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BATCAM FX Shell Software Update

BATCAM FX Firmware Update (via Shell)

1. Overview

This guide explains how to update the BATCAM FX firmware (.swu file) from a shell (terminal) using the scp and ssh commands together with the SWUpdate tool built into the device. Some features, such as the overlay and ROS-related REST APIs, are only available in firmware 1.0.3 or later, so we recommend keeping the firmware up to date.

The overall procedure consists of the following four steps.

  1. scp the firmware file to the BATCAM FX

  2. Connect to the BATCAM FX via SSH

  3. Run the update command (swupdate) on the BATCAM FX

  4. Verify the firmware version after reboot

⚠️ Caution: Do not power off the device or disconnect the network while the update is in progress. The device reboots automatically once the update is complete.

💡 Note: For the browser-based update procedure, see BATCAM FX Web Software Update. The BATCAM FX2 is updated from Device Manager with a different file format (.mender), so follow the FX2 Software Update document instead.

2. Prerequisites

  • Firmware file (.swu): Prepare the firmware file to install on your working PC. The file name follows the format SMI-BATCAMFX-<version>-signed-<build-timestamp>.swu. (Example: SMI-BATCAMFX-v1.0.3b-signed-20250502102525.swu) See the FX Firmware Release Notes for the changes in each version.

  • Device IP address: You need to know the IP address of your BATCAM FX. The examples in this document use 192.168.50.11; replace it with the IP address of your actual environment.

  • Network connection: The working PC and the BATCAM FX must be able to communicate with each other on the same network.

  • Terminal environment: You need a shell that can run the scp and ssh commands. (Windows PowerShell, or the macOS/Linux terminal)

  • SSH login account: You must be able to connect to the device’s root account over SSH.

3. Step 1 — Upload the Firmware File (scp)

Windows Explorer screen showing Shift + right-click in the folder containing the firmware file, with 'Open in Terminal' or 'Open PowerShell window here' selected

  1. Open a shell in the folder that contains the firmware file.

  • Windows: Shift + right-click in that folder and click ‘Open in Terminal’ or ‘Open PowerShell window here’.

  • macOS/Linux: Open a terminal and use the cd command to navigate to the folder containing the firmware file. From this point on, the scp and ssh commands are the same on all operating systems.

  1. Then upload the firmware file to the BATCAM FX with the scp command.
Terminal window
scp ./SMI-BATCAMFX-v1.0.3b-signed-20250502102525.swu root@192.168.50.11:~/
# Replace the SMI-BATCAMFX-v1.0.3b-signed-20250502102525.swu part with the
# actual name of the firmware file you are installing.

💡 Note: Replace 192.168.50.11 with the actual IP address of your BATCAM FX. (This applies to all subsequent commands as well.)

4. Step 2 — Connect via SSH

Connect to the BATCAM FX with the root account over SSH.

Terminal window
ssh root@192.168.50.11
# Change the IP address to match your environment.

5. Step 3 — Run the Update (swupdate)

After connecting, run the update with the following command.

Terminal window
swupdate -i ~/SMI-BATCAMFX-v1.0.3b-signed-20250502102525.swu \
    -v -p reboot -k /etc/swupdate/swupdate.pem -K /etc/swupdate/aes.key
# Replace the SMI-BATCAMFX-v1.0.3b-signed-20250502102525.swu part with the
# actual name of the firmware file you are installing.

Each option is described below. The two key files are preinstalled on the device, so use the paths as shown.

OptionExample ValueDescription
-i~/SMI-BATCAMFX-<version>-….swuPath to the firmware image (.swu) file to install. Specify the file uploaded to ~/ (your home directory) in Step 1.
-v—Verbose log output. Lets you monitor the update progress in the terminal.
-prebootCommand to run after the update completes. Since reboot is specified, the device reboots automatically when the update finishes.
-k/etc/swupdate/swupdate.pemKey file used to verify the firmware signature. Use the device’s default path as is.
-K/etc/swupdate/aes.keyKey file used to decrypt the encrypted firmware image. Use the device’s default path as is.

6. Step 4 — Verify the Version After Reboot

Wait for the update to complete and the camera to reboot, then reconnect to the BATCAM FX over SSH to check the firmware version.

root@SeeSV-BCMFMC0D6:~# cat /etc/os-release
ID=seesv
NAME="SeeSV (SM Instruments Inc.)"
VERSION="4.0.16 (kirkstone)"
VERSION_ID=4.0.16
PRETTY_NAME="SeeSV (SM Instruments Inc.) 4.0.16 (kirkstone)"
DISTRO_CODENAME="kirkstone"
BUILD_ID="20250411173035"
SEESV_RELEASE_VERSION="v1.0.3b"
SEESV_VENDOR_NAME="SMI"
SEESV_PROD_MODEL="BATCAMFX"

SEESV_RELEASE_VERSION should match the version of the firmware file you installed (v1.0.3b in the example above); if it does, the update completed successfully.

You can also check the version through the REST API, without an SSH connection. Call GET /setting/status (device information query) and read the current firmware version from the firmware_version field in the response. This API uses HTTP Basic authentication; see the BATCAM FX API Reference for the detailed request and response formats.

Terminal window
curl -u admin:<password> http://192.168.50.11/setting/status

7. Troubleshooting

  • If scp/SSH cannot connect:

    • Verify that the IP address in the command is the actual IP address of your BATCAM FX.

    • Verify that the working PC and the device are connected to the same network.

  • If swupdate exits with an error:

    • -i option: check that the specified file name and path exactly match the file uploaded in Step 1.

    • The file may have been corrupted during transfer; upload the firmware file again with scp and rerun the command.

    • -k and -K options: do not change the key file paths; use the device’s default path (/etc/swupdate/) as is.

  • If you cannot connect to the device after reboot:

    • If the device is not in static IP mode, its IP address may change after a reboot. Check the new IP address and connect again.

  • If the version is unchanged after the update:

    • You may have checked before the reboot finished; check again after the reboot completes.

    • If the previous version is still shown, repeat the procedure from Step 3 (running the update).