When managing a handful to hundreds of devices, updating their setting configurations one by one can be time consuming and inefficient. Fortunately, in Device Management you have to ability to update multiple devices at the same time with a CSV file - resulting in managing device configurations more efficient and faster. For instance, you can easily update the devices' Name, Deployment Status, Notes (device alias), and Tags (labels for devices), as well as the WiFi network settings for Portal Lights.
In this article, you'll learn how to update a handful to hundreds devices at the same time, equivalent to multi- or bulk edit (update), by using the Export and Import CSV features available in Device Management 2.0.
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From the CSV file, do not delete the uniqueID column or rename the columns. These columns serve as unique mappings to the devices and their setting configurations. However, you are free to delete any other columns that you are not updating.
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The Export CSV file contains configuration settings and read-only data from both the Device Management user interface in Kio Cloud and the Device Management API.
You can find the API configuration specifications in the Device Management API create config endpoint. You can find more setting details that can be helpful when updating settings from the CSV file. For example, the name setting is limited to 15 characters and importing a value greater will result in the import failing.
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When importing an updated CSV file, any configuration updates made through the Device Management user interface since the original export will be overwritten. The imported CSV file takes priority over the user interface settings.
For example, if an export was performed on Monday at 1 PM and from the Device Management user interface the Deployment Status for a device was updated to "Deployed" at 2 PM, importing an updated CSV file with the original Deployment Status as "To be deployed" will overwrite the 2 PM change made from the user interface.
Note
Effective May 2023, a Kontakt.io device category terminology change was introduced. Prior to this change, Kontakt.io devices were categorized as Beacons or Gateways.
Now, when you access the Kio Cloud apps, you will notice that devices are categorized as Tags or Infrastructure.
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Tags refer to devices that are moving and being tracked by some kind of infrastructure. These devices are not assigned to a location within Smart Location. For example, Asset Tags, Smart Badges, Nano Tags, .
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Infrastructure refers to devices that are stationary and remain in a fixed location. They are assigned to a room within Smart Location. For example, Portal Lights, Portal Beams, and Anchor Beacons. You may also notice that Portal Beams are also referred to as room sensors and Anchor Beacons may be referred to as reference beacons.
To update the configuration of Tags, Portal Beams, and Anchor Beacons, your Kio Cloud user account must have been granted Device Access to the devices being updated. All devices you have device access to are displayed in the Tags and Infrastructure list views. If you don't have access, reach out to your Kio Cloud account owner or an administrator.
Portal Beams and Anchor Beacons are located within the Infrastructure menu.
The first step is to export and download the devices with their current configurations.
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From Kio Cloud, go to Device Management 2.0 .
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From the left menu, select the category of the device(s) being updated that being either Tags or Infrastructure devices.
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When you need to only update a specific set of devices, it's recommended to apply a filter to limit the devices exported to only those requiring an update.
For example, if you only need to update the configuration for Asset Tag 2 devices. As shown in the image below, from the Search & Filter feature, set the Criteria to Product > set the Product filter to IS then select Asset Tag 2.
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When the list displays the devices to update, click EXPORT CSV (count of devices being exported) > click Download CSV. The file is downloaded to your local download folder.
Tip
Due to this process cannot be rolled back, it's recommend to save a copy of the original CSV export file in the event you need to manually rollback the updates or retain for historical purposes.
During this step, the most important requirement is that the CSV file contains the uniqueID column. This column is required to identify which device the configuration settings belong to.
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Open the CSV file using an editor such as Notes, Microsoft Excel (see below guidelines), or Google Sheets.
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Locate the column or columns settings and update them as needed.
It's ok to delete the columns that are not being updated, but do not delete the uniqueID column or the header row with the column names.
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When updates are complete, save as a CSV file and proceed to the next step.
When using Excel to update the CSV file, it attempts to identify the data types in each column and format the numbers. However, Excel's automatic detection can sometimes interpret large numbers as a scientific notation, which results in compatibility issues when importing the updated CSV file into Device Management (Step 3).
The following provides the steps needed to prevent Excel from automatically converting large numbers to scientific notations.
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Open Excel > create a new blank workbook.
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From the toolbar, select the Data tab > from the Get External Data section, select From Text/CSV.
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Locate and select the exported CSV file > click Import.
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For all columns, verify they are all set to the type of Text; do not select General or any other format.
By specifying the columns as a text format, Excel preserves the original data format.
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Once updated, save as a CSV file.
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With the updated CSV file ready, navigate back to Device Management 2.0 , from the left menu, select Tags or Infrastructure - based on the device models being updated.
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Click the option IMPORT CSV > click UPLOAD CSV FILE > select the updated file, click Open to initiate the import process.
If there was an error that prevented an Import update, review the message to correct the CSV import file and repeat the import process.
Once completed, the imported configuration updates are applied to each device.
Synchronization is required to ensure a device's local configuration is in sync with its Kio Cloud configuration. The device model and type of setting update determine if the devices are required to be synchronized.
Device model:
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Tags, Portal Beams, and Anchor Beacons are required to be synchronized locally at the device.
To learn how to synchronize devices to receive a pending configuration, see About synchronizing devices to receive pending configuration updates.
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Portal Lights automatically synchronize and receiving pending configuration updates. A Portal Light connects to the local WiFi network every 1 minute to send data to and download settings from Kio Cloud.
Type of setting:
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Virtual settings: when an update is made to a virtual setting, such as the Deployment Status, Tag, or Note (device alias), a device is not required to be synchronized. Virtual settings are only attributes stored in Kio Cloud and not stored in a device's local configuration.
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For all other setting updates: each updated device must synchronize to receive and download the Kio Cloud configuration update.
From the Tags and Infrastructure menu, the list view displays a Synchronization column that indicates if a device has a pending configuration.
From the profile of a device, there is also a PENDING update notification and the sync icon is displayed at the tab and setting level to visually indicate the pending configuration.