diff --git a/cyw43/src/bluetooth.rs b/cyw43/src/bluetooth.rs
index 95ec513b..b7f2c318 100644
--- a/cyw43/src/bluetooth.rs
+++ b/cyw43/src/bluetooth.rs
@@ -18,23 +18,15 @@ pub(crate) async fn upload_bluetooth_firmware<PWR: OutputPin, SPI: SpiBusCyw43>(
     firmware_offsets: &[(u32, usize)],
     firmware: &[u8],
 ) {
-    assert!(firmware.len() == 5952);
-    // read version
-    let version_length = firmware[0];
-    let _version = &firmware[1..=version_length as usize];
-    // skip version + 1 extra byte as per cybt_shared_bus_driver.c
-    let firmware = &firmware[version_length as usize + 2..];
     // buffer
     let mut aligned_data_buffer: [u8; 0x100] = [0; 0x100];
     // structs
     let mut pointer = 0;
     for (index, &(dest_addr, num_fw_bytes)) in firmware_offsets.iter().enumerate() {
-        Timer::after(Duration::from_millis(100)).await;
         let fw_bytes = &firmware[(pointer)..(pointer + num_fw_bytes)];
         assert!(fw_bytes.len() == num_fw_bytes);
         //debug!("index = {}/{} dest_addr = {:08x} num_fw_bytes = {} fw_bytes = {:02x}", index, firmware_offsets.len(), dest_addr, num_fw_bytes, fw_bytes);
-        debug!("index = {}/{} dest_addr = {:08x} num_fw_bytes = {} pointer = {}", index, firmware_offsets.len(), dest_addr, num_fw_bytes, pointer);
-        assert!(firmware.len() == 5952);
+        //debug!("index = {}/{} dest_addr = {:08x} num_fw_bytes = {} pointer = {}", index, firmware_offsets.len(), dest_addr, num_fw_bytes, pointer);
         let mut dest_start_addr = dest_addr;
         let mut aligned_data_buffer_index: usize = 0;
         // pad start
@@ -158,7 +150,6 @@ pub(crate) async fn bt_set_intr<PWR: OutputPin, SPI: SpiBusCyw43>(bus: &mut Bus<
 }
 
 pub(crate) async fn init_bluetooth<PWR: OutputPin, SPI: SpiBusCyw43>(bus: &mut Bus<PWR, SPI>, firmware_offsets: &[(u32, usize)], firmware: &[u8]) {
-    assert!(firmware.len() == 5952);
     bus.bp_write32(CHIP.bluetooth_base_address + BT2WLAN_PWRUP_ADDR, BT2WLAN_PWRUP_WAKE)
         .await;
     upload_bluetooth_firmware(bus, firmware_offsets, firmware).await;
diff --git a/cyw43/src/lib.rs b/cyw43/src/lib.rs
index 3ce602fc..94f63982 100644
--- a/cyw43/src/lib.rs
+++ b/cyw43/src/lib.rs
@@ -226,7 +226,6 @@ where
 
     let mut runner = Runner::new(ch_runner, Bus::new(pwr, spi), &state.ioctl_state, &state.events);
 
-    assert!(bluetooth_firmware.len() == 5952);
     runner.init(firmware, bluetooth_firmware_offsets, bluetooth_firmware).await;
 
     (
diff --git a/cyw43/src/runner.rs b/cyw43/src/runner.rs
index 43d6f497..05ef1294 100644
--- a/cyw43/src/runner.rs
+++ b/cyw43/src/runner.rs
@@ -74,8 +74,6 @@ where
     }
 
     pub(crate) async fn init(&mut self, firmware: &[u8], bluetooth_firmware_offsets: &[(u32, usize)], bluetooth_firmware: &[u8]) {
-        assert!(bluetooth_firmware.len() == 5952);
-
         self.bus.init().await;
 
         // Init ALP (Active Low Power) clock
@@ -118,6 +116,9 @@ where
         debug!("loading fw");
         self.bus.bp_write(ram_addr, firmware).await;
 
+        debug!("loading bluetooth fw");
+        bluetooth::init_bluetooth(&mut self.bus, bluetooth_firmware_offsets, bluetooth_firmware).await;
+
         debug!("loading nvram");
         // Round up to 4 bytes.
         let nvram_len = (NVRAM.len() + 3) / 4 * 4;
@@ -197,10 +198,6 @@ where
         while self.bus.read8(FUNC_BACKPLANE, REG_BACKPLANE_CHIP_CLOCK_CSR).await & 0x80 == 0 {}
         debug!("clock ok");
 
-        debug!("loading bluetooth fw");
-        assert!(bluetooth_firmware.len() == 5952);
-        bluetooth::init_bluetooth(&mut self.bus, bluetooth_firmware_offsets, bluetooth_firmware).await;
-
         #[cfg(feature = "firmware-logs")]
         self.log_init().await;
 
diff --git a/examples/rp/src/bin/wifi_blinky.rs b/examples/rp/src/bin/wifi_blinky.rs
index fa44bc66..5203f6e3 100644
--- a/examples/rp/src/bin/wifi_blinky.rs
+++ b/examples/rp/src/bin/wifi_blinky.rs
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ async fn main(spawner: Spawner) {
     let p = embassy_rp::init(Default::default());
     let bluetooth_firmware_offsets = &cyw43_firmware::BLUETOOTH_FIRMWARE_OFFSETS;
     let bluetooth_firmware = &cyw43_firmware::BLUETOOTH_FIRMWARE;
-    defmt::assert!(bluetooth_firmware.len() == 5952);
     let fw = include_bytes!("../../../../cyw43-firmware/43439A0.bin");
     let clm = include_bytes!("../../../../cyw43-firmware/43439A0_clm.bin");