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DeviceBoard – Device Management User Guide

DeviceBoard – Device Management User Guide

DeviceBoard – Device Management User Guide

DeviceBoard provides a unified interface to connect, manage, monitor, and automate IoT devices across multiple connectivity options and technology stacks. This guide walks you through the entire Device Management lifecycle, from device onboarding to connectivity configuration, telemetry visualization, group management, and operational control.

1. Introduction to Device Management in DeviceBoard

DeviceBoard allows you to:

  • Register and provision new devices
  • Assign devices to multiple device groups
  • Monitor telemetry, alarms, status, and attributes
  • Configure connectivity options
  • Associate devices with Device Models
  • Apply RulesFlow pipelines
  • Manage certificates, shared secrets, and credentials
  • Execute firmware/command operations
  • Enable multi-protocol access
  • Integrate devices over gateways or cloud connectors

DeviceBoard supports heterogeneous device fleets—from modern IP-capable sensors to legacy industrial machinery—through a flexible connectivity architecture.

2. Creating or Adding a Device

Step 1

Click: “Add Device”

Step 2

Enter Device Details

  • Device Name
  • Device Model (must select an existing model)
  • Description (optional)

Step 3

Choose Connectivity Protocol

Step 4

Provide device credentials

(shared secret, X.509 certificate, token, etc.)

Step 5

Assign to one or more Device Groups

Step 6

Save the device

The device will now appear in the Device List and begin communication once connected.

Step 1

Click: “Add Device”

Step 2

Enter Device Details

  • Device Name
  • Device Model (must select an existing model)
  • Description (optional)

Step 3

Choose Connectivity Protocol

Step 4

Provide device credentials

(shared secret, X.509 certificate, token, etc.)

Step 5

Assign to one or more Device Groups

Step 6

Save the device

The device will now appear in the Device List and begin communication once connected.

Step 1

Click: “Add Device”

Step 2

Enter Device Details

  • Device Name
  • Device Model (must select an existing model)
  • Description (optional)

Step 3

Choose Connectivity Protocol

Step 4

Provide device credentials

(shared secret, X.509 certificate, token, etc.)

Step 5

Assign to one or more Device Groups

Step 6

Save the device

The device will now appear in the Device List and begin communication once connected.

3. Editing a Device

Device Overview Tab

Shows:

  • Device name
  • Status
  • Device Model
  • Connectivity protocol
  • Last telemetry update
  • Device Group memberships

Device Group Memberships

DeviceBoard allows a device to belong to multiple device groups concurrently.

  • Multi-region grouping
  • Shared access between user roles
  • Organizational grouping
  • Operational segmentation

Example: Device Group Membership

Device: Pump-002

Device Groups:

  • Plant-A Devices
  • Critical Pumping System
  • Water Flow Monitoring Cluster

A Device Admin can add or remove group memberships at any time.

4. Device Connectivity Options Overview

DeviceBoard provides a lot of device connectivity options. The diagram below is designed to provide a visual overview of existing options and help you to choose the correct option for your devices. Our Solution team can help you to customize or develop new connectors to get connected with your legacy devices

DeviceBoard Device Connectivity Overview

5. Built-in Transport Protocols

DeviceBoard includes native APIs for multiple IoT protocols. These are recommended for new device firmware where you have control over software design.

5.1 MQTT Protocol

Supports:

  • JSON
  • Protobuf
  • Custom payloads

Capabilities:

  • Telemetry upload
  • Attribute updates
  • RPC commands
  • Provisioning APIs

MQTT is ideal for:

  • Modern sensors
  • Gateways
  • Low-power devices

5.2 MQTT Sparkplug Protocol

Supports Sparkplug-B compliant devices.

Features:

  • Standardized topic structures
  • Auto-discovery
  • Birth/Death messages
  • Edge-of-network nodes

Used heavily in industrial ecosystems.

5.3 CoAP Protocol

Lightweight protocol for constrained devices.

Advantages:

  • UDP-based
  • Low-power
  • Low overhead

Payloads:

  • JSON
  • CBOR
  • Binary

5.4 HTTP Protocol

Suitable for devices that periodically push data.

Uses:

  • REST POST telemetry
  • REST PUT attributes
  • REST-based provisioning

Ideal for:

  • Cloud-to-cloud integrations
  • Simple embedded systems

5.5 LwM2M Protocol

Designed for large-scale device management.

Supports:

  • Bootstrap
  • Remote configuration
  • Firmware updates
  • Object modeling

Compatible with:

  • NB-IoT
  • CAT-M
  • Cellular IoT networks

5.6 SNMP Protocol

Used for networking and industrial infrastructure.

