UI Manual: Devices, Software & Assets

This guide walks you through everything you need to do in the phyHUB web interface to get your IoT devices up and running – from registering a device for the first time to installing software on it and linking it to a piece of physical equipment.

How Everything Connects — The Big Picture

phyHUB manages three things at once: devices, software, and physical assets. Before diving into the steps, it helps to understand how these pieces relate to each other.

BEFORE THE UI
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  Physical device  →  Provisioned via terminal
                       (see Device Provisioning Manual)

IN THE phyHUB UI
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  Device registered
       │
       ├──▶  Added to a Deployment Group
       │           │
       │           └──▶  Apps installed automatically
       │
       └──▶  Commissioned to an Asset
                   │
                   └──▶  Linked to physical equipment
                          (pump, robot arm, CNC machine…)

Here is what each of these concepts means in plain language:

Concept	What it is
Device	A physical edge device (e.g., a Raspberry Pi or industrial gateway) attached to a piece of equipment
App / Application	Software that runs on a device — uploaded to the phyHUB store and deployed remotely
Deployment Group	A named group of devices that share the same set of apps. Assigning a device to a group automatically installs the group’s apps on it
Asset	A physical piece of industrial equipment (pump, motor, conveyor belt, etc.) that one or more devices are attached to
Asset Hierarchy	A template that describes what devices an asset needs and how they are organized — defined before any real devices are assigned
Commissioning	The final step: assigning a specific physical device (identified by its serial number) to a slot in an asset’s hierarchy
Attribute Set	A set of custom data fields you can attach to an asset type to record extra information (e.g., installation date, manufacturer, location)

Before You Begin:

User Management

This step happens before you open the phyHUB UI.

Before you can interact with the web UI, you have to first set up and manage your team’s access to phyHUB.

This means creating your organization, inviting colleagues, assigning the right roles.

Please check the User Management Manual found in the same folder as this guide. Once your organization is fully setup and you have invited all your team memebrs, you can proceed with the rest of this manual.
Provisioning Your Device

This step happens before you open the phyHUB UI.

Every physical device must be provisioned – enrolled with the platform’s identity system – before it can be registered through the web interface. This involves running a set of commands on the device itself (or during manufacturing).

Full instructions are provided in the Device Provisioning Manual (using the terminal) found in the same folder as this guide. Complete that process first, then return here to continue with the UI steps.
The phyHUB web UI

After completing steps 1 and 2, you now have devices that are ready to be activated and users that can perform meaningful actions with them in the store.

Head to https://www.phyhub.phytec.de/ and begin your journey.

Part 1: Onboarding Your Devices

Once a device has been provisioned, you register it in phyHUB so the platform knows it exists and can manage it.

The Device List

Navigate to the Devices section in the left sidebar. You will see a table listing all registered devices with the following information for each:

Column	What it shows
Serial Number	The unique hardware identifier of the device
Model	The device model (e.g., a specific type of gateway or controller)
Status	Whether the device is Active, Offline, or Pending activation
Last Seen	When the device last communicated with the platform
Deployment Group	Which deployment group (if any) this device is currently in

Registering a New Device

Click the Activate Device button at the top of the page.
Enter the device token you obtained from the device during the terminal provisioning step.
Click Save. The device will appear in the list in a few moments if the activation process was successful.

The Device Details Page

Click on any device in the list to open its details page. Here you will find several tabs:

Tab	What it shows
Details	Serial number, model, current status, and assigned deployment group
Software	The current installation state of each app on the device
Logs	Live and recent log output from the device — useful for troubleshooting

Part 2: Uploading Applications to the Store

phyHUB works like an app store: developers upload application packages via the terminal, a reviewer then rates them through the UI, and once rated the apps become available to be assigned to deployment groups and pushed to devices.

How the App Approval Process Works

App uploaded via terminal  →  Status: "Unrated"
                                   │
                        Software Manager reviews it
                                   │
              Approved  ──▶  "Experimental", "Edge", or "Stable"
                              All three are available in deployment groups

              Rejected  ──▶  "Denied"  (not available for deployment)

Apps with a status of Experimental, Edge, or Stable are all visible in the deployment group app selector and can be assigned to devices. Apps that are Unrated or Denied cannot be added to any deployment group.

Reviewing and Rating Apps (Software Manager)

If your role is Software Manager or Software Admin, you are responsible for reviewing apps uploaded to the store and setting their status. Apps are uploaded via the terminal by developers and will initially appear with Unrated status.

