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Configure the Echo360 Pod

Hannah Petty
  • Updated

This process assumes you have already installed the Echo360 Pod (Pod).

Once installed, the Pod must be initialized by downloading a device configuration file from Echo360 to a thumb drive, then uploading that file to the Pod device. This both sets the default device configuration and establishes communication with Echo360.

Configure and download default Pod settings

Initialize the Pod by applying a configuration file. You can review and change the default Pod configurations using the instructions below.

To configure and download device default settings

  1. Log into Echo360 as an administrator.
  2. Insert a FAT 32 formatted USB thumb drive into the computer.
  3. Open the Settings menu and select Configurations.
  4. Select Device default configurations from the options on the left.
  5. Select the Echo360 Pod configuration tab, and set the default device configurations.
    See sections immediately below for information on the Administration menu and One-touch profile settings.
  6. Select the Common Settings tab from the top of the page and update/change those settings as needed.
  7. Verify that the settings on both configuration tabs are correct and click SAVE.
  8. Click DOWNLOAD.
  9. Navigate to the thumb drive and save the device.xml file to the root location of the drive (not in a folder; the device will not be able to find the file if it resides in a folder on the drive).
  10. Once finished, safely eject then remove the USB drive from the computer.

Do Not Modify the Downloaded File! The configuration file you download from Echo360 is a digitally signed file. The Pod will NOT accept files that do not bear this digital signature. Do not modify this file. If you need to make changes, repeat the above steps and re-download a new file.

Enable or Disable Administration menu access

The Device Configuration page provides administrators the option to show or hide the Administration menu on the front panel display of the Pod. If the menu is disabled, the Administration menu is not available from the panel display of the POD appliance.

Front panel administration section of device configuration page as described

See the Administration Menu section Menu Options for the Echo360 Pod topic for details on the contents of this menu.

Set the One Touch recording profile

The Pod simplifies ad hoc recordings by allowing instructors to simply press the Record icon on the touch screen of the device (when it is idle) to begin an ad hoc capture. The ad hoc capture is generated using the Input sources and Quality configured for the One-Touch Recording Profile of the device configuration page.

one touch recording profile section of device configuration page as described

Users can review these settings and change them if needed using the menus available through the front panel display. Note that user changes apply ONLY to that particular capture; after completion, the configured one-touch recording defaults are re-established.

Apply the configuration file to the Pod

Perform the below steps on each Pod appliance that must be configured with the device configuration file downloaded using the above procedure.

Wait! Do not insert the USB drive until instructed.

To apply the configuration file to the Pod

  1. On the bottom of the Pod, find the label with the device’s MAC address.
    Make a note of the MAC address of the device; you will need it to log into the Pod and monitor inputs, as well as to assign the device to the room.

    HELP! Which MAC address do I use?? The Pod has two MAC addresses on it. The one that ends in an even number is for wired ethernet communication; the odd-numbered one is for wireless connectivity which can be used as a backup. Note both MAC addresses in case you need the wireless one, but use a wired connection if at all possible, and assign the device using the even-numbered one. See Using the wireless connectivity feature of the Pod appliance.

    • A typical MAC address is 00-50-c2-7b-1b-98.
    • The MAC label is also on the bottom of the Echo360 Pod.
  2. If necessary, plug in the Pod and tap on the touchscreen to turn it on.
  3. Make sure the Echo360 Pod has been on for at least five minutes or that the Status screen appears.
  4. Insert the USB drive into the back of the Pod.
  5. A message appears, prompting you to load the device XML onto the device. Select OK to load the configuration file.
  6. Navigate through the Administration Menu to the Manage Network Menu to check that the device has received a valid IP address.
    Make a note of the IP address of the device; you may need it to log into the device and check inputs.

Once the device configuration has been initialized, it begins communicating with Echo360.

Since the device-to-Echo communication has been established, the device can be reset if it is ever needed or if you are asked by support to reset the device. Device reset can be done manually or through the Administration Menu on the front panel display.

Check the Pod installation and monitor inputs

Since the Pod is designed for smaller venues that may not have existing capture devices installed, you as the administrator may want to have a camera and/or laptop to plug into the Pod in order to test the inputs.

Testing the Pod inputs is done by logging into the device web interface and selecting Monitor. This is the same way you would monitor the inputs of any capture appliance.

There are two ways to access the web device interface:

  • Enter the URL of the web UI including the IP address of the Pod into a browser, then logging into the device. To do this, you must have the IP address of the device.
  • Assign the device to a room, then open the device web UI via the Rooms tile in Echo360. To do this, you only need the MAC address of the device.

To log into the device web UI for the Pod and monitor the inputs

  1. Be sure you have the IP address of the device.
  2. Open a browser and enter the following into the URL field: https://<IP address>:8443
    For example: https://10.3.10.18:8443 where 10.3.10.18 is the IP address of the device.
  3. When prompted, enter a username and password. You can use your Echo360 login or the generic administrator login configured for the device.
  4. From the device web interface, click the Monitor tab.
  5. Click Start Monitoring.
    After a few minutes, you should see the feeds for the inputs you established in the uploaded device configuration.
  6. When finished, click Logout from the top right of the device interface.

To assign the device to a room then login to check inputs

  1. Be sure you have the MAC address of the device.
    We strongly recommend using the even-numbered MAC address for the Pod. See Using the wireless connectivity feature of the Pod appliance.
  2. Log into Echo360 and navigate to the ROOMS page.
  3. Find the room you want to add the device to. Use the filtering lists at the top of the screen to narrow which rooms are shown.
  4. Click ADD DEVICE TO ROOM.
  5. From the Device list, select the MAC address of the Pod device. Use the Search box at the top to find the address if necessary; begin typing the address to narrow your choices.
  6. Click SAVE.
  7. Click the login icon located in the bottom left corner of the room tile.
  8. When prompted, enter a username and password. You can use your Echo360 login or the generic administrator login configured for the device.
  9. From the device web interface, click the Monitor tab.
  10. Click Start Monitoring.
    After a few minutes, you should see the feeds for the inputs you established in the uploaded device configuration.
  11. When finished, click Logout from the top right of the device interface.

If the inputs are not working properly, return to the device and check the connections and input devices themselves. Then repeat the steps for logging into the device and monitoring inputs.

You may also need to alter the device configuration for the ROOM. This changes the device configuration settings initially uploaded to the device via the thumb drive.

Next Steps

The Pod is ready to capture presentations. The next steps you'll want to take include:

  1. If you have not already, assign the capture appliance to a room.
  2. If necessary, alter the device configuration for the ROOM from the default configuration initially uploaded to the device.
  3. Add or edit capture schedules to use the room with the new device.