DeviceBoard supports:

  • SNMP traps
  • SNMP polling
  • SNMP OID mapping

Ideal for:

  • Routers
  • Switches
  • UPS systems
  • Industrial controllers

Protocol Payload Options

Most protocols support:

  • JSON
  • Protobuf
  • Custom structures

Choose based on device firmware capability.

6. DeviceBoard IoT Gateway Connectivity

6.1 Why use IoT Gateway

Use the DeviceBoard IoT Gateway when:

  • Devices do not have internet connectivity
  • Devices use legacy protocols
  • Devices communicate in local networks
  • You require protocol conversion

6.2 Supported Protocols

Gateway supports:

  • MQTT
  • OPC-UA
  • Modbus (TCP/RTU)
  • BLE
  • HTTP
  • CAN Bus
  • BACnet
  • ODBC
  • SNMP
  • Serial/RS-485
  • Custom plug-ins

The gateway transforms data into DeviceBoard’s internal device schema and sends it over MQTT.

6.3 Best use cases

This is the recommended option for:

  • Industrial equipment
  • Building management systems
  • Legacy PLC machines
  • Sensors without onboard processing

7. LoRaWAN Integration

Kankanal LoRaWAN Network Server

DeviceBoard fully supports:

Direct integration with Kankanal stack for:

  • Auto-registration
  • Payload decoding
  • Device activation
  • Downlink scheduling
Other LoRaWAN Network Servers

Integrations available for:

  • ChirpStack
  • The Things Stack
  • Multitech
  • Loriot
  • Actility

Contact the Solution Team for advanced integration flows.

8. Sigfox Integration

DeviceBoard includes built-in Sigfox connectors.

Capabilities:

  • Automatic message ingestion
  • Downlink provisioning
  • Callback processing
  • Device-to-DeviceBoard ID mapping

9. NB-IoT & Other Protocols

DeviceBoard supports multiple NB-IoT methods:

  • UDP payload ingestion
  • HTTPS callback routes
  • Lightweight CoAP variants
  • Cloud connector integrations

If your device uses a proprietary protocol, the Solution Team can create custom:

  • Decoders
  • Connectors
  • Adapters
  • RulesFlow pipelines
  • Gateways

This ensures any device on the market can be connected.

10. Device Modeling – Model Once, Use Repeatedly

Device Models allow you to define a device template and reuse it for any number of devices of the same kind.

A Device Model defines:

10.1 RulesFlow

Configure which RulesFlow pipeline processes telemetry from devices of this model:

  • Transformation
  • Validation
  • AI inference
  • Alarm automation
  • Event routing

10.2 Connectivity Protocol

Each model defines how devices connect:

  • MQTT
  • CoAP
  • HTTP
  • LwM2M
  • Sparkplug
  • SNMP
  • Gateway-based

10.4 Security Credentials

Device Model manages provisioning configuration:

  • Shared secrets
  • API tokens
  • X.509 Certificates
  • PKI-based authentication

10.3 Alarm Rules

Configure default alarms for the model:

  • Threshold alarms
  • Condition-based alarms
  • Predictive alarms
  • AI anomaly-based alarms

These rules automatically apply to all devices using the model.

10.5 Data Schemas and Key Definitions

Define:

  • Expected telemetry keys
  • Expected attribute keys
  • Validation rules

11. Telemetry, Attributes, and Command Management

11.1 Telemetry

Real-time telemetry appears under the Telemetry tab.

Features:

  • Time series graphs
  • Export to CSV
  • Latest data panel
  • Comparison tools

11.2 Attributes

Split into:

  • Server attributes (set by DeviceBoard)
  • Client attributes (reported by device)
  • Shared attributes (configurable back to device)

11.3 Commands / RPC

You may initiate:

  • Reboot
  • Start/stop operations
  • Parameter changes
  • Custom scripts

Depending on ABAC permissions.

12. Device Alarms and Health

Device alarms show:

  • Threshold violations
  • Connectivity issues
  • AI anomaly scores
  • Predictive maintenance alerts

Device health scoring can be configured via:

  • Device Model rules
  • RulesFlow pipelines
  • AI modules

13. Device Groups in Detail

13.1 Multi-Group Membership

A single device can be assigned to many groups:

  • Regional groups
  • Department groups
  • Critical asset groups
  • Functional groups

13.2 View Group Membership

When editing a device:

You will see:

Device belongs to the following groups:

  • Group A
  • Group B
  • Group C

13.3 Add or Remove Groups

From the Device Edit view:

  • Add group → dropdown selector
  • Remove group → checkbox deselect

This controls visibility for Hub Users and Client Users.