Open the Software Review section, click on the Apps Pending Review tab and find the app you want to review.
Click on the app to open its details.
Check the app information and package.
Use the Status dropdown to change the rating:
- Experimental → available for deployment; indicates an early-stage or developer build
- Edge → available for deployment; indicates a field-ready but not fully production-validated release
- Stable → available for deployment; indicates a fully validated, production-ready release
- Denied → not available for deployment; the app has been rejected
Save your changes. The developer will see the updated status on their app.

Part 3: Creating Deployment Groups

A deployment group is how phyHUB knows which apps to install on which devices. Instead of assigning apps to individual devices, you define a group for a specific device model and list the apps it should run. Any device added to that group will automatically receive those apps.

Creating a New Group

Go to the Devices section in the left sidebar and then click on the Deploymnet Groups tab.
Click Create Group.
Enter a name for the group (e.g., production-pump-controllers).
Select the device model – only devices of this model type can be added to the group.
Optionally add a description.
Click Save.

Adding Apps to the Group

Open the deployment group you just created.
Click the Apps tab.
Click Add Application.
Select the app and the specific version (revision) you want deployed. Apps with Unrated or Denied status do not appear here – only apps rated as Experimental, Edge, or Stable are available.
Click Add. The app is now part of this group’s target configuration.

You can add multiple apps to a single group. All devices in the group will receive all the listed apps.

Adding Devices to the Group

In the same deployment group, click the Devices tab.
Click Add Devices.
Select one or more from the list of available devices matching the group’s device model.
Click Add.

Once a device is added to a group, phyHUB will begin pushing the group’s applications to it automatically. You can monitor the installation progress from the device’s details page.

Note

A device can only belong to one deployment group at a time. If you need to change which apps a device runs, either update the apps in its current group or move it to a different group.

Part 4: Setting Up Your Asset Hierarchy

An asset in phyHUB represents a physical piece of industrial equipment – a pump, a motor, a robotic arm, a CNC machine. Linking your devices to assets lets you see not just which device has a problem, but which piece of equipment it belongs to.

Asset management involves three layers, built in order:

Asset Type   →   Asset Model (with hierarchy)   →   Asset Instance
  "Pump"           "Model XYZ-500 Pump"              "Pump 001, Hall B"
                    (defines which devices           (a real machine)
                     it needs and how they
                     are organized)

Step 1: Create an Asset Type

An Asset Type is the broadest category – it describes a class of equipment, not a specific product.

Go to the Assets section and open the Asset Types tab.
Click Create Asset Type.
Enter a name (e.g., Industrial Pump, Conveyor Belt, CNC Machine).
Optionally add a description.
Click Save.

You only need to create each type once. All specific models and physical instances will be organized under their respective type.

Step 2: Create an Asset Model

An Asset Model is a specific product or configuration within a type. More importantly, it is where you define the device hierarchy, the template that describes which devices this model of equipment needs and how they are organized.

Still in the Assets section, click on the Asset Types tab and select your newly created type.
Click Add Model.
Give it a name (e.g., XYZ-500 Series, Mark II Conveyor) and, optionally, a description.
Assign an attribute set to the model (see Part 5 for details about how Attribute Sets are created) and click Next.
Build the model hierarchy by slecting from a list of previously created assets or devices . This is a bluepring describing what components your asset model contains.
Save the hierarchy when done.
Click Save to create the model.

Tip

Think of the hierarchy as a socket diagram. It describes the shape of the device setup an asset needs – the real devices are plugged in during commissioning (Step 4 below).

Step 3: Create an Asset Instance

Now you create the actual, physical piece of equipment in the system.

Go to the main Assets list.
Click Add Assets.
Select the Asset Model this piece of equipment is based on.
Give it a meaningful name (e.g., Pump-001-HallB, Robot-Line3-Position2).
Fill in any other required fields (location, notes, etc.).
Click Save.

The asset now exists in phyHUB, but its device slots are empty. The next step fills them.

Step 4: Commission a Device (Link Device to Asset)

Commissioning is the act of assigning a specific physical device – identified by its serial number – to a slot in an asset’s hierarchy. This is the final connection between the digital platform and the real world.

Open the asset instance you just created from the Assets list.
Navigate to the Asset Hierarchy/Commissioning tab and you will see the hierarchy blueprint defined by the model.
Click on Assign for each hierarchy component to assign a device or asset to it.
Select the device or asset from the list or search by name/serial number.
Confirm the assignment.
Repeat for all slots in the hierarchy.

Once commissioned, the asset’s overview will show the live status of each connected device, and you can navigate from the asset directly to the device details page.

