Skip to main content
All CollectionsAgent for Zebra
UXI Agent for Zebra - Install and Configure the Agent
UXI Agent for Zebra - Install and Configure the Agent
Updated over a month ago

Before you get started with the UXI agent, please make sure the following steps have been completed.

  • Supported Devices: The UXI Agent for Zebra makes use of the Zebra Wireless Insights service on Android-based devices. Please review the supported device list and confirm your devices are running the appropriate OS and lifeguard version. The agent is supported only on these Zebra devices.

  • Ensure Communication with the UXI Cloud: The zebra device must be able to report results to our UXI cloud. Please make sure the required URLs are reachable on the network the zebra device is connected to.

  • Apply Zebra License and Activate Wireless Insights - The UXI Agent uses the Zebra Wireless Insights service. The Wireless Insights service is a licensed feature from Zebra and is not included in your UXI Agent for Zebra subscription. Please review these steps to make sure the Zebra Wireless Insights license is installed and the Wireless Insights feature is activated on the device.

Get the UXI Agent Provisioning Token / QR Code

When you are ready to start using the UXI Agent, the first step will be to get a Provisioning Token / QR Code from your UXI dashboard. This Provisioning Token / QR Code is used by the agent to know which UXI dashboard the device belongs to.

Provisioning Token / QR Code for Existing Dashboards

To get a Provisioning Token / QR Code for an existing dashboard, go to Settings and Select Add Sensor.

Enter the following options in the Add Sensor menu

  • Sensor Type: Agent (via provisioning token)

  • Groups and Sensors: Select the group you want the sensors to appear in for the visual representation of the dashboard

  • Legacy Group: Select the group you want the sensors to appear in for the test configuration of the dashboard

    Note: Please use the same group selection for both options above unless your dashboard is using the Groups and Sensors Hierarchy Alpha feature.

    If you do not select a group, the Provisioning Token / QR Code will put the sensors at the top-level on your UXI dashboard and you will need to assign the sensors to groups and set the test configuration similar to a hardware sensor after the sensors report to the dashboard.

From this screen, you can scan the QR code or copy the provisioning token to your clipboard to be used in your MDM.

Provisioning Token / QR Code for New Dashboards

To get a Provisioning Token / QR Code for a new dashboard, you can follow the steps n the onboarding wizard.

If you have never logged in to UXI before, you can create a new account here - https://help.capenetworks.com/en/articles/8678051-uxi-hpe-greenlake-cloud-platform-getting-started

On the first step on the onboarding wizard, select the type of sensor to be an Agent

On the next page, the QR Code / Provisioning token is displayed.

From this screen, you can scan the QR code or copy the provisioning token to your clipboard to be used in your MDM.

Install, Configure and Start the Agent

The UXI Agent is available on Google Play.

It is recommended to install the agent from Google Play through your MDM and use Managed Configurations to apply the provisioning token, but it can also be installed from Google Play locally on the device.

If your MDM is not integrated with Google Play, you can also Download the Agent from the HPE Aruba Networking Support Portal. Please be aware of all the limitations as described in the help article.

Note: During the provisioning process the agent will attempt to derive a unique device identifier for the UXI dashboard. To derive a unique identifier, the agent uses a combination of device serial and device MAC address (if available). If you are provisioning a device for a second time, it's possible you will see duplicate device entries in your dashboard, especially if you changed what is being sent in the managed configuration or switched from QR code to the provisioning token. You can remove the old device entry from your dashboard.

MDM Installation and Configuration (Recommended)

This method is only available if you are using the agent from Google Play.

The agent supports Managed Configurations to install and configure the agent on your Zebra devices quickly and easily. Each MDM has a slightly different workflow, but through your MDM you want to do the following:

  • Add the "UXI Agent” to your MDM from Google Play.

  • Ensure required permissions are set for the application.

    For example, in VMWare Workspace One this is set in your device profile

  • Install the agent to a select group of devices.

  • When installing the agent, send the configuration as follows:

    • Enter your provisioning token provided by the UXI Dashboard in the UXI Provisioning Token field.

    • Enter the variable for the device name in the UXI Device Name field.

    • Enter the variable for the device serial in the UXI Device Serial field.

