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Zebra LifeGuard OTA Updates

The partnership between 42Gears and Zebra LifeGuard OTA for Android devices signifies a significant advancement in the realm of securing and managing Zebra's enterprise-grade Android devices. This collaboration is poised to enhance the efficiency and efficacy of device management by offering administrators a sophisticated degree of control over firmware updates delivered over-the-air. Through this integration, administrators gain the ability to finely tune the firmware updates they wish to distribute to Zebra devices via seamless over-the-air channels. This control ensures that devices remain up-to-date and secure, while also mitigating potential risks associated with outdated firmware.

Please follow the steps outlined below to manage the Zebra devices:

  • Authorization and token generation
  • Zebra apps installation and configuration
  • Firmware update management using SureMDM

Authorization and token generation​

To authorize and generate device token, follow these steps:

  1. Login to the SureMDM Web Console.

  2. Click on the Settings icon at the top right corner of the console.

  3. Go to Account Settings > Firmware Updates > Zebra LifeGuard OTA > Authorize.

  4. On the Zebra LifeGuard portal, log in with Zebra credentials and allow all of the permissions requested by Zebra LifeGuard. Click on the Activate button.

    When the system successfully authorizes the login, it will generate a Device Token. Click Copy To Clipboard to save the device token. The page will display the following three options:

  • – Create Tags – Use this option to create a tag for Zebra LifeGuard devices that are already enrolled in a SureMDM account.

  • – Sync Devices – Use this option to check the Zebra LifeGuard account for any new successful device registrations. This also checks the status of each firmware update applied to the device and updates the device status in the SureMDM database.

  • Revoke Authorization – Use this option to revoke an authorization, and wish to change the Zebra LifeGuard license associated with the SureMDM account for any reason (such as having previously authorized the wrong license).

Zebra apps installation and configuration​

To complete this part, the following two Zebra apps must be present on the Zebra LifeGuard devices:

  • Zebra Enrollment Manager
  • Zebra Common Transport Layer

Follow the steps mentioned below to install these two apps on your Zebra devices:

  1. On the SureMDM Home, click Profile > Android > Application Policy > Configure.

  2. Name the profile and click Add.

3.  On the Select Application Source prompt, click Play for Work.

  1. On the Play Store page, search for and select the Zebra Enrollment Manager app.

  2. On the next prompt, under Action, select Claim Device and paste the Device Token from Step No. 4 in the Authorization and Token Generation section. Select Save.

  3. Now, search for and select the Zebra Common Transport Layer app. Click Save to complete.

  4. Go back to SureMDM Home, select the Zebra LifeGuard device(s) and apply the policy.

note

Use the Tags option to find the device(s). All Zebra devices of a particular model will show up under a single tag named after the device model.

Once the policy is successfully applied on all devices, it takes around 24 hours for the status to reflect as Registered under the Device Grid’s FOTA Registration Status column. To check the status at any time, navigate to Account Settings > Firmware Updates > Zebra LifeGuard OTA > Sync Devices and manually sync the devices.

Firmware update management using SureMDM​

Zebra devices get tagged as soon as they are enrolled in SureMDM using Android Enterprise as a Device Owner, and start automatically reflecting under Tags named after their Device Model. This helps admins view and control similar devices from the central console.

To start managing firmware updates for Zebra LifeGuard devices, follow these steps:

  1. On the SureMDM Home, go to Tags.

  2. Under Tags, devices will be categorized and grouped according to their device models.

  3. Select the desired Tag and click on the Firmware Update and History icon.

  4. Under the Available Firmware Updates tab on the Firmware Update and History prompt, all available firmware updates will be listed with details such as release notes.

  5. Select the desired update and click Next to apply.

  6. Once the firmware updates are pushed through SureMDM, you can use the Firmware Update History tab to check the history of all the firmware updates done on a specific tag.

  7. This tab has the following options:

  • View Devices – This option lists all the devices to which the firmware update was pushed, along with their statuses.– Cancel Updates – This can be used to cancel pushed updates. This option is available only if the pushed update is pending.
  • – Delete – This option deletes only recorded listings. It also cancels any pending updates.
  • – Sync – This option refreshes the firmware update status.
note

Zebra LifeGuard OTA can only be used to upgrade to the current firmware version on a given device. Regressing firmware to a previous version is not possible. LifeGuard is supported on Android devices with Android Nougat (7.0) and above, and is available only for GMS devices.