When organizations are in the early stages of a VR deployment, they typically start with small pilot phases and low quantities of devices. As businesses start to scale their VR programs, device numbers increase drastically. It's not uncommon in this phase for companies to receive 50 - 100 devices at a time that need to be inventoried, provisioned, and managed. In these circumstances, it's best to have standard operating procedures in place for unboxing, labeling, and registering large numbers of devices in a single session.
This process can be broken up into 3 phases:
Note: Before embarking on a large bulk device setup, we highly recommend that you step through our Getting Started Guide on a single device to get more comfortable with the ManageXR platform.
Phase 1: ManageXR Configuration Setup
Creating a configuration is important because it specifies which applications, files, and device settings will be applied to your devices. All devices with the same configuration will behave the same way, producing a uniform fleet of devices that are ready for production.
By the end of this phase, you’ll have a finalized ManageXR configuration that is ready to apply to your devices.
Set up your ManageXR account
If you haven't already done so, you’ll first want to set up your ManageXR account.
Create a ManageXR account and log in
Create your first Organization
Add all team members who will be helping set up devices. (An email will be sent to these users with instructions to join your organization.)
If working with a reseller or someone outside of your organization, the device provisioning contact must be added to your ManageXR organization as a “viewer” or be given a Registration Code in order to register new devices.
Create a Configuration
Next, we'll need to upload our applications and build a configuration.
Upload apps that you want to deploy to your devices.
Upload files that you want to deploy to your devices.
Create and build a new configuration. A configuration is a bundle of ManageXR settings that include which apps to install, files to load, kiosk mode settings to apply, etc.
Let's get started!
Name the configuration
Approve applications to the configuration
Approve files (Optional)
Select how content is displayed to the end-user: Kiosk App, Kiosk Video, Custom Home Screen, or neither.
Note: For bulk enrollments, be sure to Enable USB Debugging (Developer Mode), and DO NOT toggle on Disable USB File Transfer. This allows our Device Setup Tool to recognize and communicate with a connected device. Otherwise, as soon as you install ManageXR, the device will disappear from the device setup tool. These settings can be changed once you've uploaded all devices to the ManageXR platform.
Update your subscription to support the necessary number of devices.
Note: After your first configuration is complete, be sure to sample it on a test device. Once you've ensured the build is just right, you can rest confident that all of your devices using this configuration will behave just like their test device.
Phase 2: Pre-Device Setup
Now that your ManageXR account is set up, we need to prepare your physical devices for bulk enrollment. Here are a couple of key tips for setting up a repeatable process and preparing your deployment for success.
Device Boxes
Do not throw away the boxes. Factory packaging is typically a great way to store and transport devices. When preparing your device setup procedure, make sure to keep the boxes and their contents as organized as possible.
Name and Label Your Devices
Naming devices is key to keeping track of your hardware and identifying each device once it's been deployed. Use the same name for the box, device, and name of the device in ManageXR.
Label your device box with a label, sticker, or Sharpie.
Label your device with a label maker.
We recommend a naming system that combines a prefix and a number, like Device_0001.
Once you label the hardware, be sure to use the same device name when registering the device in ManageXR!
Phase 3: Device Setup
Now that you have a ManageXR configuration and labeled devices, it's time to provision each device with ManageXR.
Meta Quest Devices
Because Quest devices require an active subscription with Meta Horizon managed services, there are several factors to consider when deploying Meta devices at scale. Check out the documentation below to learn more.
All Other Devices
For legacy Quest devices and all other ManageXR-supported devices, you can follow our standard device setup instructions to apply your new configuration to each device.
The ManageXR Device Setup Tool enables you to provision batches of devices with ease using Bulk Setup Options. It's important to run this on a few devices to understand your exact process before setting up many devices simultaneously.
Here's what you'll need to do:
Launch the Device Setup Tool and plug in your XR devices using a USB-C cable splitter
Click the Edit Default Values dropdown menu
(Optional) Select the Configuration you created in Phase 1 of the Bulk Device Setup Guide
Create a naming convention for all of your devices with the Auto Name Prefix & Suffix
Click the purple Install All button
Breakdown of Bulk Setup Options
Action | Description |
Set Default Configuration | All devices will default to the chosen configuration when plugged in. |
Auto Name Prefix | All device names will default to a chosen name prefix (e.g., "Device_") |
Auto Name Suffix | All plugged-in device name suffixes will default to a chosen name suffix (e.g., "Device_00287"). This can be a numerical value, or you can choose the suffix to be the serial number of the device.
Once you select your naming scheme, the Device Setup Tool will check this naming scheme against your ManageXR device directory and try not to duplicate existing device names. If applicable, the tool will choose the next number in a naming sequence.
Note: If you're provisioning a large number of devices, it's probably best to name and label these devices before entering them into ManageXR |
Congrats, you're all set! You can now log in to the ManageXR Console and remotely manage your devices.
Tips
Test as you go - When running a large provisioning project, set up and verify a small batch of devices before continuing. Catching a missed step early is much easier than troubleshooting 200 devices after the fact.
Check sync status in the Web Console. After provisioning, confirm your devices have synced correctly. Each device's sync status appears in the top right of its page and will show Up To Date, Updating, or Out Of Date. See Device Sync Status documentation to learn more.
Scale up with a USB Hub. The Device Setup Tool supports bulk provisioning as many devices as you have USB ports for. A USB hub lets you provision more devices simultaneously.
Note: USB hub bulk setup is only recommended for Pico devices — Meta devices require additional setup steps that aren't compatible with this method.
Reduce bandwidth usage with configuration preloading. If internet speed is limited, use the Device Setup Tool's preload option to download apps and firmware in advance. In the Device Setup Tool, go to Provisioning Mode and select ManageXR and Configuration Content. This downloads everything required for a target configuration — including apps, firmware, and saved WiFi networks — and loads it onto devices without requiring them to access the internet during setup.
Run commands across all connected devices using Bulk Actions. From within the Device Setup Tool, you can execute device commands on all connected devices at once. See Advanced Device Actions documentation to learn more.
Need more help?
Talk to a member of our team using the chat bubble in the bottom right of your screen, or reach out to support@managexr.com