Update problems

Start here

Work down this page in order. Each step risks more than the one before it, and the last one can destroy a device outright if you get it wrong.

The ordinary fixes

Try all four before going further.

• Wake a battery device first. It spends most of its life asleep and cannot receive an update while it is. Press the button on the device, then start the update immediately.
• Reboot, then retry. From the app, or by cutting and restoring power. A device that failed once often succeeds on a clean boot.
• Update from the web interface instead of the app. Enter the device’s IP address in a browser and update from Settings → Firmware. This takes the cloud out of the path entirely, and it is the fix in most cases. See the web interface.
• Improve the signal, or move the device. An update that stops partway is usually a connection that stopped partway. Anything weaker than about −70 dBm is a candidate.

The manual push

Only if all four above have failed, and only on a device that is still reachable on the network.

The device is told to fetch a firmware file directly:

http://DEVICE-IP/ota?url=FIRMWARE-URL

The full list of firmware files is published at api.shelly.cloud/files/firmware. Find the entry whose model designation matches the one printed on your device.

Before you send it:

1. Give the device a reliable power source — mains, or a USB-C charger for a battery model
2. Restart the device
3. Make sure your computer is on the same network
4. Substitute the real IP address and the correct firmware URL

This route exists for Gen1 devices, where it is occasionally the only way through. Gen2, Gen3 and Gen4 devices handle updates differently and should not be pushed this way — if a Gen2 or newer device will not update, contact Shelly support rather than forcing it.

Tips & best practices

• Never cut power during an update. It is the single most common way a device becomes unrecoverable.
• One device at a time on a large installation. Twenty devices pulling firmware at once is where weak Wi-Fi fails.
• A factory reset does not fix a failed update. Different problem, different fix — see reset a device.
• If the device no longer responds at all, stop. Further attempts cannot help a device that is not listening, and Shelly support can tell you whether it is recoverable.
• Update on commissioning, while you are still standing there with the box open and the device on the bench.

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