Creating devices

Who can do it: Service provider
Where: Wialon Platform Studio

A device is the digital representation of a physical GPS tracker in Wialon Platform. You create devices in a wizard that guides you from the creation method to the connection details of the tracker.

You can connect up to 100 devices. To increase the limit, send a request to support@wialon.com. For other restrictions, see Limitations.

To start, go to the All devices page or to the Devices tab of a particular customer.

If you have no devices yet, select how you want to create your first devices on the empty page: automatically, manually, or from a file. If you already have devices, click New device.

1. Select how you want to add the devices:

   • Autocreate devices: Set up a connection for selected brands or gateways. Each tracker appears in the device list the first time it sends data. Use this method to onboard many devices at once.
   • Add one device: Enter the tracker model, device IMEI or ident, and vehicle details. Use this method for a single tracker with specific settings.
   • Import devices: Upload a CSV or XLSX file to create up to 1,000 devices at once.

2. Click Next.

Devices created by the autocreate method aren’t assigned to a customer, even if you start the wizard from a customer page. Find them on the All devices page and assign them to a customer.

With this method, you don’t need to create a channel manually. The wizard creates the required channels with automatic device creation turned on, or reuses the channels you already have.

Select the brands or gateways of your trackers.

1. (Optional): Expand the Existing channels row to check which channels you already have.
2. Select the required brands or gateways in the grid. If there are existing channels for this protocol, the brand card shows their number. To find a brand that isn’t in the grid, use the search field or click Show all brands and gateways.
3. If a channel for the selected brand already exists, confirm what to do with it:
   • Create for all: Create a new channel in addition to the existing one. A second channel is necessary only for distinct TTL, TLS, or IP filters. Additional unused channels may expose open ports.
   • Create only new: Reuse the existing channel and create channels only for the brands that don’t have one.
4. Click Next. The button becomes active after you select at least one brand or gateway.

Check the channels to be created, configure their settings (if applicable) and select how the sensors should be configured for the devices after they connect to the channel.

1. In the Connection section, check the channels to be created. If a protocol requires specific channel settings to be configured, they are displayed in this section. Configure these settings before moving to the next step.

2. In the Telemetry section, select one of the options:

• Apply model presets: If a model that connects to the channel has a linked telemetry preset, the platform applies it. The other devices get default sensors selected by Wialon Platform.
• Create default sensors: Sensors are created once you finish the creation process. Click Choose sensors to select which of them you need, for example, Ignition, Engine temperature, Voltage, Battery level, Acceleration, Mileage, and Engine hours.
• No template: No sensors are created. You configure sensors manually after the devices connect.

Empty vehicle profile fields (make, model, plate, and VIN) are filled in from the tracker messages, wherever the device reports them. The values you enter manually are saved and aren’t impacted by the data received in messages.

3. Click Create channels.

The wizard shows the summary of the created and reused channels. In the Point the trackers here section, copy the host and port of a created channel and use them to configure your trackers. The process varies by manufacturer and may involve sending an SMS command or using configuration software. See Directing device data to the channel.

When a tracker sends its first message, the device appears on the All devices page.

From this step, you can add another device or go to the device list.

Use this method when you have the tracker data and want to fill it in before the device connects.

1. In the Model field, search for the tracker by model or vendor (for example, FMC640, Teltonika) and select it from the list. This is a required field. Under the field, the platform shows whether a channel for this model already exists or a new one is created.

2. In the IMEI field, enter the 15-digit identifier of the tracker. It must be unique within your account.

3. (Optional): Enter the Vehicle name. If you leave the field blank, the IMEI is used as a name.

4. (Optional): Click the icon next to the name to set the icon and color of the device.

5. In the Customer field, select the account to which the device belongs. You can assign the customer later: until then, the device isn’t billed.

6. (Optional): Expand More details and fill in the vehicle profile:

   • Vehicle: Vehicle type, VIN, and plate number.
   • Make, model and year: Make, model, manufacture year, and operational control status.
   • Energy and emissions: Fuel type, normative fuel consumption, consumption unit, and emission standard.
   • Dimensions and weight: Gross weight, length, width, and height.

