Choosing your own devices: tips and best practices

Difficulty: expert

For Kiosk, Room Display and Mini Display apps, Spacewell recommends QBIC devices (that can be purchased through Spacewell). They give the best integration (for example, LED status and Device Control). Use this page if you source your own devices.

For the Workplace mobile app, there is no recommendation.

The scope of test devices Spacewell uses to develop high qualitative apps changes dynamically every month based on worldwide benchmarks of typical and popular devices. This way, we make sure our apps are always fully tested on a wide range of devices.

Tips for buying a good device

Technical requirements

• You can install the Spacewell apps on any other tablet device, as long as it runs the latest OS versions of iOS or Android (and Windows for Kiosk app in floor kiosk mode). Other Operating systems like Tizen are not supported.
• For the complete System Requirements, see System Requirements for Workplace apps

• When choosing a non-QBIC device (e.g. an iPad) you lose the following functionalities for the room display (Using the Qbic devices from Spacewell offers extra advantages such as free device management for initial installation/updates, firmware upgrades end LEDs that show room/reservation status.):

  • LEDs for room/reservation status
  • NFC to login
  • Remote Device Control

   

Performance

• As with so many electronic items, the rule of thumb is: more expensive devices have better "specs" (more memory, etc.) and will therefore provide a faster and more pleasant user experience. This is probably the most important consideration you will have to make when obtaining a new device.
• If the top 5 productivity apps available on the official stores can be run without issues, Spacewell apps will also run smoothly.

User experience

• Invest in a device with a screen of sufficient size (at least 5.5” for a mobile phone and 10" for a tablet). The buttons, plans, drawings and texts will be big enough for most of your users; all this will increase the ease of use.
• Spacewell apps do not support high contrast modes out of the box 
  • the mobile Workplace app, supports dark mode out of the box
  • Room Display app and Mini Display app are both only available in dark mode

Continuity

• Choose devices with a certain continuity, do not choose device models which are end of life. If a device breaks down, it is interesting to be able to replace it with a similar device. It is always easier if your entire workforce can (continue to) work on the same (type of) device.
• Buy a device with a recent version of the subject operating system. Currently this means you need at least a device running Android version 11 or higher and an Apple device running iOS 14 or higher. In this way, Spacewell can continue to supply apps that are compatible with your selected device in the coming years. Until which day in the future a certain Android or iOS version will be supported is impossible to say, but when you buy an device with a modern OS version today you still have a support lifetime of at least 3 years.
• When opting for a low-end device (a device which is close to the minimal system requirements), you should keep in mind this device might fall below the system requirements next time the requirements are being reviewed by Spacewell (see System Requirements page for more info). Spacewell advises to buy mid-range devices for a good equilibrium between price, performance and lifetime. 

Other considerations

• Most mobile devices are not ruggedized. This means that they are often not resistant to falling, are not waterproof and start showing malfunctions faster in dusty environments. If you think ruggedized devices are desirable, you should specifically look for them. There are also companies that focus on this type of equipment.
• If you want to use NFC, your device needs to support it. So you have to check the specifications carefully.
• If you are not sure Wi-Fi is available in all zones where you wish to use the Spacewell apps, it's best to look for devices with a 4G/5G SIM slot (sometimes referred to as "cellular"). Don't forget you will also have to pay for a data subscription.

Test before buying large quantities

Test devices in small quantities before ordering larger amounts. All apps which comply to the rules described below are theoretically ready for use. Spacewell however does recommend running a small scale proof of concept before acquiring large numbers of devices, especially when opting for Android devices. Android vendors are free to implement their own version of the operating system without being bound to any common standards. In practice this means obscure Android vendors phones and special phone editions of common vendors should be tested thoroughly. Common market Android devices are generally compliant to these rules.