Firmware download with adaptive lost packet recovery

A method for transferring software, comprising:

• dividing the software into a plurality of blocks, each block containing a plurality of packets;
• establishing a predetermined maximum number of redundancy packets to be downloaded with the plurality of packets;
• setting a forward error correction code word to a length equal to that of the total of the plurality of software packets and the predetermined maximum number of redundancy packets;
• transferring, by at least one transmitting apparatus a first block of a subset of the plurality of software packets;
• transferring a first block of a subset of the predetermined maximum number of redundancy packets;
• and
• computing missing software packets based on the first block of the subset of redundancy packets using the forward error correction code word.

In a wireless mesh network including a head end and at least one cell relay configured to provide communications between the head end and one or more endpoints, a method for updating endpoint firmware, comprising:

• dividing an image of firmware to be downloaded into a plurality of blocks, each block containing a plurality of packets;
• broadcasting, by at least one transmitting apparatus the plurality of blocks;
• appending at least one redundancy packet to the broadcast of each of the plurality of blocks;
• computing missing packets within the block based on the at least one redundancy packet;
• reporting computation of missing packet results to the cell relay;
• and
• broadcasting, by at least one transmitting apparatus, from the cell relay at least, one additional redundancy packet based on the reported results.