    • Enter the variable for the device MAC Address in the UXI Mac Address field.

    By using these variables, the device will use the device-specific properties from the MDM. For example, in VMWare Workspace One, the parameters will look like this - {DeviceFriendlyName}, {DeviceSerialNumber}, {DeviceWLANMac}

The agent must be started once. After that, it will automatically start when the device reboots. The agent can be started manually (which is the easiest way) or started through the MDM.

Local Installation and Configuration

If you are not installing the agent through your MDM, you can install it locally on the device from Google Play or download the Agent from ASP.

  • Install the "UXI Agent”

  • Start the agent on the device, grant all requested permissions in the most permissive settings

  • Scan the QR code obtained from your UXI dashboard. You can scan using the device camera. If the device does not have a camera, you can scan the QR code on Zebra devices using the built-in barcode scanner. If you are using the camera, select the option "link to dashboard" and grant permission to use the camera. If using the built-in barcode scanner, simply launch the agent and scan the QR code from the default screen of the agent.

UXI Agent for Zebra Resource Usage

The UXI Agent device resource usage depends on which features are enabled and how many issues the agent has detected.

The agent alone minimizes device resource usage as it only performs basic synthetic tests where the test cycles are 5 minutes apart. The following measurements are based on QA testing with 10 tests configured:

  • 3% to 6% impact on battery

  • 150 MB of device storage

  • 125 MB of memory

  • 300 MB per day of Wi-Fi data (This number includes all the synthetic test traffic as well. The data sent to the UXI cloud is ~ 50 MB per day)

In the event the device is unable to upload results to our cloud, the device retains the data and saves it in the local DB, and will try to upload in the next test cycle. When the upload is successful, the information is deleted. The max size of the local DB is set to 2GB.

If you are using Zebra Wireless Insights for roaming and SIP call analysis, the agent also uses a packet capture capability when synthetic tests fail. This packet capture will use more resources on the device and is an optional feature. You can set the pcap mode of the agent to disabled, pcap light or pcap full. On-demand pcap is not available on agents.

If your Zebra device and APs support 802.11mc and you use HPE Aruba Networking Central cloud, The agent can use indoor location functionality to help identify where issues occur. This optional feature may also increase agent resource usage.

Android Doze Mode and Battery Optimization

Although we have optimized the agent not to have a large impact on the battery, Android 10 and above have become more aggressive in optimizing background apps to preserve battery life. To ensure the agent collects data in the background and prevent Android from ending the process, you must set the UXI Agent application Battery Optimization Settings to “Do Not Optimize”.

You can do this manually on the device by going to Settings -> Apps and Notifications -> Advanced -> Special App Access. From the menu select Battery Optimization. Select All Apps from the dropdown, scroll down to locate the UXI Agent in the list. Select UXI Agent and select Don’t Optimize and click Done.

You can also scan the following barcode in stagenow after the agent is installed.

You can also do this via AppManager and apply through StageNow or Zebra OEMConfig. If you are building the configuration in StageNow, do the following:

  • Open StageNow on windows to create the configuration

  • Create New Profile

  • Select the MX version of the devices

  • Select Xpert Mode and click Create

  • Give the profile a friendly name and select Start

  • Select AppMgr and add it to Configure. Select Add

  • Under Application Action, Select Application for Battery Optimization

  • Under Remove Application for Battery Optimization, enter com.aruba.uxi.android

  • Click Continue, then Complete Profile

  • On the device, scan the StageNow barcode or use the XML to provision via the MDM.

Post-Installation Steps:

Once the agent is started, the agent will appear on your UXI dashboard and begin reporting test results in 5 to 15 minutes.

Next, set some tests for the agent to run by assigning agents to groups and assigning test to groups and networks. Since the agent runs in the background, the agent only runs simple tests like PINGs and HTTP GETs and also collects roaming and voice analysis data from the Zebra Wireless Insights service. It's recommended to have hardware sensors at the locations as well as the hardware sensors are dedicated testing devices that test multiple networks (wired and wireless) and do more complex tests. Together the hardware sensors and Zebra agents will give you a better view of how the user experience is at a location.

Did this answer your question?