ZMatter USB Firmware Update 7.32 to 7.46

I found from EISY migration WIKI the directions to update ZMatter USB Dongle Firmware Upgrade - (Eisy:User Guide - Universal Devices, Inc. Wiki) /

Easy enough process to unplug from EISY, then install windows driver, plug into usb port, then web updater) but I am wondering if this is common practice or if many others are doing this step

my ZMatter board from UD was purchased early on along with EISY so I was not surprised when found to be on the initial version - but when I did a search on release notes I am wondering

1. IS this Firmware on USB Dongle something EISY should be updating - ?

2. How many of the fixed items are impacting other users around here ?

3. Thoughts on enabling some of the other options- long range?

My dongle was Firmware was on 00.00.07.32 so I did he sequential updates to 7.35 then 7.45 then tried 7.46 twice, no error message, download looked normal but when done board still reported as 07.45. Answer was to then update the boot loader from 2.01 to 2.04, unplug for 10 sec then update to 07.46 (1 of the duplicate 07.46 choices in menu

Then there were more options in firmware choices too.

Also under more options I see some available options such as long range

Currently enabled features:

You hardware additionally supports:

here is what my search turned on for release notes and such as notes for others

Firmware 7.32

• Baseline SDK Release: Base Silicon Labs 700/800 series Z-Wave controller build handling core S2 security frames, SmartStart inclusions, and Long Range (LR) protocol capabilities.

• Primary Scope: Handles standard NVM storage management and standard routing table structures.

Upgrade to 7.35

• Routing & Retry Improvements: Improved frame retry mechanics and route-repair efficiency across high-density mesh networks.

• Buffer & Memory Bug Fixes: Resolved heap allocation edge cases during rapid sequential commands (e.g., rapid scene execution involving multiple nodes).

• SmartStart Inclusions: Fixed intermittent timeout issues when including battery-powered S2 devices during initial provisioning.

Upgrade to 7.45

• Z-Wave Long Range (LR) & Multi-Region Support: Fixes and enhancements to regional RF channel handling (US LR frequency shifts and European LR frequency preparation).

• OTA Firmware Transfer Reliability: Fixed controller-side packet-dropping issues when executing Over-The-Air (OTA) firmware updates to target Z-Wave end-devices.

• Network Recovery & NVM Safety: Enhanced Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) backup/restore reliability—reducing network table corruption during ungraceful reboots or power loss.

Upgrade to 7.46

• Maintenance & Patch Build: Minor point release specifically aimed at stability fixes post-7.45.

• Serial API Stability: Resolved rare serial communication lockups between the host controller software (IoX / eisy) and the ZMatter radio chip under heavy packet bursts.

• S2 Boot Bootstrapping: Fixed rare failures during the S2 security key exchange process for 800-series end nodes.

Key Takeaway for eisy/ZMatter Users

Progressing through these versions systematically resolves controller lockup issues, network routing drops, and S2 inclusion failures. Keep your eisy IoX software up-to-date alongside board updates, as IoX relies on matching controller driver commands to fully leverage these underlying protocol fixes.

And when I searched on Bootloader version .. mine is on 02.01.00.00

The version sequence 02.01.00.00 $\rightarrow$ 02.04.00.05 corresponds to Silicon Labs' Gecko Bootloader (GBL v2.x) releases. While the Z-Wave application firmware handles network commands and mesh routing, the Gecko Bootloader handles hardware initialization, secure boot verification, and low-level serial communication.

Moving from version 2.1.0 to 2.4.0.5 includes the following bootloader-level changes and fixes:

Core Changes & Enhancements

• Enhanced GBL Image Verification & Decompression: Improved validation of payload signatures and CRC checks before flashing application firmware, preventing partially downloaded or corrupted images from flashing. Added support for improved LZMA/LZ4 decompression routines for compressed firmware payloads.

• Improved UART DMA & Flow Control: Upgraded Direct Memory Access (DMA) handling for the UART serial driver. This resolves baud-rate synchronization glitches and packet overruns during high-speed serial updates between the eisy host processor and the ZMatter chip.

• Secure Boot & Hardware Root of Trust: Updated cryptographic libraries (upgraded mbed TLS integration) for hardware Root of Trust verification on Silicon Labs EFR32 Series 2 (800-series) chips.

• Shared SRAM Reset Info Handling: Fixed edge cases in how software reset reasons are stored in the first word of SRAM (0x20000000). This ensures that when the eisy sends a command to reboot the ZMatter board into bootloader mode, the board reliably registers the reset command without hanging.

• Power-On Reset & Stability Patches: Fixed stability bugs where specific brownout or low-power state transitions could cause the bootloader to trap in a boot loop instead of jumping to the main application image.

Do You Need to Update It?

• If it came bundled with your controller firmware image: Modern flasher tools often bundle the matching bootloader image alongside application releases (e.g., SDK 7.45/7.46 streams). Flashing this updated bootloader is safe when updating via PC/web tools as long as the tool explicitly recommends or requires it.

• If everything is currently running fine: If your eisy successfully communicates with the ZMatter board and accepts OTA/firmware updates, you do not need to manually force a bootloader rewrite.

AFTER update of bootloader unplugged from USB for 10 seconds to ensure it started back up on new bootloader.

Why are there two identical 00.00.07.46 - Controller choices?

When updating through the z-wave.me web flasher:

1. First 00.00.07.46 - Controller: Standard production firmware release.

2. Second 00.00.07.46 - Controller: Regional frequency variant (e.g., US LR vs. EU/AU static frequency configuration) or a duplicated channel build provided by the tool repository.

3. 03.13.4709 - Z-Uno / repeater: DO NOT select this. That firmware is designed exclusively for Z-Uno custom developer boards acting as standalone sub-nodes/repeaters.