A slave tool is a limited version of a master tool (KESS3, Autotuner, Bflash). It cannot read/decode ECU autonomously — it can only flash protected files generated by a master with which it is paired.
Why use a slave
- For subdealer: you give a slave to the reseller customer, he flashes the pre-modified files that you (master) send him (master)
- Security: the file is encrypted for that specific slave, not reusable by others
- Cost: slave costs much less than the master (€500-€1000 vs €2500-€3500)
Slave file
A slave file is encrypted/protected by the master to be flashed ONLY by the specific slave (linked to the serial). Often integrated with the portal: the customer loads ORI, pays, downloads protected slave file.
See also
Master and Slave compared
The Master device reads, decodes and prepares the files; the Slave simply writes files already protected and encrypted by the Master with which it is coupled. The Slave cannot extract the content or reuse it on other vehicles, because the file is tied to its serial number. The significantly lower cost makes it suitable for resellers.
Use in the subdealer model
The master tuner delivers a Slave to the subdealer and sends him, or makes him downloadable from the portal, the pre-modified and protected files for his customers. Thus the reseller operates independently on the end customer while maintaining the technical ownership and security of the file in the hands of the master. It is the mechanism that allows you to scale the sales network without sharing tuning solutions.
File security
The value of the Slave model lies in its protection: the file is encrypted and linked to the serial number of the device, therefore not reusable elsewhere. This allows the master to distribute processes without giving up the know-how. For the subdealer it is a cheap and simple solution; for the end customer it is transparent. The integration with the portal automates the flow: loading of the ORI, payment and download of the protected file ready for writing.