Onboard Your Device

Connect a supported Advantech edge device to WEDA Cloud using two tools:

• WEDA Console: Select an organization and register the device.
• WEDA Node Activator: Set up WEDA Node on the device and establish its cloud connection.

Before you begin:

• Sign in to WEDA Console and prepare terminal access to your edge device as described in Prerequisites & Basics.
• Ensure that you have root or sudo access to install and set up WEDA Node.

Workflow Overview

The sequence below follows the actions you take in the Console and on the physical device.

Prepare the Activator before registering the device so you can copy its identity. Complete the WEDA Node setup after registration, then verify both the connection and received data.

1. Select or Create an Organization

An Organization groups resources such as devices and defines an access boundary. Your role in that organization determines which operations you can perform. Select the organization that should own this device and confirm that you have permission to manage its devices.

Choose the path that matches your environment:

• Existing organization: Open the organization menu in the top bar, select Browse all orgs, then choose the organization in Switch Organization.
• New organization: Follow the steps below to create one.

Choose the organization in which you will register the device, then confirm its name in the top bar.

Open Organizations and select Add to create your organization.

1. Open Organizations in the left navigation and select Add.
2. In Basic information, complete the organization details:
   • Parent organization: Select a parent if you are creating a sub-organization.
   • Organization name: Enter a name for the organization.
   • Description: Optionally describe the organization.
3. In Org admins, assign at least one administrator.

Enter the organization details and assign its administrators.

4. Select Submit, then Add in the confirmation dialog.

Select Add to confirm creation.

5. Confirm that the new organization appears in the list. If it is not already current, select it through Browse all orgs in the top-bar organization menu.

TestOrg is listed as the current organization, with Admin shown under My org role.

Check the result: The intended organization is selected in the top bar, and you have permission to manage its devices.

Note: Organization access

Contact your WEDA administrator if you cannot access it or do not have the required permissions. Membership in a parent organization does not automatically grant access to its child organizations.

2. Get Your Device Information

WEDA Node Activator displays the identity of your physical device. You need its Device ID and Model to create the matching device record in WEDA Console.

If the Activator is not installed, see WEDA Node Activator Installer before continuing.

Launch the Activator from its desktop shortcut, or run:

sudo /opt/Advantech/dmagent/weda-node-activator/bin/weda-node-activator

Copy the Device ID (labelled Device) and Model shown in the footer.

The footer shows Device: cc827fdd1713 and Model: ARK-2252 in this example. Copy the values shown on your own device.

Check the result: You have the Device ID and Model needed for Console registration.

Keep the Activator available. Complete the Console registration in step 3 before starting the Node setup wizard.

3. Register Your Device

The Device record associates the physical device with the selected organization. Creating this record registers the device in WEDA Cloud; it does not by itself start WEDA Node on the hardware.

1. In WEDA Console, check the selected organization, then open Devices.

Confirm the selected organization, then select Add in Devices.

2. Select Add.

Use the values from your own Activator, rather than the sample illustration built into this form.

3. Enter the device details:
   • Device ID: Copy the value from the Activator footer.
   • Model: Copy the value from the same Activator footer.
   • Device name: The Console generates a name from Model and Device ID, joined by a hyphen, for example ARK-2252-cc827fdd1713. Keep it or edit it, following the naming rules below.

The Console suggests ARK-2252-cc827fdd1713 from the model and Device ID. You can edit this name before submitting.

4. Select Submit, then Add in the confirmation dialog.

Select Add to confirm device registration.

5. Confirm that the device appears in the list. Before WEDA Node has connected, the device can remain in Registered status.

The device record is Registered. Activation and a live connection are separate checks.

Check the result: The device is listed under the selected organization. It can remain Registered until WEDA Node connects.

Note: Allow time for activation

If WEDA Node is already running and can reach WEDA Cloud, allow a few seconds after registration for the status to change from Registered to Activated, then refresh the Devices list. If WEDA Node has not been configured and started, complete the activation steps below first.

Field formats for v1.2.0

Field	Value to use
Device ID	Copy the Activator value. It must be exactly 12 lowercase letters or digits, without separators.
Model	Copy the Activator value. It can contain only uppercase letters, digits and hyphens, up to 64 characters.
Device name	Use letters, digits, hyphens or underscores, up to 128 characters. For example, first-edge-device.

If registration is rejected:

• Check the selected organization, copied identity and field formats before retrying.
• If the device is already listed, inspect that record before attempting another registration.

4. Install, Activate and Connect WEDA Node

Return to WEDA Node Activator on the physical device. For a standard Advantech device connecting to the public WEDA Cloud:

1. Select Setup WEDA Node.
2. Read and accept the license agreement.
3. Select Register & Connect device to WEDA site as the credential source. This prepares the Node's credentials and cloud connection after you have registered the device in the Console.
4. Review the detected device model and configuration in Review and Confirm, then confirm to start setup.
5. Wait while the Activator prepares WEDA Node, downloads the required container images, starts the services and verifies the connection. Keep the terminal open and do not press Ctrl+C during setup.
6. In Service Status Overview, check the status after setup:
   • Provision State: Activated
   • Connection: Connected
   • Service Status: Running

For the same demo device, the Activator reports Activated, Connected and Running.

Check the result: The Activator shows that WEDA Node is activated, connected and running.

Note: WEDA Node is already running

If WEDA Node is already running, use Manage WEDA Node to check its status rather than reinstalling it.

Environments using a local credential file follow a different credential-selection path. See the WEDA Node Installation Guide for that path, detailed installer screens and troubleshooting.

5. Verify Connection and View Telemetry

1. Return to Devices in WEDA Console and locate the device under the intended organization.
2. Allow a few seconds for the status to update, then refresh the list. Confirm that its activation and connection indicators show Activated and Connected.

After WEDA Node activates and connects, refresh the list to check the same device record.

3. Open the device details and select Telemetry.
4. Check the latest reported values and their timestamps. The available telemetry depends on the device and its configured reporting.

Inspect the latest Value and Last updated timestamp for the expected sensor. This WEDA Node example includes CPU and memory telemetry.

Check the result: The device is activated and connected, and its latest reported telemetry is visible in WEDA Console.

Telemetry readings are represented by DataStreams. For this first check, use the latest values shown in the Console to confirm that data is arriving from your device.

If the checks do not pass:

What you see	What to check
The device stays Registered or activation fails	Confirm that its Device ID, Model and organization match the Console registration. Check the Activator's provision and connection status.
The device is disconnected	Connection status is based on heartbeats received after activation, so a newly activated device shows Disconnected until WEDA Cloud receives its first heartbeat. If it stays disconnected, check that WEDA Node is running and that the device can reach the intended WEDA Cloud environment.
No telemetry is visible	Confirm the connection, then check that telemetry reporting is configured and inspect the timestamps of the latest received values.

Once these checks pass, continue to Deploy an Application.