Deployment guide: Portal Beam room occupancy with Cisco Spaces

Kontakt.io Plugin + Cisco Spaces

This guide explains how to deploy Portal Beam devices for room occupancy and environmental outcomes in Cisco Spaces. During deployment, you will claim your Kontakt.io order in Cisco Spaces, activate the required plugins, install and mount each Portal Beam, calibrate each room that has more than one Portal Beam, verify each device is listed in its room in Space Manager, set each room's capacity, and validate the room occupancy data in Space Manager.

After deployment is complete, you can view room occupancy and environmental data in Cisco Spaces.

For Cisco's validated guidance on this setup, see Room (Portal Beam Occupancy) in the Cisco Spaces Occupancy Runbook (Cisco Validated).

Deployment overview

Cisco Spaces prerequisites

Make sure the following prerequisites are complete.

• A Cisco Spaces account with an Advantage or Premier license. Learn more from the Cisco Spaces Setup Guide.

• Cisco Spaces: IoT Services (Wireless) prerequisites are met.

  This includes controllers added and active, Access Points connected and added to Maps, IoT Manage Streams enabled, and Access Points synchronized.

  Refer to the Cisco Spaces: IoT Services Configuration Guide (Wireless) for complete details and instructions.

• Cisco Catalyst wireless infrastructure:

  • Catalyst 9800 Wireless LAN Controller running IOS-XE 17.12.4 or later, or 17.15.1 or later

  • Catalyst 9120 or newer Access Points with the BLE IOx app

  • Cisco Spaces Connector 3.1 or later (Connector 2.3 is no longer supported)

  Portal Beam room occupancy is not validated with Meraki infrastructure.

• Cisco Spaces Location Hierarchy is configured and Digital Maps are created.

Kontakt.io prerequisites

• The Kontakt.io Order ID. It's printed on the Quick Start Guide included in the order packaging and is also in your order confirmation emails. You'll need it to claim the order in Step 1.

• Kio Setup Manager installed on a mobile device. If you already have the app, be sure to check for updates.

  • iPhone or iPad with iOS version 17 or later: install the app from the App Store. Search for Kio Setup Manager.

  • Android phone or tablet with version 8 or later: install the app from Google Play. Search for Kio Setup Manager. Use the Android app only when installing a single Portal Beam in a room.

  • Device connectivity: Bluetooth enabled and an internet connection over Wi-Fi or cellular data

Kio Setup Manager for iPhone or iPad - required for multiple Portal Beams in a room

Portal Beams are required to be installed onsite with using the Kio Setup Manager mobile app. A single Portal Beam can count the up to 10 people in a room. If a room occupancy capacity is greater than 10, multiple beams are required. Room calibration, which every room with more than one Portal Beam needs, is available only in the iPhone or iPad app.

Kio Setup Manager for Android supports installing one Portal Beam per room. To install more than one Portal Beam in a room, use Kio Setup Manager for iPhone or iPad.

Step 1: Claim Kontakt.io order in Cisco Spaces

Claiming a Kontakt.io Order ID in Cisco Spaces adds the order's devices to your Cisco Spaces device inventory.

1. Log in to your Cisco Spaces account.

2. Go to IoT Services > Inventory.

3. Select Claimed Devices > Claim devices.

   

4. From Claim Devices, select BLE Tags & Sensors > Next.

   

5. Enter the Kontakt.io Order ID (it is case sensitive) > select Claim.

   

6. Verify the Kontakt.io devices were claimed: from Inventory > Claimed Devices, verify the devices are listed.

Step 2: Activate the Kontakt.io Plugin for PortalBeam

1. From your Cisco Spaces account, go to Setup > Plugins.

   

2. Find the Kontakt.io Plugin for PortalBeam and select Activate.

3. Select the latest production version > select Next.

4. Select the locations where Portal Beams will be installed > select Next.

5. Select Accept Permissions > Activate.

Step 3: Activate the Kontakt.io Device Management Plugin

The Kontakt.io Device Management Plugin lets you use Kio Setup Manager to install and manage Portal Beams onsite that have been claimed in Cisco Spaces. The plugin only applies to Kontakt.io Portal Beams claimed in Cisco Spaces.

