Initial Setup
      Back to home
      1. BenQ Service Genie
      2. Get Started
      3. Initial Setup

      [ITS] Step 3: BenQ Software Management

      Simple steps to deploy applications and firmware updates from the cloud on BenQ boards.

      This article (step 3) will quickly teach you to deploy applications and firmware updates to your BenQ boards directly from the cloud. 

      If you have not added your BenQ boards to your BenQ cloud management system, please refer to step 2 Adding BenQ Boards to the Device Management Services.

      What is covered in this documentation:

      Installing and Updating native BenQ Apps
      Managing Third Party Applications (.APKs)
      Updating Firmware through DMS

      Step-by-step

      Installing and Updating Native BenQ Apps

      Updating the native BenQ applications on all your BenQ boards can be done with a few clicks of the mouse through the ’Apps’ tab in the DMS Platform. This can also be done through the BenQ store app found under the apps section of the board, but it can be time consuming if you have many boards in your environment. Here is how to update or install the BenQ applications on all your boards from the ’Apps’ console. 

      1. Go to Device Management Solution (DMS)
      2. Open the side menu and select ’Apps’.

      3. Select the ‘BenQ Apps’ tab and you scroll down until you find the application you wish to update. If you have multiple models inside of your organization, you will see that a different version is applicable to each. You will have to repeat the following for each model.

         

        Here is the list of applications that we suggest you update or install upon receiving your boards. It is possible that one or more apps from this list will not be available in software management for your model.

        ***Please note that the DMS client update is essential to ensure that all DMS cloud features work correctly. Please reboot each board after installation is complete.***

        1. AMS Files
        2. Broadcast
        3. DMS Client (requires reboot) 
        4. EZWrite 6 lite
        5. Firefox or Chromium (when available)
        6. BenQ Launcher
        7. InstaShare 2
        8. QOTA
        9. Uni Launcher

         

      4. Install the application to your boards, locate the BenQ App that you want to push out to your boards and click ‘Install’ for that respective application.

      5. Check the devices/groups that you want to deploy to, or check ‘Select All’ (to choose all your devices) and hit ‘Next’.

      6. Check that the number of target devices is correct and click ‘Confirm’ to start deploying the application to your boards. 

        If you have multiple series of boards, please note that different models may have different versions of the same application. The installation process does not require the boards to be powered on when you deploy. The app will stay cached on the server and will be pushed to the board once it comes online.  

      7. You can see the apps that are awaiting deployment on a board that has not been powered on from the ‘Event Log’ tab from the main Dashboard view. Select a board to see which apps are standing by for deployment. ‘Installing...’ will be displayed in the ‘Apps’ tab in the ‘Detailed View’ of a device that is in the process of receiving the deployment.

        .

      8. There are only two applications that require the board to be rebooted after installation before they become active in the system (DMS app and BenQ Launcher app).

        You should now ensure that all boards get powered on for at least 10 minutes to allow the apps to be fully installed. Then, each board should be rebooted for the DMS and BenQ Launcher applications to deploy properly and function as intended, since they are system-critical.

      9. To reboot a board from DMS, go to the 'Devices' section from the main page.

      10. Select the board you wish to reboot from the list and a side menu will open. Scroll down to the bottom to see the Power Controls for that board. Select 'Reboot'. 

      11. You can also perform these updates directly from the BenQ board by going to the BenQ App Store, then the 'Updates' tab. Keep in mind that the DMS application and the BenQ Launcher app still require a reboot when installed directly from the board.

        This same process can be used to install any of the applications offered in the BenQ store. The installation process will be performed in the background and will not disrupt the end user's workflow. The application will appear in the Apps menu on the board once installation is complete.

      Managing Third Party Applications (.APKs) on Your BenQ Boards

      Installing Third Party Applications (.APKs)

      1. Go to the ‘My Apps’ section of the Apps Section (see previous section to find the Apps Section).

      2. BenQ Boards require applications to be in the .apk format. To make the appropriate selection for a particular application you must select apps that conform to the following criteria.  

        1. Android Version 
        2. Screen DPI  
        3. Instruction set (Sometimes referred to as processor architecture.) 

            Please refer to this document to find the information for your board. Apk Selection for BenQ IFPs.pdf 

          1. Once the .apk file has been downloaded to the local storage of your device you can now upload it to your application repertoire by selecting    under 'My Apps'.  

          2. In the file explorer window, select the .apk file that you wish to upload and click 'OK'. You will be prompted to add a description, do so if you wish. You can now select continue and the upload will begin. Once completed, the application will show up under the 'My Apps' list of apps. 

            BenQ provides two gigabytes of storage on our servers to have all your apps ready to deploy when you receive a new board. You can see the amount of space currently used by your applications in the upper right-hand corner. 

          3. Click the ‘Install’ button for the application you wish to deploy, and the device selection window will appear.  
          4. Select a board or group of boards to which you would like to deploy the selected application and click 'Next'. 

            Your board does not have to be powered on when the application is installed. The installation prompt will stay cached on the server until your board goes online. The installation will proceed in the background and will not disturb the end-user's workflow. 

            You can see the apps that are awaiting deployment on a board that has not been powered on from the ‘Event Log’ tab from the main Dashboard view.

             



          5. Click on ‘View Devices’ to see which devices currently have the application installed. It will also show if they have a different version than the one you’ve selected. 



          6. To update the application to a later version, you can click to update the application. 

          Uninstalling Third Party Applications (.APKs)

          1. To delete an application from the list, click the    for that respective application. The following window will appear and select ’Remove’. 

             



          2. To delete the application from ALL boards check the ‘Uninstall from all devices as well’ box. 
          3. To delete an application from a SINGLE board, this can be done from the ’Devices’ section. Select the board that you wish to uninstall the application from and go to the ‘Detailed Info’ view by selecting the .  



          4. Navigate to the 'Apps' tab. Next to the application you wish to delete from your board, click the    and select ’Uninstall‘. Keep in mind that some applications are built into the firmware of the device and cannot be deleted. 

          5. From this menu, you can also clear the Cache/Data of the application. 

          6. Clicking the  next to an application allows users to Enable/Disable it from view on the respective board. This will hide the application from all users on the board if they disable it.

          Updating Firmware Through DMS 

          Updating the firmware on your BenQ boards is quick and easy thanks to the software management tool.  

          1. Go to https://dms.benq.com/ , then select ‘Firmware’ from the side menu. 

          2. Under the Firmware section, you can see a list of all the available models in your ecosystem. 



          3. To deploy the Firmware update immediately to a single/batch of devices, click and a window will pop up detailing how many devices need to be updated. Click again to deploy the job.



          4. To deploy the firmware update at a later time, click . Choose the date and time of when you want to deploy and click . This feature can be used with a 'Power Automation' scheduling feature under the ’Automation’ section of DMS to ensure the firmware is installed while the boards are not being used. 

          5. You can see the apps that are awaiting deployment on a board that has not been powered on from the ‘Event Log’ tab from the main Dashboard view.