Does "OTA Update" Mean Via Cellular [Only] or Also WiFi to Internet?

[JenkinsEar]

Do firmware updates arrive only via cellular (we have crappy, crappy, service where we live) or will they arrive via Internet if car is connected (have excellent WiFi access to net)?

 

[teethdood]

wifi is preferred and will generally get updates first. Both are OTA.

 

[bmah]

As posted upthread, a WiFi connection (don't need to obsess about bandwidth or signal strength) will generally help one get firmware updates sooner. "OTA" is short for "Over The Air", and is in contrast to a software update procedure that requires someone to physically deliver the new software on, say, a USB flash drive, or to take the car to a service center.

(My wife's BMW 330e needed a software update and they had to keep the car overnight at the dealer. I asked (not-so-innocently) why they couldn't do software updates over the air like Tesla and I got a non-answer that was basically "well that's good for them".)

Bruce.

 

[ewoodrick]

I suspect that the rules now are something along the lines of:

Update needs to be pushed to cars
Create list of cars needing update
Offer update to car
Is car on WiFi? If yes, download. If No, set timer to wait for Wi-Fi.
Only after some timer has expired, update over cellular.

Reason? The cellular data costs Tesla money. By giving the car probably a week or two to connect to Wi-Fi, the cost of cellular is dramatically dropped.

So, Wi-Fi should provide updates much faster than cellular.