Get Cisco Spaces Device Management Server API Key

This API Key is unique to the Cisco Spaces account.

1. Log in to your Cisco Spaces account.

2. From your Cisco Spaces home page, go to IoT Services > Manage.

3. Select BLE Devices > select the MAC Address of a device.

   

4. From the Beacon Configuration section, select Advance Configuration > select Confirm.

   

5. From the Server API Key section, select the copy icon. You'll need this Server API Key in the next step.

   

Activate Kontakt.io Device Management plugin

This is a one-time setup step.

1. From a web browser, open the Kontakt.io Device Management Plugin URL specific to your Cisco Spaces account region. If you're not already signed in to Cisco Spaces, you'll be prompted to sign in.

   United States region: https://plugin-app.cloud.us.kontakt.io/device-management/

   Europe region: https://plugin-app.cloud.uk.kontakt.io/device-management/

2. You're directed to Cisco Spaces sign in. Enter your Cisco Spaces credentials > select the account.

3. From the Add Devices menu, select Device Federation.

4. Paste your Cisco Spaces Device Manager Server API Key.

   

5. To confirm the plugin activation, from the Inventory menu, select Infrastructure > verify the Portal Beams are listed.

After the Portal Beams are installed from Kio Setup Manager, you can use the plugin URL to view and manage device settings and review the last thermal image uploaded from the Kio Setup Manager app.

Step 4: Ceiling mount Portal Beam

One Portal Beam counts up to 10 people. If a room's occupancy can be more than 10 people, plan for more than one Portal Beam in the room.

Before you mount a Portal Beam:

• Turn on the Portal Beam. On the underside of the Portal Beam, move the battery switch to the ON position.

• Review the Portal Beam placement and coverage area guidelines and ceiling mount instructions.

If a room has more than one Portal Beam, install every beam in the room first, then calibrate the room from Kio Setup Manager (performed in Step 6: Calibrate a room with more than one Portal Beam.). Room calibration allows the beams count each person in the room once, including people standing where two beams' coverage areas overlap.

Step 5: Install a Portal Beam with Kio Setup Manager

This step requires Kio Setup Manager. During a Portal Beam installation, you will assign the beam to its install location, capture a real-time thermal image to verify coverage, and configure Exclusion Zones if needed.

Exclusion Zones are user-defined areas within a Portal Beam's field of view that are ignored by the Kontakt.io Occupancy Engine. These zones can include non-human, stationary objects with high background temperatures, such as TVs, light fixtures, windows, or other electrical equipment. Additionally, an exclusion zone can be a specific area within a large room where occupancy detection is not required. Exclusion Zones can only be managed from Kio Setup Manager.

The following steps are for the iOS app. The Android app can be used to install a single Portal Beam in a room.

1. From your mobile device, open Kio Setup Manager > from the Sign in Method, tap Cisco Spaces Account.

   

2. You're directed to Cisco Spaces sign in. Enter your Cisco Spaces credentials > select the account.

3. From the bottom menu, tap Devices.

4. From the list of Nearby Devices, locate the Portal Beam by its MAC address or Unique ID

5. Tap the Portal Beam you're installing to view its management menu options.

   (Optional) To verify the Portal Beam selected, tap Show Details > Flash LED. From its front-side, a colored LED flashes briefly.

6. From the menu, tap Install Your Device > from Choose location > tap the campus, building, floor, and room where the Portal Beam is being installed.

7. Tap Next and mount the Portal Beam.

   If the room already has a room calibration, the app displays Existing Room Calibration Found. Tap Remove Calibration and Continue > tap Remove. Installing a beam in a calibrated room removes the room's calibration, so recalibrate the room after all its beams are installed. Mount the Portal Beam, then continue to the next step.

   

8. From Verify Thermal Camera > tap Capture Image.

9. From the top section of the captured image, tap the cloud icon.

   The thermal image is uploaded to the Portal Beam's Occupancy settings within the Kontakt.io Device Management Plugin. This image is a helpful troubleshooting resource.

10. From the captured image, verify if any hot objects were detected.

    If there are any non-human, stationary hot objects detected or areas you want to exclude from occupancy detection, you can configure these as Exclusion Zones (tap Add Exclusion Zone). It's recommended to set windows within the room as exclusion zones, especially when there is direct sunlight into the room.

