By factory default, battery-powered Smart Badge 3 devices arrive from Kontakt.io powered off and require activation. The tag packaging includes an Activation Required sticker to indicate the badges must be powered on before use.
Custom orders, such as orders that include Provisioning Services, and Starter Test Kits may arrive from Kontakt.io with badges already powered on and without an Activation Required sticker.
When provisioning a badge, which means assigning to staff, be sure to verify the badge is powered on.
Power on a Smart Badge 3
Powering on a badge activates its battery.
Press and hold the blue or red button (for approximately 5 to 7 seconds) until you see the BLUE LED illuminate > then release the button.
Then verify the badge is powered on. See the next section, Verify a Smart Badge 3 is powered on.
Verify a Smart Badge 3 is powered on
A powered-on badge broadcasts over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). A nearby BLE to Wi-Fi infrastructure device, such as a Portal Light or an integrated Access Point, receives the broadcast and sends the badge's data to Kio Cloud. You can verify a badge is powered on in Device Management, or by activating a test alert from the badge.
Verify in Device Management
Before you begin, make sure the badge is near a BLE to Wi-Fi infrastructure device, so its location data is received and sent to Kio Cloud.
Sign in to Kio Cloud, then select Device Management from the Launchpad.
Select Tags.
Search for the badge by its MAC address, printed on the badge.
Select the badge to open its profile.
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From Current Location, select Show in Smart Location.
Smart Location opens on the badge's current location, which confirms the badge is powered on and its data is reaching Kio Cloud.
If the badge has no current location, move it near a BLE to Wi-Fi infrastructure device and check again. If it still has no location, power on the badge and check again.
Verify with a test alert
To verify with a test alert, the badge must be assigned to a staff member and the staff member must be included in a Staff Safe Alert Rule. See Assign badge to staff from Staff Safe or Assign a Smart Badge to staff using the Kio Entity Manager mobile app.
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Activate a test alert from the badge.
By factory default, a Smart Badge is configured to activate an alert with three button presses. This can vary by your organization's configuration. Refer to your organization's duress alert button-press configuration and procedures.
Confirm the alert appears in Staff Safe. An alert confirms the badge is powered on.
Resolve the alert, set its Resolution Code to Test, and add a note recording that you were testing the badge.
Power off (disabled by default)
Powering off Kontakt.io tags and badges is disabled by factory default. To allow a device to be powered off, this advanced configuration must be explicitly enabled per device in Device Management.
Warning: Enabling power-off is not recommended for most use cases — especially devices used for real-time location, staff safety, or alert workflows. When a device is powered off, it stops broadcasting. This disables real-time location visibility and prevents events and alerts from triggering.