Community update: GSM firmware and GPS driver

Doug Sutherland doug at proficio.ca
Wed Nov 14 23:41:09 CET 2007


Shachar Shemesh
> The way I figured it out, the GSM module will always be closed. This is
> not due to the hardware specs being unknown, but due to the fact that
> the law requires a transmitter to be approved by the FCC, and it is
> impossible to get an approval for a transmitter that allows anyone to
> change the frequencies it transmits in. 

Yes, this is exactly what I was thinking, the actual firmware cannot and
will not be open sourced, however, other companies allow firmware 
updates to load firmware created by the manufacturer, just as they do
for GPS receiver modules and many other devices. You can update 
firmware, even as an end user, much in the same fashion as flashing
a bios on pc, for most products like this. So although we know the 
firmware for things like gsm, gps, bluetooth, wifi will not be open 
source, long term it would be best if FIC worked towards using 
modules that can be field updated by users. 

  -- Doug




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