    After configuring the Exclusion Zones, tap Next.

11. View the device note that is saved in its profile in the Device Management Plugin URL — you can add additional information > tap Next.

12. Once complete, the app displays Installation Success!. This is your confirmation the install is complete.

    To install another beam in the same room or a different room, tap Install next Portal Beam. After you install the last beam in a room with more than one Portal Beam, tap Perform room calibration and continue to Step 6.

    

Step 6: Calibrate a room with more than one Portal Beam

Room calibration is required for every room with more than one Portal Beam. A room with a single Portal Beam does not need calibration. During calibration, you will use your mobile device's camera (augmented reality) to mark each installed beam and the walls of the room, so the beams can count each person once.

Before you begin, be sure each Portal Beam in the room has been installed with the Kio Setup Manager and mounted to the ceiling, and make sure the room is well lit. To calibrate a room, you must be signed in to Kio Setup Manager for iPhone or iPad with Cisco Spaces Account.

1. From Kio Setup Manager, tap Install > Post-install Room Calibration.

   After you install the last beam in the room, you can instead tap Perform room calibration from the Installation Success! screen.

   

2. Tap the campus, building, floor, and room to calibrate.

   The app checks the beams installed in the room:

   • No Beams Detected: no Portal Beams are installed in the room yet. Install at least two Portal Beams, then calibrate the room.

   • Calibration Not Needed: the room has a single Portal Beam. No further setup is needed.

3. From Room Calibration, tap Start. The camera view opens.

   

4. Point the phone at the floor and walk a few steps until the app finds the floor > tap Use the floor it found.

   Mounting heights are measured from this floor.

5. Capture each Portal Beam in the room:

   1. Stand under a Portal Beam and point the phone up at it. Hold still until the app displays Ready.

      If the app displays Get closer, stand under the beam. If it displays Back off a little, step back until the whole beam fits in the frame.

      If the app displays Find the lens, move around the beam until the app finds the lens, or tap Set the lens by hand.

      

   2. Tap Capture this beam > from Which beam?, tap the beam you are standing under.

      To confirm the beam selected, tap the antenna icon next to a beam to make its LED blink.

   3. The app confirms the capture and shows how many beams are left. Move to the next Portal Beam and repeat until the app displays that all beams are captured.

      

   To change or remove a captured beam, tap Captured beams. If you point the phone at a beam you already captured, the app displays Ready to adjust and an Adjust button for that beam.

   

6. Mark the walls of the room: walk along the walls and tap Add corner at each corner of the room from close range. To close the room outline, tap near the first corner or tap Close loop.

   To remove the last corner, tap Undo.

7. (Optional) Mark warm objects that are never a person, such as a radiator or vending machine: tap Add a zone > enter a name > tap Draw > tap Add corner at each corner around the object > tap Close loop.

   Keep each zone tight around the object. People inside a zone are not counted.

   

8. (Optional) Mark a known point: tap Mark point 1 at a spot on the floor where you can stand later to check the count.

9. Tap Finish. The app uploads the calibration and displays Room Calibrated > tap Done.

   

Step 7: Verify the Portal Beam is associated with its room in Space Manager

Installing a Portal Beam from Kio Setup Manager also associates the beam with its room in Cisco Spaces. Verify the association so the room's occupancy and environmental data displays in Cisco Spaces.

1. From your Cisco Spaces home page, open Space Manager.

2. Go to Manage Rooms > select the room where the Portal Beam is installed.

3. From Room Details, go to IoT sensors > verify the Portal Beam is listed.

   In a room with more than one Portal Beam, verify each beam is listed.

If a Portal Beam isn't listed, install it again from Kio Setup Manager (Step 5).

Step 8: Set the room capacity

1. From Space Manager, go to Manage Rooms > select the room.

2. From Room Details, edit the Capacity field and enter the number of people the room holds.

   

Step 9: Validate room occupancy in Space Manager

As the final deployment step, validate the room's occupancy data in Space Manager. Complete the validation in the room where the Portal Beam is mounted. It requires two people.

From Space Manager, select the floor > select Room Occupancy, then complete the following validation steps.