HOME - Devices

The "Devices" page lists all devices known to HOME. A device must appear here before it can be configured.

How are Devices Discovered?

Device Information

The following information is displayed for each device:

• Label - identifies the device to other network users. The label field must be completed and cannot be left blank.
  • All automatically-detected devices are assigned a default label.
  • The label can be edited by clicking on the device label and opening the "Edit Device Info" dialog.
• Location (optional) - can be added to help identify devices in a larger network.
  • The location can be edited by clicking on the device label and opening the "Edit Device Info" dialog.
• Status - shows the status of the device or app.
  • A device can be online, offline or in quarantine.
  • An app can be active or inactive.
  • If there is licensing issue to resolve, then the status field shows unlicensed.
• Admissions - shows the admissions status of the device (described below).
• Device Type - describes the product type. This is a fixed label that cannot be edited.

Checking the Device Status

The "Status" and "Admissions" columns describe the status of each device.

Please note: The admissions service can be disabled from HOME's system settings. In this instance, the "Admissions" column displays "-" for all devices.

Possible Operations

The following operations are possible.

1.    Click on the Filters button to apply a filter.

This can be used to restrict the view. For example, to view only the devices in a particular location. See Using Filters.

2.    Click on a column header to sort the list alphabetically by Label, Location, etc. 

Each click toggles the sort mode between ascending (A -> Z) and descending (Z -> A). An up or down arrow appears beside the header to indicate the current sort mode.

3.    Select a device (or devices) and click on a function:

• Approve - adds the device to the operational network.
• Quarantine - removes the device from the operational network.
• Reboot - reboots the device.
• More - provides access to more device operations.

 If a function is not available, then it is greyed out.

4.  Click on the label of a device to open the "Device Details" (described here).

Approve or Quarantine a Device

HOME includes an admissions service that aims to keep the network secure.

The service is enabled and disabled from HOME's system settings. When enabled, the Approve and Quarantine buttons can be used to manage which devices are part of the operational network.

• Whenever a new device is detected, it is automatically placed in quarantine.
• The user can then check the device's network settings (to avoid duplicate control IPs or multicast addresses) before adding the device to the operational network (using the Approve button).
• If there are problems with the network, then a device can be placed in quarantine manually (using the Quarantine button).

Important: Any change is implemented immediately, without confirmation, and so you should make sure that a device's streams are not in use before using the Quarantine function.

Please note: If the admissions service is disabled, then devices are automatically added to the network once they are detected or created. In this instance, the Approve and Quarantine buttons have no function.

Follow the steps below to approve or quarantine a device. It is assumed that the Admissions Service is enabled.

1.    From the main Devices page, select an entry (or entries) using the selection checkboxes (on the left of the table).

2.    Click on Approve or Quarantine to change the current status of the device.

The progress is shown in the "Status" and "Admissions" columns.

Reboot a Device

The Reboot button can be used to restart a device.

1.    From the main Devices page, select an entry (or entries) using the selection checkboxes (on the left of the table).

2.    Click on Reboot to reboot the device.

While the reboot is in progress, the device will lose its network connection and show as Offline (in the "Status" column).

Important: The reboot is implemented immediately without any confirmation, and so you should make sure that a device's streams are not in use before using this function.

Following a successful reboot, the "Status" column should return to Online (if the device is connected and powered).

More Operations

The More button opens a drop-down menu where you can access additional options for the selected device. If an option is not supported, then it is greyed out.

Change Device Application or Options

The first two options can be used to change settings specific to the device. The same windows can be accessed from the "Device Details" page (via the General tab). The settings vary depending on the device type.

Remove Device from Home

This option opens a pop-up window where you can choose to remove the device from the Home database:

This function should be used with caution as it removes all references to the device ID, but can be useful if you need to remove an obsolete device.

To proceed, follow the on-screen instructions: enter confirm into the text field and then click Remove.

Duplicate, Delete, Start or Stop App

The last four options apply to HOME Apps. They can be used to duplicate, delete, start or stop the selected app.