Admin & kiosk usage guide

Introduction

Symposium Labs connects in-room tablets to your property’s MQTT room controllers through a cloud admin console. Staff use the admin console to manage projects, rooms, and kiosk devices. Guests and housekeeping use the kiosk app (web browser or Android) to view room status and send control commands.

Getting started

Follow this sequence when onboarding a new property or tablet. You need an admin account, at least one project with MQTT rooms configured, and a tablet on the same network as your controllers (or able to reach the Symposium cloud API).

1. Sign in to admin

Open https://app.symposium.amplifilab.com and sign in with your organisation credentials. After login you land on the Operations dashboard, which summarises projects, rooms, and paired kiosks.

2. Create or open a project

From Projects, create a new property or open an existing one. Each project holds contact details, areas, MQTT room definitions, and kiosk devices. Use Edit project to configure profile, rooms, and pairing.

3. Configure rooms

In project edit, open the Rooms & Devices tab to add room numbers, MQTT topics, listeners, and emitters. Once rooms exist, open the Rooms console from the project view to monitor live MQTT data, charts, and activity logs per room.

4. Pair a kiosk tablet

Generate a pairing code in admin (see Pairing a kiosk device below), then enter that code on the tablet. The kiosk receives its project scope, settings PIN, and room list automatically.

5. Operate from the kiosk

Staff tap a room on the kiosk grid to view climate readings, relays, and modes. Sensitive limits (temperature min/max, humidity limits) require the settings PIN set during pairing.

Admin console

The admin console is the control centre for your organisation. Breadcrumbs at the top of each page help you navigate between dashboard, projects, and individual rooms.

Operations dashboard

The dashboard shows counts for projects, rooms, and paired kiosks. Quick actions include Pair kiosk, opening recent projects, and jumping to recently viewed rooms. Click a project row to open its detail view, or use the rooms strip on the right to go directly to the rooms console.

Projects — view & edit

The project view page shows contact, location, rooms, and paired kiosk devices in tabs. Use Rooms console to open live room monitoring, or Edit to change configuration.

The project edit page uses tabbed sections:

• Profile — name, type, logo, active status
• Contact — primary contact details
• Location — address and timezone
• Rooms & Devices — MQTT rooms, areas, kiosk pairing
• Admin — delete project (requires kiosks to be unpaired first)

Rooms console

Each room opens a dedicated workspace with the room list drawer on the left and tabs on the right:

• Dashboard — fan, key card, door sensor, temperature & humidity gauges, modes, additional status
• Relays & Sensors — relay outputs and motion sensors
• Charts — historical temperature and humidity
• Settings — room MQTT configuration
• Activity Logs / MQTT Logs — audit and message history

The header provides Control (manual MQTT commands) and Dynamic Control (rule builder) panels without leaving the room page.

Generating a pairing code (admin side)

You can start pairing from several places:

• Dashboard → Pair kiosk
• Project view → Kiosks tab → Pair a kiosk
• Project edit → Rooms & Devices → kiosk section

In the pairing dialog, provide:

• Device label — e.g. “Floor 3 housekeeping tablet”
• Settings PIN — 4–6 digits; unlocks limit changes on that tablet only
• Room scope (optional) — select specific rooms, or leave none selected for all rooms on the project

Click Generate pairing code. Copy the code and expiry time — the tablet must pair before the code expires.

Pairing a kiosk device

Pairing links a physical tablet to a project in Symposium Labs. Until a device is paired, it only shows the pairing screen. After pairing, it downloads its room list and begins receiving live MQTT-backed status.

Before you pair

1. Generate a pairing code in the admin console (see above).
2. Confirm the tablet has internet access and can reach https://app.symposium.amplifilab.com.
3. Note the settings PIN — you will need it on the kiosk to change temperature/humidity limits.
4. Decide room scope: all project rooms, or a subset for a floor-specific tablet.

Web kiosk (browser)

On the tablet, open a modern browser (Chrome recommended) and go to:

https://app.symposium.amplifilab.com/kiosk/pair

For day-to-day use after pairing, bookmark:

https://app.symposium.amplifilab.com/kiosk

1. Enter the pairing code exactly as shown in admin (case-sensitive).
2. Tap Pair device.
3. On success, the room grid loads. Pin the browser tab or use full-screen / kiosk browser mode for production tablets.

Android app

Deploy the Symposium kiosk as an Android app (APK or managed Play install) on your in-room Galaxy Tab or equivalent device. The pairing flow is the same as the web kiosk:

1. Launch the Symposium Kiosk app.
2. On first run you see the Kiosk pairing screen.
3. Enter the pairing code from admin and tap Pair device.
4. Configure Android kiosk mode (screen pinning, single-app lock, or MDM policy) so guests cannot exit the app.

Recommended: disable sleep during plugged-in operation, keep Wi‑Fi always on, and assign a static DHCP or reserved IP for reliable MQTT polling.

After pairing

• The device appears under the project’s kiosks list with status Paired.
• Room cards reflect live MQTT data for the scoped rooms.
• To revoke access, unpair from admin or use the kiosk unpair gesture (see below).

Kiosk usage

The kiosk is designed for staff workflows: quick room lookup, visible alerts, and tap-to-control relays and climate setpoints without exposing MQTT technical details.

Room grid

The home screen shows one card per room in scope. Cards highlight key metrics (temperature, humidity, fan, key card) and alert states. Use area filter chips when the project defines floor or wing areas.

Room detail

Tap a room to open its dashboard, organised in tabs:

• Devices — relays and fan controls
• Climate — temperature & humidity readings, setpoint +/- , gauges
• Modes — operational mode indicators

Tap relays to toggle. Use +/- on climate to adjust setpoint. Fan speed changes respect the configured MQTT emitters for that room.

Settings PIN

Changing temperature min/max, humidity limits, and similar protected values requires the settings PIN you set when generating the pairing code. The PIN applies only to that tablet — different kiosks can have different PINs.

Theme & header

Use the header theme toggle for light or dark mode. The brand bar shows your project logo when configured in admin.

Unpairing a tablet

On the room grid, tap the header menu area three times quickly to open the Unpair this kiosk? confirmation. Unpairing clears local credentials and returns to the pairing screen. The room data on the server is unchanged; generate a new code in admin to pair again.

Admins can also unpair or delete a device from the project’s kiosk list in the admin console.

Troubleshooting

Pairing code rejected or expired

Codes are time-limited. Return to admin, generate a fresh code, and enter it on the tablet before expiry. Ensure there are no extra spaces in the code field.

Tablet shows “Pairing failed”

• Verify the tablet clock is correct (TLS and token expiry depend on it).
• Confirm the device can reach https://app.symposium.amplifilab.com over HTTPS.
• Check that the project still exists and the code was generated for the correct project.

Room data not updating

• In admin, open the same room in the rooms console and check MQTT logs.
• Confirm the room topic matches the physical controller.
• Ensure the kiosk is still paired (admin device list shows Paired).

Kiosk was unpaired remotely

If an admin unpairs the device, the kiosk returns to the pairing screen on its next session check. Pair again with a new code.

Need help?

Contact sales@symposiumlabs.com or use the Request demo form on our website.