The Portal Light is Kontakt.io's BLE-to-Wi-Fi gateway. Mounted in a fixed position, it continuously scans for nearby Kontakt.io BLE devices — tags worn by staff, assets, and patients; Portal Beams and Beam Minis detecting occupancy; Anchor Beacons serving as location anchors; and Temperature Monitors recording readings — and forwards all of that data to Kio Cloud over Wi-Fi. Every Kontakt.io deployment requires Portal Lights as the bridge between on-site BLE devices and the cloud.
Kio Setup Manager is the tool used to install, configure, and maintain Portal Lights on-site. All Portal Light work that requires touching the physical device happens here.
Portal Light models
Three Portal Light models are available. All are managed the same way in Kio Setup Manager unless noted.
| Model | Display name in Kio Setup Manager |
|---|---|
| GW20_1 | Portal Light |
| PL_2 | Portal Light 2 |
| PL_2S | Portal Light 2S |
What you can do from Kio Setup Manager
Kio Setup Manager covers the full lifecycle of a Portal Light — from first installation through routine maintenance and troubleshooting.
| Action | When to use |
|---|---|
| Install | Initial deployment — connects Portal Light to Wi-Fi and assigns it to a Smart Location room |
| Assign to location | Assigns a pre-configured Portal Light to a Smart Location room without repeating Wi-Fi setup |
| Replace | Swaps Portal Light hardware while keeping the existing location assignment and configuration |
| Configure network | Updates Wi-Fi credentials after installation — use when the network changes |
| Configure NTP | Sets the NTP time server the Portal Light uses to synchronize its clock |
| Fetch diagnostic report | Runs a connectivity and configuration check; returns detailed results for troubleshooting |
| Collect logs | Downloads BLE diagnostic logs from the device; typically used by support |
| Track your device | Triggers the Portal Light's LED to blink for 10 seconds so you can identify which unit you are working with |
| Update certificate | Refreshes the API certificate on the device; shown only when certificate verification fails |
How Portal Light connects
The Portal Light needs two things to operate:
Wi-Fi — connects to Kio Cloud to deliver data and receive configuration. A Portal Light without a working Wi-Fi connection cannot forward any BLE device data. It shows a solid red LED when it cannot connect.
Power — the Portal Light is powered by its cable connection. It does not have a battery.
Kio Setup Manager communicates with the Portal Light over Bluetooth during configuration. Once installed, the Portal Light reports to Kio Cloud continuously over Wi-Fi — no ongoing Bluetooth connection is needed.
What the Portal Light receives from BLE devices
The Portal Light passively receives broadcasts from any nearby Kontakt.io BLE device:
- Tags (Asset Tag, Smart Badge, Nano Tag, Sticker Tag) — location and presence data
- Portal Beam / Beam Mini — occupancy sensor data
- Anchor Beacon — location infrastructure signals
- Temp Monitor Pro / Temp Monitor Lite — temperature and humidity readings
The Portal Light does not distinguish between these types — it forwards all BLE packets it receives to Kio Cloud. Kio Cloud routes the data to the relevant Kio Apps. Placing Portal Lights correctly — one per room, centered — directly affects the quality of location data for all of these devices.
LED indicators
| LED state | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Solid green | Connected to Wi-Fi, NTP, and Kio Cloud — operating normally |
| Solid red | Cannot connect to Wi-Fi or Kio Cloud |
| Blinking | Booting or establishing connection — wait up to two minutes |
| Off | No power — check the power source and cable |