remote services

Cat® Remote Services

Software Update Process for select Product Link™ Telematics and Cat Equipment Control Module (ECM) Software

As your business partners, Caterpillar and your Cat® dealer are dedicated to providing you with excellent technology offerings and premium service.  Depending on your product configuration and service choices, our Remote Services empower you with a suite of capabilities including:

  • Remote Software Updates, which offer you the capability to update select Product Link™ telematics and Cat ECM (equipment control module) software by sending the files directly to your product—remotely, over the air
  • Remote Diagnostics
  • Local Services (which allow servicing of equipment within WiFi range)

This document describes our practices for managing Remote Software Updates for Product Link Telematics and Cat ECM Software.  Remote Software Updates provide value to Caterpillar customers by:

  • Decreasing the need for travel to physically access the equipment,
  • Lowering the cost of support services needed by customers from their Cat dealers,
  • Increasing uptime by more quickly addressing issues,
  • Providing better, more reliable data for more efficient support preparation, software and asset performance improvements, and more.

How Can I Receive Software Updates?

We respect your choices and manage our Remote Services to maximize the value of your Product Link Telematics and Cat ECM Software, optimize your support relationship with Caterpillar and your Cat dealer, and comply with applicable laws and regulations. As a basic principal, Caterpillar uses its good faith efforts to provide you with notices of update as soon as reasonably practicable. Notice may be provided through a variety of means as appropriate for the update including through email, your dealer or a mobile or web-based application. Naturally our ability to provide notice to you is dependent on receiving your most current contact information. The communication process for updates typically depends on the type of flash being performed, as described below:

Routine Minor Updates: For routine and low-risk updates to telematics devices, Caterpillar will use its good faith efforts to provide you with advanced notice and give you the option to elect not to enable that update if for any reason you do not wish to receive it. Such routine updates include bug fixes and minor updates, feature enhancements and performance improvements.

Major Updates: When the impact of a flash update reaches beyond a minor update, the update will only be installed after you or your service technician (which may be a dealer technician) first activates that update using an approved mobile or web-based application or other means designed to ensure that you consent to the update and validate the product is in a safe state to process it. A major update may include any of the below circumstances:

  • Flashing new software onto a control ECM (Engine, Transmission, etc.)
  • Remotely changing a configuration parameter of a control ECM
  • Enabling a feature or Software Enabled Attachment
  • Changing Subscription levels that would cause the customer to incur additional costs or materially change the personal information collected
  • Major updates to the telematics software that affect the asset, such as a change to the telematics firmware or a remotely configurable element of a system control module that may change the performance of that asset or system

Updates Improving Security or Safety: Should an update be deemed necessary to improve the security or safe operation of the machine or a system, we may provide notice to you after the update has been completed.

Network Carrier Updates:  Consistent with industry practices, Caterpillar and our cellular network providers may remotely update the roaming list and network information on the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) in your Product Link™ telematics without providing notice to you.

Caterpillar Connected Product Data Principles and Data Governance Statement

Many of our digital technologies and services, including Remote Services, rely on product connectivity and the data and over-the-air access that are enabled as a result of connectivity. Additional information on our practices for collecting and managing connected product data is available in  the Caterpillar Global Data Privacy Statement, any Privacy Notices applicable to your digital offering subscriptions, and the Caterpillar Data Governance Statement. Access these documents to learn more about what information we collect, how we collect and use it, and other practices, including their relationships to Remote Services.

How Do I Learn More?

Contact us by emailing CatConnectSupport@cat.com or talk to your Cat dealer to learn more about Remote Services, including its benefits, how it works, and if updates are available for your Product Link Telematics and Cat ECM Software.