Provisioning is the first step to enrolling, configuring, and managing a device using the Esper platform and associated developer tools. Esper provides several different methods for provisioning Android devices, depending on the capabilities of the device being configured.
In this article:
- Preparing Your Devices
- Types of Provisioning Methods
- Selecting a Provisioning Method
- Troubleshooting
Preparing Your Devices
Before provisioning, prepare your devices to ensure they provision Esper smoothly. Perform the following common setup steps:
- Factory reset the device.
- Create a blueprint.
You may also need to:
- Ensure appropriate firewall rules are applied.
- Remove the device from any previous management systems (not including Android for Work, Knox Mobile Enrollment, Zero Touch Enrollment, Apple Business Manager, or other supported provisioning methods).
Types of Provisioning Methods
Blueprints
- 6 Tap QR Code, part of Android for Enterprise
- The Provisioner Tool
- Seamless Provisioning
- Zero-touch Enrollment
- Knox Mobile Enrollment
Additional provisioning methods include:
- NFC-based
- APK-based
Contact Esper to find out if your account qualifies and if your device is supported.
Select a method and blueprint to open more options.
- Device Platform: Select the device's operating system.
- Provisioning Method: Select the provisioning method.
- Provisioning Group: Optionally assign a device to a group (you can always assign a device to a group after provisioning, too).
-
Provisioning Blueprint: Select the blueprint. You can always change this later in Devices & Groups.
Provisioning Wi-Fi: Depending on the provisioning method, you might have the option to add Wi-Fi at the provisioning step.
You can also: - View the QR-code in Full Screen Mode.
- Download the Config file for Android Debug Bridge or Seamless Provisioning.
Templates
- Android for Work, part of Android for Enterprise
- 6 Tap QR Code, part of Android for Enterprise
- The Provisioner Tool
- Seamless Provisioning
Additional provisioning methods include:
- Google Zero-Touch Enrollment
- Samsung Knox Mobile Enrollment
- IMEI/Serial-based
- NFC-based
- APK-based
Contact Esper to find out if your account qualifies and if your device is supported.
A factory reset will be required. If your device was formerly provisioned through a Mobile Device Management platform, ensure the device is completely removed from that platform as well.
If you meet the prerequisites, you may provision your device using any of the above methods.
- To select one of the provisioning methods, or to view detailed steps for that method, go to Provisioning Methods
- Select your Provisioning Method from the dropdown menu. Then select your Esper experience Blueprint or Template.
- Then select the Blueprint or Template you’d like to provision the devices with and follow the provisioning instructions.
Selecting a Provisioning Method
Android for Work (AFW) Provisioning
The AFW method is best used for:
- Devices that have GMS (Google Mobile Services) support enabled
- Devices with a camera for QR code scanning
- Android 6.0 and above
A factory reset will be required. If your device was formerly provisioned through a Mobile Device Management platform, ensure the device is completely removed from that platform as well.
You can also use IMEI / Serial Numbers with the AFW provisioning method on some devices. This is useful for customers who would like to provision devices themselves and for devices without cameras.
Provisioning devices using IMEI/Serial number also prevents users from repurposing the device by exploiting the ability to conduct a factory reset. To learn more about provisioning devices using the IMEI or serial number method, review IMEI/Serial Number Based Provisioning. View the Upload IMEI CSV page for more information on loading IMEIs and Serial Numbers into a Provisioning Template.
Six Tap QR Code Provisioning
6-Tap QR code provisioning is best used for:
- Devices that have Google Mobile Services (GMS) support enabled
- Devices with a camera for QR code scanning
- Android 7.0 and above
A factory reset will be required.
Beginning with Android 9, you can include credentials for the Wi-Fi network in your provisioning Template or Blueprint. Devices should connect automatically to the Wi-Fi network while provisioning.
Xiaomi/Redmi devices do not support a 6-tap provisioning method.
The Device Provisioner
The Device Provisioner is a user-friendly provisioning tool by Esper that runs on Mac, Linux and Windows. While intended for AOSP devices that don’t have the Android Enterprise enrollment methods available, it can also provision GMS devices, useful for specialized GMS devices (such as those without cameras).
You’ll need a USB cable to connect the device to the computer you’re using for provisioning. Ethernet-based and Wi-Fi-based methods can be used if the device is on the same subnet as the computer running the Device Provisioner. You are required to turn on the Developer Options and enable USB Debugging on the device.
Notes: Some additional steps are needed to provision Xiaomi/Redmi devices using the Device Provisioner tool. Refer to Device Provisioner documentation for more information.
Seamless Provisioning
Seamless provisioning is only for devices running Esper Foundation for Android or AOSP custom-built devices that directly support Esper.
The IMEI/Serial Number method is used for bulk provisioning. It enables true no-touch provisioning using a predetermined Wi-Fi access point.
Contact Esper Support to find out more about Esper Foundation for Android and Seamless Provisioning.
Troubleshooting
At times, you might experience issues with provisioning. We usually recommend that:
- You're on a reliable network
- Devices are adequately charged
- Notifications are handled properly
You can also use the Onboarding Utility Window to diagnose and troubleshoot issues.