In the IoT (Internet of Things) field, remote maintenance and firmware upgrades (OTA updates) are critical to ensure long-term system reliability and continuous feature enhancement. However, for projects based on LoRa or LoRaWAN — which use low-power, low-bandwidth communication — conventional IP-based large firmware updates are impractical due to strict bandwidth and packet size limitations (typically max 255 bytes).
To address these challenges, multi-bin technology has emerged as an essential approach, offering an efficient and reliable solution for remote updates in LoRa projects.
What is multi-bin technology?
The core concept of multi-bin technology is to divide a complete firmware package into multiple smaller bin files (fragments). These small files are transmitted to the end device in multiple LoRa communication sessions, and the device locally reconstructs and verifies them before performing an update.
This fragmented transmission strategy significantly reduces the data load per communication session, minimizes packet loss, and is especially well-suited for low-power, low-bandwidth wireless applications.
The value of multi-bin technology for LoRa projects
1. Improved transmission reliability, lower retransmission cost
Large firmware files are highly prone to packet loss and transmission failure in LoRa networks. By splitting the package into smaller chunks, multi-bin significantly enhances transmission reliability and reduces the need for retransmissions, saving energy and network resources.
2. Lower power consumption, extended device lifespan
Battery-powered or energy-constrained LoRa devices must carefully manage power consumption. Small, incremental data transfers mean shorter active communication times, reducing energy usage during upgrades and extending device life.
3. Reduced spectrum occupation, enhanced network efficiency
Fragmented upgrades reduce the occupation time of frequency resources per device, avoiding network congestion that could arise from simultaneous large-scale upgrades. This improves overall network stability and performance.
4. Modular and function-level updates
Advanced multi-bin technology supports not only full firmware upgrades but also function-level modular updates. This allows targeted feature enhancements without re-transmitting the entire firmware, providing greater flexibility and maintainability.
5. Adaptable to large-scale, complex scenarios
In large-scale deployments — such as smart metering, industrial automation, and energy monitoring — multi-bin combined with FUOTA (Firmware Update Over The Air) enables automated, remote, batch upgrades, reducing manual maintenance costs significantly.
Manthink’s implementation of multi-bin technology
As a leading provider mastering both LoRaWAN stack development and multi-bin technology, Manthink has integrated advanced multi-bin upgrade mechanisms into its LoRaWAN DTU products. Combined with its self-developed Edge-Bus architecture and dynamic library technology, firmware modules can be compressed to as little as a few dozen bytes, enabling extremely lightweight and flexible updates.
The ThinkLink LoRaWAN network server platform developed by Manthink supports up to 1,000 devices for free, providing easy centralized device monitoring, group upgrades, and automated tasks — dramatically improving operational efficiency in large LoRa projects.
Moreover, Manthink’s DTU products (such as the RDO21x and RDI22x series) support not only LoRaWAN but also industrial protocols like Modbus, DL/T 645, and CJ/T 188, making them highly adaptable to diverse industrial and energy IoT scenarios.
Conclusion
Multi-bin technology is a key enabler for low-power, highly reliable OTA firmware upgrades in LoRa-based projects. It solves the technical challenges of large file transmission, significantly reduces maintenance costs, and improves system flexibility.
As IoT deployments continue to expand, multi-bin OTA will become a standard feature for LoRa devices, driving the industry toward smarter, more automated, and more sustainable remote management.