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Preparing the device

  • It is virtually impossible to prevent a modern Android device which is connected to the internet from doing at least some software updates. These can be of the order of 0.5 GB of data. If the device's OS is updating you can add ~1.0 GB to that!
  • If possible, it is worth preventing these updates from occurring over slow and expensive cellular data connections.
  • Therefore, it is recommended to connect the device to a (lower cost and faster) internet connected Wi-Fi network at the time of initial device power up and allowing OS updates and mSupply installation.
  • Once this process is complete, the device can then use its cellular data connection for ongoing mSupply operation.
  • Each new version of Android and the branded OS introduce changes to the menu structure. These instructions will likely need to be amended to suit the particular version of Android and branded OS. Therefore, these instructions are generic, and will likely need to be documented in more detail depending on the particular device and version of Android and branded OS:-(
  1. Power up the device
  2. You should see a Welcome! screen where you will be asked for a language. Select an appropriate language, then tap START
  3. You should be prompted to connect to a Wi-Fi network. Even if you will use a Wi-Fi network as part of the process of setting up the device, turn Wi-Fi ​Off for now​, then tap NEXT. If possible, we'll connect to a Wi-Fi network later.
  4. You should be prompted to accept Terms and Conditions. The only one compulsory appears to be the End User License Agreement. Un-tick Diagnostic data and Marketing information. tap NEXT
  5. You should be prompted to accept a number of Google services:
    1. Use Google's location service to help apps: Turn On
    2. Improve location accuracy: Turn On
    3. Send system data: Turn Off
      tap NEXT
  6. Because you have not connected to Wi-Fi, you should be prompted to set the Date & time: Set these correctly.
  7. You may be prompted to provide a Name, or sometimes First and Last name. Do NOT use the personal name of the Officer In-Charge (OIC) of the facility. A convention to follow is to set the the Name (or First name) to the facility name. If you are prompted for a Last name, set that to the district / province. e.g.
    Name (or First name): WAFI HC
    Last name: Bulolo

    Take care: Your device will likely try to autocorrect your spelling!

    Then tap NEXT.

  8. You should be prompted to select a Lock type. Choose PIN.
  9. You should be prompted to Secure startup. Choose Require PIN when device powers on, then tap CONTINUE.
  10. You should be prompted to Set PIN. Set it to 6787 (MSUP), re-enter it to confirm it.
  11. You should be prompted to set Notifications. Set it to Show content, then tap DONE.
  12. You should be prompted to create a Samsung account (obviously will be different for other branded devices). Tap SKIP
  13. You may be prompted to confirm that you wish to Skip Samsung account setup?. Tap SKIP
  14. You may be prompted to configure More useful features. Decline all of these. Tap FINISH

There are a number of tweaks that are worth applying before proceeding further:

Screen timeout

  1. The default screen timeout can be quite short (30 seconds). For normal mSupply operation, this is too short. This should be set to at least 2 minutes. Settings > Display > Screen timeout Set to, say, 5 minutes

Turn off 'Capitalise first letter'

For ease of use of the touch-screen keyboard it's a good idea to avoid capital letters. This is also facilitated by turning off 'capitalise first letter' in the keyboard settings on the device.

  • Samsung devices: Settings > General management > Language and Input > On-screen keyboard > Samsung Keyboard > Smart typing > Auto capitalise: Off

Device updates

As soon as your device accesses the internet, it will likely try to update software. This can take unnecessary time and data. We need to take action to minimise this. It is worth deleting or disabling as many extra apps on the device as possible, including:

  1. All brand bloatware (Samsung / Lenovo / etc.)
  2. All MS Office applications
  3. All Google applications
  • Settings > Software update > Download updates automatically Un-tick

Allow apps to be installed from local sources

  • Settings > Lock screen and security > Unknown sources: Turn On

Enable Knox security (necessary for Sure MDM management - see below)

  • Settings > Device maintenance > Device security Accept the prompted permissions request
  • Knox active protection: Turn On
  1. You may be prompted for various services by the pre-installed apps. Ignore / defer / deny all of these.

    At this point, the device will try and update its apps. Proceed as quickly as possible to the next step:

  2. Turn off the manufacturer's Auto updates for the device:
    1. Apps > Samsung > Galaxy Store > Settings (top right menu) > Auto update apps > Never. While you are in the Auto update apps area:
    2. Turn Off Update notifications
    3. Turn Off Marketing choice
  1. Enter the credentials for a local Wi-Fi network, then tap NEXT.

Security PIN code for SIM card

To prevent the SIM card being removed to be used on another device, it is a good idea to lock the SIM card with a PIN code.

As of 2019-10-15, the apps SureLock and SureMDM are used to remotely manage the Android devices running mSupply Mobile around the world.

  • SureMDM allows remote management of the device. Using SureMDM we can install, update and uninstall software, track the location of lost devices and wipe the contents of the tablets remotely.
  • Surelock locks the device into Kiosk mode. This means only the apps (mSupply, Telegram, Gmail, etc.) will be shown on the home screen and all other functions of the tablet are locked down.
Management using SureMDM

Once SureMDM is installed on the device, considerable control over the device is possible including remotely deploying, installing and executing apps including SureLock.

This control is generally managed through SureMDM 'Jobs'. The exact configuration of Jobs will depend on a number of local factors, for details on how Jobs are configured refer to the SureMDM documentation.

  • Each device running mSupply Mobile will correspond to one mSupply Store.



 

The following apps (or equivalent) should be included:

  • Calculator - use the device's calculato
  • Wi-Fi centre - use the device's Wi-Fi control
  • For communication between sites and with support workers:
    • Instant messaging - we recommend Telegram. Use the devices's SIM phone number, (not the operator)
    • Email - set up the device email app with an email address for the site/device (not the operator). We recommend Gmail.

While apps can be installed remotely using a SureMDM job, it may be more convenient to install them manually from a PC at the same time as installing the SureMDM and SureLock apps.



  • en/mobile/setup/device_side/prep_device.1581553921.txt.gz
  • Last modified: 2020/02/13 00:32
  • by lou_lomas