Airwave Agent Deployment Setup

Airwave enables over-the-air (OTA) system updates for Android devices. It manages firmware updates through an approval-driven workflow. This article walks you through deploying the Airwave Agent with Esper Deploy MDM and running the manual wake-up command required for initial device synchronization.

Complete these steps when you set up Airwave for the first time or onboard new devices.

Technical Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure your devices meet the following requirements.

Step 0: Pre-Register Devices and Prepare Firmware

Prepare your environment before you deploy the agent.

1. Pre-register device serial numbers: Register each device serial number in the Airwave Console. This authorizes incoming check-ins so Airwave recognizes your devices.
2. Upload firmware: Upload the required firmware builds to the Airwave Console. Associate each build with the correct device model and version tag so the agent can identify and pull the appropriate update.

Step 1: Add the Signed Airwave Agent to Your Tenant

To manage the agent as an application, upload it to the Esper Deploy Console.

1. Navigate to Apps in the Esper Deploy Console.
2. Click on Upload App and upload the signed Airwave Agent APK.
3. Ensure the package name is io.esper.airwave.agent.

Step 2: Deploy the Agent to Devices

After you add the agent to your tenant, deploy it to your target devices or groups from the Esper Deploy Console.

1. Navigate to Devices & Groups and select the target devices.
2. Select the Install App action, then select the Airwave Agent.
3. Confirm the deployment.
4. Verify the installation status in the device event feed.

Step 3: Configure the Airwave Agent

After the agent is installed, it needs a managed configuration to communicate with the Airwave back end. Apply the configuration in Esper Deploy through a blueprint or through the application's managed configuration.

1. Apply the following managed configuration to the Airwave Agent:

{
  "apiBaseUrl": "https://airwave-prod-usw2-shared2.esper.cloud/api/v1/airwave/devices/",
  "osUpdateCheckIntervalMinutes": 15,
  "settingsLocked": false,
  "settingsVisible": true
}

Step 4: Run the Manual Wake-Up Command

To trigger the initial setup and force the agent to report its state, issue an UPDATE_DEVICE_CONFIG command through the Esper API or Console.

1. Send a POST request to the following endpoint. Replace <tenant> with your actual tenant name.

   https://<tenant>-api.esper.cloud/api/commands/v0/commands

2. Use the following request body. Replace <device-uuid> with the ID of each target device.

   {
     "command_type": "DEVICE",
     "command": "UPDATE_DEVICE_CONFIG",
     "command_args": {
       "custom_settings_config": {
         "scripts": [
           {
             "action": "LAUNCH",
             "actionParams": {
               "intentAction": "io.esper.airwave.agent.ACTION_CHECK_OS_UPDATE",
               "launchType": "BROADCAST",
               "componentName": "io.esper.airwave.agent/.command.LegacyOtaCommandReceiver",
               "flags": 32
             }
           }
         ]
       }
     },
     "devices": [
       "<device-uuid>"
     ],
     "device_type": "all"
   }

Step 5: Verify and Monitor

After the command is issued successfully, monitor progress in the Airwave Console.

1. Check the Device State. The device remains in the Registered state, and the console automatically populates the Build Fingerprint, Android Version, and Agent Version.

After this initial wake-up, the agent polls for updates every 15 minutes, based on the osUpdateCheckIntervalMinutes value in the managed configuration.