Part 5: Attribute Sets

Attribute sets let you attach custom data fields to your asset models – things like installation date, manufacturer details, maintenance schedule, maximum operating temperature, or any other information your team needs to track.

What Is an Attribute Set?

An attribute set is a reusable template of data fields. You create it once and then attach it to one or more asset models. Every asset of that model will then have those fields available to fill in.

For example, you might create an attribute set called Pump Specifications containing fields like Max Flow Rate, Operating Pressure, and Installation Date. Attach it to the XYZ-500 Series model and every XYZ-500 pump in your system will have those fields.

Creating an Attribute Set

Go to Assets → Attribute Fields & Sets.
Click Create Attribute Set (the “+” icon).
Give the set a name and an optional description.

After the set is created, select it from the list and click Add Attribute to add each data field:

Name – the label for the field (e.g., Max Flow Rate)
Type – the kind of value this field holds:

Type	Use it for
String	Text (names, descriptions, codes)
Integer	Whole numbers (counts, IDs)
Float	Decimal numbers (measurements, temperatures)
Boolean	Yes / No values
Date	Calendar dates (installation date, expiry date)

Add as many attributes as needed, then click Save.

Attaching an Attribute Set to an Asset Model

New model

When creating a new model you can assign an existing Attribute Set to it duting the model creation flow.

Existing model

You can edit an existing Asset Model to assign a new Attribute Set or remove an existing set.

Go to Assets → Asset Types.
Find the Asset Type that contains the model you want to edit.
Click on the Models tab to see all the models created for the selected asset type.
Click on the asset model you want to edit to go to its details page
On the asset model details page click Manage and select Edit
You will see the asset model creation form, this time with all the details already filled in.
All the available attribute sets are listed in the lower half of the page. Check the box next to each set you want to add to your model.
Click Next to confirm no changes need to be done to the hierarchy.
Click Save.

Putting It All Together – A Typical Setup Workflow

Here is the recommended order of operations when setting up phyHUB for the first time, or when onboarding a new type of device and equipment:

Step	What to do	Where
1	Provision devices physically (run terminal commands on the hardware)	Device terminal
2	Create your Asset Types	phyHUB → Assets → Asset Types
3	Create your Asset Models with device hierarchies	phyHUB → Assets → Asset Models
4	Create Attribute Sets for your asset models (optional but recommended)	phyHUB → Assets → Attribute Sets
5	Upload your application packages to the store	Device terminal
6	Have a Software Manager review and rate the apps	phyHUB → Software
7	Create a Deployment Group for the relevant device model	phyHUB → Deployment Groups
8	Add the approved apps to the deployment group	phyHUB → Deployment Groups → Apps
9	Activate your devices in phyHUB	phyHUB → Devices → Activate Device
10	Add the registered devices to the deployment group	phyHUB → Deployment Groups → Devices
11	Create Asset Instances for each piece of physical equipment	phyHUB → Assets
12	Commission each device to its asset slot	phyHUB → Assets → [Asset] → Hierarchy
13	Monitor device status, installation progress, and asset health	phyHUB → Devices / Assets

Note

You do not have to complete all of these steps in a single session. Many teams set up the asset hierarchy and deployment groups once, then add new devices and commission them as new equipment arrives on site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add an app to a deployment group before it has been reviewed?

It depends on the status. Apps rated Experimental, Edge, or Stable all appear in the deployment group app selector and can be assigned to devices. Apps with Unrated status (freshly uploaded, not yet reviewed) or Denied status (rejected by a reviewer) do not appear in the selector and cannot be deployed.

What happens if I add a device to a deployment group after the group already has apps assigned?

phyHUB will automatically begin installing all of the group’s apps on the newly added device. You do not need to trigger this manually.

Can a device belong to more than one deployment group?

No. A device can only be in one deployment group at a time. If you need a device to run a different set of apps, move it to a different group (or update the apps in its current group).

Can the same app be assigned to multiple deployment groups?

Yes. You can add the same app to as many deployment groups as you need.

What is the difference between “Deployment Status” and “Installation Status” on a device?

Deployment Status is what phyHUB wants the device to have (based on its deployment group).
Installation Status is what is actually installed on the device right now. If the two don’t match, it means phyHUB is still in the process of pushing an update, or there was a failure during installation (check the Logs tab for details).

Do I have to commission a device to an asset?

No. Commissioning is optional. Devices in deployment groups will receive and run their apps regardless of whether they are linked to an asset. Commissioning is only needed if you want to track which physical equipment each device belongs to.

Can I reassign a device to a different asset slot later?

Yes. You can de-commission a device from its current slot and re-commission it to a different one. This is useful when devices are replaced or physically moved.