Integrating Kontakt.io with Cisco Spaces allows organizations to leverage their existing Cisco wireless infrastructure to power Kontakt.io’s real-time location system (RTLS) solutions for Asset Management, Staff Safety & Productivity, and Patient Journey, along with room occupancy and Temperature Monitoring.
This integration combines the capabilities of both platforms to provide organizations with real-time data to improve equipment utilization, support staff safety, optimize patient flow, and monitor room usage and environmental conditions.
Extend the value of your Cisco infrastructure
Kontakt.io's Kio Cloud platform and Internet of Things (IoT) devices are compatible with Cisco Catalyst access points — providing a unified IoT infrastructure.
Where Cisco access points provide Wi-Fi connectivity, Kontakt.io Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) devices communicate directly through the existing access point infrastructure — eliminating the need for secondary BLE to Wi-Fi gateway hardware. Kio Cloud and Kontakt.io devices establish a secure, two-way data flow through these access points.
Using your existing Cisco infrastructure you can:
Reduce deployment costs: Eliminate the need to install a separate gateway network.
Simplify maintenance: Avoid maintaining an additional layer of gateway hardware.
Scale across use cases: Support additional Kontakt.io solutions on a shared infrastructure.
Compatibility depends on your access point models, software versions, and network configuration. Your Cisco infrastructure needs:
- Cisco Catalyst 9120 access points or newer
- Cisco Spaces Connector 3.1 or later
Before planning your deployment, review the compatibility matrix in the Cisco Spaces: IoT Services (Wireless) overview and the Cisco Spaces prerequisites.
How the integration works
Kontakt.io's partnership with Cisco Spaces delivers a seamless integration with our IoT devices and Kio Cloud platform. The integration connects Kontakt.io devices, your Cisco wireless infrastructure, Cisco Spaces, and Kio Cloud.
- Kontakt.io devices broadcast BLE data. Depending on the device, this can include telemetry, occupancy, environmental readings, battery status, and button-press events.
- Compatible Cisco access points receive the data. Your configured Cisco infrastructure forwards the data to Cisco Spaces.
- Cisco Spaces shares the data with Kio Cloud. Kio Cloud receives device and event data through the Cisco Spaces Firehose API.
- Kontakt.io Kio Cloud uses the data. The platform provides a suite of apps for visibility, alerts, analytics, and workflows for your deployed use cases.
Continuous bilateral data flow: Data is sent and received between Cisco Spaces, Kontakt.io Kio Cloud, Cisco access points, and Kontakt.io IoT devices.
Key components
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Kontakt.io BLE devices | Tags, badges, Portal Beams, Beam Minis, Temp Monitors, and Dispenser Beacons. |
| Compatible Cisco access points | Receive device data and act as gateways between Kontakt.io BLE devices and Cisco Spaces. |
| Cisco wireless controllers and Cisco Spaces Connector | Support the network configuration and connectivity required by Cisco Spaces IoT Services. |
| Cisco Spaces | Provides device onboarding, management, monitoring, and data integration with Kio Cloud. |
| Cisco Spaces Partner Apps | Where you activate the Kio Cloud app for your account region. |
| Kontakt.io Kio Cloud | The Cisco Spaces Partner App that connects Cisco Spaces to the Kontakt.io platform, providing applications and services that use device data for your deployed use cases. |
| Connectivity SDK | Cisco Spaces code library for BLE devices that integration vendors, such as Kontakt.io, implement in their proprietary firmware. It allows devices to securely connect and communicate with Cisco Spaces through compatible Cisco access points. |
Depending on your use case requirements, you can also deploy Kontakt.io BLE-only infrastructure devices — the Portal Beam for room occupancy in Cisco Spaces through the Kontakt.io Plugin for PortalBeam, and the Beam Mini for room-level certainty in clinical and operational workflows such as staff duress response, hand hygiene, nurse call, and PAR-level inventory management.
Connect Cisco Spaces to Kio Cloud
The Kontakt.io Kio Cloud platform brings together real-time location data, connected devices, and applications to help healthcare teams locate equipment, respond to staff duress events, improve patient flow, and monitor environmental conditions.
To connect your Cisco Spaces account to Kio Cloud, you will activate the Partner App that matches your Kio Cloud account region:
| Kio Cloud account region | Cisco Spaces Partner App |
|---|---|
| US and North America | Kio Cloud |
| UK and Europe | Kio Cloud UK |
Activation connects the two platforms. Device onboarding, location setup, and application configuration are also required for your deployment.
Find Kontakt.io devices for your use cases
The Cisco Spaces Device Marketplace lists Kontakt.io devices available for integration with Cisco Spaces.
Open the marketplace, sign in if prompted, and search for Kontakt.io. Review the device listings to explore options for your use case.
For help selecting devices or to request a quote, contact Kontakt.io.
Portal Beam: room occupancy in Cisco Spaces
The Kontakt.io Plugin for PortalBeam integrates Portal Beam people counts and room occupancy data into Cisco Spaces. Teams can view real-time occupancy in Kiosk and Space Manager, and review historical reports and charts in Space Manager and Space Utilization to understand how rooms are used.
Beam Mini: clinical workflows with room-level certainty
Mounted directly inside a room, the battery-powered Beam Mini uses a built-in infrared (IR) transmitter to send precise room identifiers to nearby tags and badges. This IR capability provides room-level certainty to support clinical and operational workflows such as staff duress response, hand hygiene, nurse call, and PAR-level inventory management.
Plan your deployment
Before deploying, confirm that your Cisco infrastructure meets the Cisco Spaces IoT Services prerequisites. Validate BLE coverage and location requirements for your intended use case as part of deployment planning.
Follow the deployment guide for your use case:
- Kio Cloud: Use the Kontakt.io IoT devices with Cisco Spaces deployment guide to connect your accounts, onboard devices, and complete the integration setup.
- Portal Beam room occupancy in Cisco Spaces: Use the Deployment guide: Portal Beam room occupancy with Cisco Spaces to activate the Kontakt.io Plugin for PortalBeam and enable the supporting Device Management Plugin to install and configure Portal Beams with the Kio Setup Manager mobile app.
- Beam Mini room-level certainty: Use Beam Mini deployment and installation to set up Beam Minis with Cisco Spaces and Kio Cloud.
To learn more about the Kio Cloud apps and APIs you can use after you activate the Kio Cloud app, see Cisco Spaces and the Kio Cloud platform open APIs.