   See the guide on vehicle information on the page Managing the device profile.

   Empty profile fields are filled in from the tracker messages as they arrive. The values you enter yourself aren’t impacted.

7. (Optional): If the model supports tachograph functionality, turn on the Tachograph switch. To request files from the tachograph regularly, turn on the Automatic file request switch and set its parameters. If the model requires a company card, fill in the Company card number field. See Configuring tachograph functionality for a device.

8. Click Next.

1. Select how the sensors are configured for the device: Apply model presets (available if the model has a linked telemetry preset), Create default sensors, or No template. The options work the same way as for the [autocreate method] (#data-autocreate).
2. Click Create device.

The wizard shows the summary of the created device, its connection status, and the name of the applied telemetry preset (if any).

Pointing the tracker to the channel

Copy the host and port of the available channel () and use them to configure the tracker. If several channels are turned on, you can use any of them. If suitable channels are turned off, only one of them is displayed in this step. Switch the channel on so that it starts accepting data. Make sure that the physical tracker and the device you created have the same IMEI. See Directing device data to the channel.

When the device sends its first message, it starts displaying the received messages and the Online indicator turns on.

Until a device is connected, the platform links it to a turned-on channel of its protocol. So, the device isn’t shown as disconnected from the channel if another channel of the same protocol accepts its data.

Use this method to add many devices at once, for example, when you move a fleet from another system. For import, prepare a CSV or XLSX file with your devices in advance and make sure it meets the requirements listed below in step 2.

1. Click Click to upload or drag a file here and select the file, or drag the file to the upload area.

2. Check that the file meets the following requirements:

   Requirement	Value
   Format	CSV or XLSX
   Maximum size	10 MB
   Maximum number of devices	1,000
   Columns	Device name, IMEI, Device type

   All three columns are required, and the file must contain the header row. Extra columns are ignored.

3. Click Next.

To prepare the file, you can use the sample in the Expected file format block:

• Download template: downloads a file with the required header row.
• Copy header row: copies the header row (Device name,IMEI,Device type) to the clipboard so that you can paste it into your own file.

If the file can’t be used, the system shows the reason, for example, a wrong format, a size over 10 MB, or a damaged file. In this case, correct the file or select another one. No rows are imported until the file passes the check.

You can import up to 1,000 devices at once. If the file contains more rows, remove the extra ones and repeat the import for them separately.

On the Review step, you see one row for each device from the file. The system checks all the values and marks the rows with errors.

To see only the rows with errors, select Needs fixing in the filter above the uploaded table. You can edit the value directly in the row. If the device type name is too long to be shown in full, point to it to see the complete name.

To delete a row that you don’t want to import, use the icon at the end of the row.

The message under a field explains what’s wrong with the value, for example that the IMEI is already used by another device. When you change the value, the message disappears and the Needs fixing counter is updated.

You can continue only when every row in the list is valid: the Next button stays inactive while at least one row needs fixing. Rows with errors aren’t skipped, so either correct them or remove them from the list.

When you click Next, the system checks the edited list once again. If it finds new errors, you stay on the Review step and see the messages in the corresponding rows.

On the Data step, select how the sensors are created for the devices and check how the vehicle profile is filled in.

Telemetry

For each device model, select how the sensors should be created:

Vehicle profile

Empty profile fields (make, model, plate, and VIN) are filled in from the device messages. The values from the file aren’t overwritten.

To start the import, click Import N devices, where N is the number of devices in the list.

The devices are created one by one. Don’t close the page until the import finishes.

When the import is complete, you can see the number of created devices and the following information:

• Telemetry: how the sensors were created for each device model.
• Point the trackers here: the host and port of the channels, with the New or Existing chip. Click the icon to copy the address and use it when you configure the trackers. Each tracker registers itself on its first message.

The channels are shown in the same way as for one device: if several channels of a protocol are turned on, all of them are listed, and any of them accepts the data. If all channels of a protocol are turned off, one of them is shown and marked as Switched off, and you can turn it on from this step. For details, see the Done step for one device.

To continue, click Add another device or Go to all devices.