Devices

• How to add, edit, and delete device
  • Adding new device
  • Creating device group
  • Editing device
  • Deleting device
• Check connectivity
• Manage device credentials
• Manage owner and groups
• Device details
  • Copy device Id
  • Copy device credentials
  • Device attributes
  • Device telemetry
  • Device alarms
  • Device events
  • Device relations
  • Device audit logs
  • Version control

Devices are fundamental IoT entities in ThingsBoard that can generate telemetry data (such as temperature, humidity, GPS coordinates, etc.) and transmit it to the ThingsBoard platform, as well as respond to Remote Procedure Call (RPC) commands. Devices can be either physical (e.g., sensors, controllers, trackers) or virtual (e.g., emulators) network-connected objects that are capable of:

• Generating telemetry data — send measured data such as temperature, humidity, or location.
• Transmitting data to the ThingsBoard platform via supported protocols (MQTT, HTTP, CoAP, etc.).
• Responding to RPC commands — receiving and executing on remote procedure calls sent from the platform.

Each device:

• is stored as a separate entity.
• can belong to one or more device groups.
• has a device profile that defines type, transport settings, firmware, alarm rules, etc.
• can be assigned an owner.
• supports both attributes (static or semi-static properties) and telemetry (time-series data).

ThingsBoard supports device management functions via both the web UI and the REST API.

Practical video course 🎥

Explore a hands-on video course that provides detailed explanations on how to create and manage devices in ThingsBoard.

The course includes practical examples to help you better understand how to work with dashboards, resources, and devices, including their configuration and real-world usage.

How to add, edit, and delete device

Tenant administrators and users with appropriate permissions can create, edit, or delete devices in ThingsBoard.

Adding new device

To add a new device:

• Navigate to Entities ⟶ Devices. By default, you will see the “All” asset group.
• Click the “+” icon in the upper-right corner and select “Add new device” from drop-down menu.
• In the device creation form, fill in the required fields:
  • Name – a unique name for the device.
  • Device profile – by default, the profile is set to “default”, but you can choose a different profile if needed.
• Optional fields such as label or description can be filled in if needed.
• Click “Add”.

Device successfully created and is now available in the list.

A window will immediately open where you can check the device’s connection to ThingsBoard platform. This step is optional. For now, let’s close this window and return to the connection check in more detail later.

You'll also receive a notification (bell icon) indicating the device was added.

Creating device group

Devices can belong to one or multiple groups, which helps organize and manage them effectively.

To create a new device group:

• Go to the "Entities" section - "Devices" page. By default, you navigate to the device group "All". Navigate to the "Groups" tab and click on the "plus" icon in the upper right corner;
• Enter the name of the device group and click "Add";
• Your device group has been added.

Editing device

You can change the device name, its device profile, label, assign the firmware and software. To edit the device, you need to:

• In the devices list, locate and click on the desired asset, then click the "pencil" (✏️ Edit) icon on the right to open the edit form.
• Make the necessary changes and click the "Apply changes" button to save them.

Deleting device

You can delete a device using one of the following ways:

First way:

• Click on the "trash can" icon can opposite the device's name you want to delete.
• Confirm deleting the device in the dialog box.

Second way:

• Click on the device that you want to delete. In the device details window, click the "Delete device" button;
• Confirm deleting the device in the dialog box.

Check connectivity

To verify if your device is successfully connected to ThingsBoard:

• Open the “Device details” window and click “Check connectivity”.
• Select:
  • Communication protocol (MQTT, HTTP, etc.)
  • Operating system
• Copy the generated command and run it in a Terminal.

If successful, the device status will change from “Inactive” to “Active”, and telemetry data (e.g., temperature) will appear.

Manage device credentials

Supported credential types:

• Access Token (default).
• X.509 certificate.
• MQTT Basic.

To change or manage credentials:

• Open "Device details" window and click the "Manage credentials" button;
• Select the desired credential type and generate or enter required fields. Click "Save".

Manage owner and groups

You can change the owner of the device. This ensures that only users associated with the selected customer will have access to the device and its data.

This step is essential for maintaining strict data access control. Each customer user will only see their own assigned devices and will not have visibility into devices or data belonging to other customers.

To change asset ownership:

• Click asset to open its details view.
• Click the “Manage owner and groups” button.
• Select the new owner of the device from the list.
• If needed, add the device to an existing group or create a new one.
• Confirm the change to update the device's ownership.

You can reassign or revoke the ownership change of device if needed.

Device details

Clicking on the device opens a window where you can access and manage various aspects of that device.

Copy device Id

To retrieve the device's unique identifier in ThingsBoard:

• Open the device's detail page by clicking on the device name in the list.
• Click the “Copy device Id” button.

This will copy the Device ID (UUID) to your clipboard for use in scripts, API calls, or integrations.

Copy device credentials

Depending on the credentials type in use, you can copy:

• Access Token — by clicking “Copy access token”
• MQTT Credentials — by clicking “Copy MQTT credentials”

These credentials are required to authenticate your device when sending data or connecting via API.

Device attributes

This tab displays the client, server, and shared attributes of the device. For example, serial number, model, and firmware version. Attributes are static and semi-static key-value pairs associated with devices.

Device telemetry

This tab shows the real-time telemetry data the device sends, such as sensor readings, status, and other measurable variables. Time-series data points are available for storage, querying, and visualization. For example, temperature, humidity, and battery level.

Adding telemetry. You can manually add telemetry using the ThingsBoard UI. To do this, click the “plus” icon in the top right corner of the window. In the new window, enter the key name, select the value type, and enter the value.

Deleting telemetry. To delete telemetry, click the “trash can” icon next to the name of the telemetry key you want to delete. Choose what you want to delete specifically: delete all data, delete all data except latest value, delete latest value, delete all data for time period. Confirm the deletion by clicking the “Apply” button.

Device alarms

This tab shows alarms that identify issues with your devices.

Device events

Here, events related to the device are displayed, including system logs, errors, warnings, and other important moments in the device’s lifecycle.

Device relations

Relations are directed connections to other entities. This tab displays the relationships of this device with other devices, dashboards, assets, and other entities in the ThingsBoard system.

Device audit logs

ThingsBoard provides the ability to track user actions in order to keep an audit log. It is possible to log user actions related to main entities: assets, devices, dashboard, rules, etc.

Version control

ThingsBoard version control service provides the ability to export and restore ThingsBoard Entities using Git.