failed.

1.4.0

Released: 2026-08-05

Added

• The buoy now works out its own timezone and daylight saving from its GPS position, so local times on the web pages are correct anywhere without any configuration. It can still be set manually, which is worth doing close to a timezone border.
• Bluetooth can be switched off from the settings page, for deployments where the phone app is not used or where the extra power draw matters.

Fixed

• Settings changed on the web page were not saved, so every change was lost at the next power cycle.
• The timezone could not be switched back to manual.
• Cancelling a deploy countdown left the countdown frozen on the displays, making the buoy look stuck.
• Satellite count, GPS quality and fix status stopped updating whenever the position fix dropped — exactly when you need them to diagnose the problem.

1.3.0

Released: 2026-08-04

Added

• Repeatable measurements — after a result the buoy is ready for the next measurement straight away, with no power cycle. Each measurement gets its own log file.
• Phone app link over Bluetooth — live data, log downloads and remote start and stop.
• Start and stop from the web page or the app, in addition to the button. Stop is accepted during the deploy countdown too, so a badly placed deployment can be cancelled before it records anything.

Which version am I running?

The firmware version is written into every measurement file, in the header line next to the device identifier. When you are connected to the buoy’s WiFi network it is also shown in the header of every page, on the Settings page, and on the Firmware update page.