With Android TV becoming more and more popular by the day, seeing Android TV-powered Set-Top Boxes (STBs) in the hospitality industry is becoming also quite common. It brings a whole new playground to in-room multimedia offering, and can present serious advantages when talking about savings.
In this article, we are going to break down how an Android Device Management Solution can help you in this particular segment.
Android or AOSP devices
A good Android Management Solution must be able to deliver its features on AOSP devices, not relying on Google services, but at the same time taking advantage of all that Google has to offer on their certified devices. So, either you use AOSP STBs or Android TV Certified ones, the Android Management Solution should work on both.
Device clustering and configuration
Being able to group devices based on specific properties is key, especially when we may need to apply different configurations or restrictions based on clusters.
This can be relevant for the following cases:
- Cluster devices by location, property, floor
- Cluster devices by make, model
- Cluster devices by business function
Device app management and restrictions
Having full control of the apps running on each device is key, so a good Android Device Management Solution should allow:
- App install/updates based on cluster rules
- App install/usage blacklist/whitelist based on cluster rules, like time windows or time quotas
- Device lock/unlock based on predefined rules
This gives you full control and the ability to prepare use cases like:
Safe checkout
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- Removes any guest/patient installed apps
- Clear data from guest/patient used apps
- Logs out any guest/patient left account
Personalized Check In
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- Pre-installs guest/patient favorite apps
- Launches onboarding predined app
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App updates
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- Update apps as key as custom launchers or service providing apps in a scheduled and automated way, without having to push entire firmware/ROM updates. The Android Management solution should allow for configuration of maintenance windows for these updates.
The Android Management Solution should offer integration points with your existing systems to automate the above use cases.
Device OTA updates
Having the ability to push OTA system updates to your Android devices is fundamental. A good Android Device Management solution must allow you to decide maintenance windows, pre-schedule updates and generate forms of whitelist and blacklist, so only specific devices get updated. The solution must also be able to cover both full and incremental updates.
Device metrics and analytics
Use device metrics and analytics to track faulty devices, or even understand the impact of each app on your devices. A good Android Device Management Solution must allow you to check on the device’s data such as:
- Most used apps
- Most installed apps
- Device CPU, RAM, storage usage
- Device connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- Ethernet
- Mobile
- Bluetooth devices
- Device security status
- DRM
- Root
- HDCP
- Device usage and standby periods
Based on the above data you’ll be able to generate reports and trigger alarms. We must also respect the latest privacy policies, and therefore, the Android Device Management solution should allow you to define which data to collect, and if the guest/patient should give consent to it.
Device support
As the last essential feature, one of the most important in fact, we have remote device support. A good Android Device Management Solution should be able to integrate with your current CRM systems, giving you easy access to a given device, while at the same time responding to a guest/patient support request. In a similar way, the Android Device Management Solution has to provide the guest/patient with a way to easily start a remote support request. Remote access to the device should allow for actions as:
- Install/remove apps
- Reboot device
- Force update device
- Get logs from device
- Lock/unlock device
Once again, privacy policies must be respected and users must have the option to give consent before remote access, the same for all remote actions, which should be logged for future audits.
For any of these use cases, WeBoxControl has you covered. Designed by WeTek to be an efficient tool in the video distribution industry, it has grown to cater to various segments with proven results. It not only does all of the above mentioned, but it also focuses on results for different business models and operational structures. WeBoxControl helps reduce operational costs while creating a better experience for all of those using the devices it manages.
