Remote firmware updates for relays - Cut truck rolls 70% | SUBNET

Ship approved firmware to every relay from the control room. Reduce truck rolls and shorten maintenance windows. Keep a clear record of each step.

About PowerSystem Center

PowerSystem Center (PSC) is a multi-function IED management platform that enables critical infrastructure asset owners to securely and centrally manage their large install base of many different intelligent electronic devices (meters, relays, RTUs, etc) deployed throughout their entire transmission and distribution system.

Core Platform Capabilities

NERC CIP Intermediate System for IED Access Control
Unified Relay Event File Collection and Archiving
Unified Asset Monitoring
Unified Data Historian Interfaces

Key Benefits

Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements
Integrate all devices, regardless of manufacturer or model
Eliminate human performance issues and errors
Protect your existing device investment

Used by dozens of the largest T&D companies in the US, PSC provides a central source of truth for all your devices with automated baseline monitoring, remote access control, and automatic scheduled password changes.

Who it serves

Built for Protection Engineers and field teams. Plan work once, execute safely across sites, and prove what changed.

Problem in the field

Protection Engineers and field resources spend weekends driving to substations. Crews juggle vendor tools and fragile links; windows are short; audits ask for proof.

How PSC helps

PSC orchestrates vendor-approved update workflows. You import the package, verify its integrity, and approve the job. PSC signs the job manifest, stages files to substations, and confirms device reachability and credentials before starting. Where telemetry is available, PSC checks the device state and gates the job to a maintenance window. High-risk actions require dual control. Dry-run checks prevent accidental blasts. Updates run in controlled parallel. Concurrency and bandwidth are throttled to fit each site. PSC handles low-bandwidth and serial paths with staged transfer and safe resume. If a step fails, PSC pauses the batch, records the error, and follows the rollback plan supported by the device. After flashing, PSC verifies versions on each asset and updates the inventory.

Access and security

Access is brokered. Technicians do not handle device credentials. All actions are tied to named users through your directory and MFA. Every job logs who did what, when, where, and why, along with attached artifacts.

Mixed vendor support

Mixed vendors are managed in a single location. PSC executes the correct method per device family and records a uniform trail. You see live status by site and device class, plus exceptions that need action.

Evidence and control

Evidence is built in. Change approvals, job details, file hashes, device versions, and outcomes are ready to export by substation or time window. This supports IEC 62443 change control, NIS2 operational logging, and NIST SP 800-82 record-keeping.

Proven impact

Field impact is proven. In one 50-site deployment, a DSO reported up to a 70% reduction in relay update time compared to manual trips.

Customer Success Story

Electric Transmission Regional Transmission Utility

Eliminated Site Visits for Firmware Updates

Challenge

Managing firmware updates across 85 substations with mixed SEL, ABB, and GE devices required coordinated site visits, creating extended vulnerability windows and high labor costs.

Solution

Implemented SUBNET's remote firmware management with automated verification, staged rollouts, and instant rollback capabilities across all device types.

Results

100% eliminated

Site Visits

Before: 85 per update

After: Zero

95% faster

Update Window

Before: 6-8 weeks

After: 2 days

$13.8k saved

Labor Cost

Before: $15k per update

After: $1.2k per update

"What used to take us 6-8 weeks of coordinated site visits now happens over a weekend. The automatic verification gives us confidence every device updated successfully."
— Mike Rodriguez , Senior Protection Engineer

Read Full Case Study

Supported Device Types

SUBNET's remote firmware management supports a wide range of substation devices from leading manufacturers. Our testing lab validates each device model to ensure reliable, secure updates.

Protection Relays

• SEL-311L, SEL-351, SEL-421
• ABB RED670, REF615
• GE F650, D60
• Schneider Electric P54x Series
• Siemens 7SJ80, 7SA80

RTUs & Gateways

• SEL-3505, SEL-2740S
• ABB RTU560
• GE MDS Series
• Schneider ION7650
• Custom protocol adapters

Smart Meters

• ABB COM600 Series
• Schneider ION8650
• GE EPM Series
• Landis+Gyr E650
• Elster A3 ALPHA

Don't see your device model? We're constantly expanding our support library. Contact us to discuss testing and integration for your specific devices.

Frequently asked questions

How do you stage and roll back firmware?

PSC stages firmware files to substations and verifies integrity before deployment. Each device maintains its current firmware as a rollback option. If an update fails, PSC automatically reverts to the previous version and logs the failure for investigation.

Do you support vendor X?

PSC supports major vendors including SEL, GE, ABB, Siemens, and Beckwith across their protection relay and IED product lines. Coverage varies by specific model and firmware version. Contact us with your device list for detailed compatibility information.

How do you verify after update?

PSC reads firmware version information from each device after the update completes and compares it against the expected target version. This verification is logged with timestamps and device identity for audit purposes. Any mismatches are flagged as exceptions requiring review.

What happens on poor network links?

PSC includes bandwidth throttling and staged transfer capabilities for constrained networks. File transfers can resume if interrupted, and PSC adjusts concurrency based on link quality. Jobs are queued and retried with exponential backoff if network conditions are poor.

Can updates run during maintenance windows?

Yes, PSC can schedule firmware updates within defined maintenance windows. You can set time constraints per substation or device class, and PSC will only execute updates during approved time periods. Emergency updates can override these constraints with appropriate approvals.

Supports evidence for IEC 62443 change control, NIS2 operational logging, and NIST SP 800-82 record-keeping.

Ready to modernize your firmware updates?

Start with a pilot substation and see the results firsthand.

Start with a pilot