Advanced features

Features you don't need for daily use, but worth knowing if you want to squeeze the most out of the dongle.

OTA updates

The dongle firmware and the GBA's ROM Menu are updated over the air (OTA). You don't need to plug the dongle into a computer to update it.

From the GBA menu: Settings → Information → Firmwares → Check for updates. If a new version is available, confirm the download with A or go back with B. A firmware update restarts the dongle; to load a new menu ROM, start the GBA and dongle in Multiboot again. See GBA menu for the procedure.

Modes and automatic shutdown

The button cycles through Multiboot → GBA → Online → Multiboot. Wi-Fi stays on in all three modes. The firmware can switch automatically to Online when it detects the SDK handshake from GBA or Multiboot. See Getting started for details.

Deep sleep

To save battery, the dongle automatically enters deep sleep when no activity is detected. The final hardware power consumption will be measured before publishing battery-life figures.

Sleep triggers:

• Long button press (≥ 3 seconds).
• Power Off in the GBA main menu, after confirmation.
• 30 seconds without GBA or button activity, except during a declared SDK session. If the Link goes silent for 60 seconds, the session closes and a new 30-second idle window begins.

Shutdown also turns off the Wi-Fi radio. Internet traffic alone does not reset the idle timer: GBA communication and button activity count.

To wake up:

• Short button press. The dongle restarts in Multiboot and reconnects to Wi-Fi.

Security and authentication

Each dongle ships with a unique identity, factory-burned, that only it can prove. When it connects, the server verifies that identity through a cryptographic protocol. The specific details of how this works are part of the product's internal design and are not documented publicly.

Sessions last 24 hours: after that, the dongle reauthenticates automatically and transparently, with no user intervention.

Even if someone obtained or copied visible data from your dongle (such as its MAC address), they wouldn't be able to impersonate it. The system requires a cryptographic proof that only the original hardware can generate.