1. What is a Device?
A Device in Ubidots is a virtual representation of a physical device that transmits data through a connection protocol to Ubidots'. Click here for current firmware examples and tutorials for connecting your device to Ubidots.
For billing purposes, a Device in Ubidots is counted as a collection of 20 variables. Beyond that limit, devices are counted based on the number of variables as multiples of 20:
1 to 20 variables: 1 device.
21 to 40 variables: 2 devices.
41 to 60 variables: 3 devices.
And so on...
2. Device Setup and Activation
All Devices are different, but the standard setup for any device entails the same characteristics when connecting to Ubidots:
A library that should be installed in the device's IDE (not required).
A webhook or function used to communicate with 3rd party hardware clouds or platforms.
Filling parameters for authentication and connection such as a TOKEN (i.e., the unique ID for each account or user), device label, variable label (i.e., devices and variables identifiers or names in Ubidots), Wi-Fi SSID, or Wi-Fi password, depending on the device and requirements.
Making API request (i.e., a call from a device to the web server). Ubidots’ libraries spare the need to manually make these requests. However, if you’re working with a device not currently in the list of supported hardware, you can choose a connectivity protocol such as MQTT or HTTP and make a request using API accordingly.
3. Creating Devices
Creating devices in Ubidots can be done in three ways:
Devices are created automatically in Ubidots the first time a dot is received to a user's private TOKEN or using an Organizational TOKEN.
Clicking the "+" icon in the top right corner of the Devices section of your account.
Creating a Device Type which then creates a new device with pre-determined device properties, appearance, and variables and automate the on-boarding of thousands of devices.
4. Editing Devices
To edit any device, simply click on it and then, using the pane located on the left-hand side of the screen, change any information as needed.
Among the things you can do here is adding tags to your devices. This tool not only helps organizing your devices, but also as a way of filtering what your end users get to see and interact with in your app. Learn more about tags here.
5. Deleting Devices
While on the Devices page, hover over the device you want to delete. You will see two icons in the bottom right: One to assign the device to an organization, the other one (a trashcan icon) to delete the device.
6. Reset a Device's Data
You can easily clear all the data gathered in any device without having to create the device again from scratch. To do this, simply open the device you need to reset and click the second to last icon located in the main control bar to remove any recorded data.
