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With the introduction of the Configuration Manager 6.10, we will make the transition from one tool to the other smoother by offering an import feature, which allows you to import all cameras from a .bpassist project file without having to re-enter the individual credentials of each device. The feature allows you to: import one or multiple encrypted .bpassist project files at once automatic integration of device credentials check the software seal information to make sure configuration of each device has not been tampered with integrate the project file grouping into your existing structure create a backup of your system configuration after a successful import   In this article you will see how to import project files into Configuration Manager in both versions: v6.10 & v7.41   Step-by-step guide   Configuration Manager v6.10 Go to the "Tools" menu and select "Import Project Assistant File..."    Select one or more .bpassist files that you want to import    After entering the project file passwords, the Configuration Manager can decypt the files and you will then be prompted with an overview of the project file content Choose where in your existing structure you want to integrate the new devices ("Import to group" section) Verify project file content Select, whether you want to create a backup after import Select, whether you want to keep the project file groups after import After successful import, you can find all newly added devices in your target directory   Configuration Manager v7.41 or above 1. Go to the "Tools" menu and select "Import Project Assistant File..." 2. Select one or more .bpassist files that you want to import 3. After entering the project file passwords, the Configuration Manager can decrypt the files and you will then be prompted with an overview of the project file content   4. Choose where in your existing structure you want to integrate the new devices ("Import to group" section) 5. Verify project file content 6. Select, whether you want to create a backup after import 7. Select, whether you want to keep the project file groups after import 8. After successful import, you can find all newly added devices in your target directory ... View more

In situations when you need to commission a camera that it not yet connected to the network and / or has no power supply, the Bosch portable installation tool can help: Fast on-site commissioning solution with Bosch Project Assistant app Highly portable, lightweight and compact installation tool Rechargeable high capacity Lithium-ion battery No dependency on available network and power infrastructure The following video shows you how to connect the device and how to configure it in order to align the device's and the cameras' target network  settings: This is the old way as for Project Assistant versions < 1.3:   Step-by-step guide     This is the easier and more convenient way introduced with Project Assistant 1.3.1: 1) Project Mode 2) Single Camera Mode   Restrictions: Wi-Fi interaction between the Bosch Portable Installation Tool and the Project Assistant differs slightly between the three platforms (Windows, iOS and Android). Please refer to the videos above for details Automatic detection of the tool’s Wi-Fi access point within the app might not work, if the tool was previously connected to / added to the list known Wi-Fi networks in the phone’s or PC’s Wi-Fi settings, i.e. the first time connection was established outside of the Project Assistant. Remove the tool’s Wi-Fi network from the list of known networks of your phone/PC and re-connect from within the Project Assistant. Wi-Fi access point is set to factory default by pressing the reset button on the (physical) Wi-Fi module of the Bosch Portable Installation tool ... View more

For larger projects, where many cameras need to be commissioned, the question might come up on how to tackle it in the most efficient way using the Project Assistant. In the end, a Project Assistant file can comprise up to 500 cameras. Especially if multiple contributors perform the commissioning step in parallel, you need an appropriate approach. For visualization reasons, let's use a simple example. Let's imagine we have a project that comprises 500 new cameras in total. 250 cameras for building A and another 250 cameras for building B.   Step-by-step guide   Here are two options: Creating multiple (sub-) projects and merge them in Configuration Manager If you cannot use Dropbox for synchronization via the cloud, you can simply create 2 projects - one for building A and one for building B. Both projects can be prepared ahead of time, e.g. in the office, and exported in order to share them. Sharing the exported as well as encrypted project files can be done via E-mail, thumb drive, any of the major cloud storage services, etc.*. Now let's assume that there is one contributor working on building A and one working on building B. After each contributor has commissioned his or her 250 cameras each, they can themselves export the project files. To re-combine or merge both sub-projects, we have introduced a Project Assistant project file import feature in our Bosch Configuration Manager starting with v.6.10. This feature allows you to conveniently import multiple project files at once and to easily integrate them into your existing system structure. Please, check out the corresponding "How-to import Project Assistant project files into Configuration Manager v6.10 & v7.41 or above?" article in this community. * Restrictions due to project file size might apply depending on the sharing medium. The synchronization functionality is only available for Dropbox. Using the Dropbox Synchronization feature This feature let's you plan and prepare a project ahead of time, e.g. in the office, which can then be shared via Dropbox with multiple other contributors as needed. That means everyone that was "invited" to work on this project has access to the same project file, where there is only one "master" version residing in the cloud that is accessed and synchronized via Dropbox. Consequently, you can avoid managing multiple versions of the same project file. Therefore, depending on the internet connectivity of all contributor's devices, you can see the real-time progress of the project, no matter if you are in building A, building B or even in the office. All updates to the project are immediately synced via Dropbox among all contributors. If you want to know how to setup it up, please check out the following article: Can I add & sync my Dropbox account and share projects from it through Project Assistant app?   Of course, the Project Assistant project file import feature in our Bosch Configuration Manager is also available for further configuration and system integration for this option, as well. ... View more

Possible causes and solution(s)   Causes   When scanning a QR or Data Matrix code on a label using the Project Assistant app, it can happen that you get an error message that the MAC address cannot be found (1) or that only part of the address is correctly extracted (2).   Solution   First of all, there are different types of labels: product labels (on the device) box labels (on the outside of the box/packaging) installer / UX labels (inside the box /packaging) Symptom (1) can only happen when scanning a product label because some QR or Data Matrix codes do not contain a MAC address, depending on the product, even though the MAC address is available in plain text right next to the code.   The box and installer label codes, however, always contain the MAC address information. Symptom (2) can happen when scanning certain installer labels due to legacy formatting.   We have further standardized the labels so that the symptoms mentioned above will be resolved. There will be a transition period, however. As an alternative for symptom 1, you will have smooth experience when preferably scanning the box label. If you encounter symptom 2, we ask you to enter the MAC address manually or use the December 2018 release of the Project Assistant (version 1.2) PS: For full transparency on QR code / Data Matrix content and/or troubleshooting purposes, you can use conventional code scanning apps available in the respective app stores. ... View more

+++ Update: new [dns] tag available since PA1.4 +++  The template file can now be extended to using the tag [dns] for importing the DNS server address. This now also allows you to import URLs for the time server address, not only IP addresses. Intro: The Project Assistant offers two ways of importing existing project data: Option 1) Importing a .bpassist file, which was exported from the app at some point and which contains all information and data ever created/entered inside the app for that specific project. Simply select the "Project Assistant" mode >> click "continue" >> and press "import". Option 2) Importing from a tab-separated text file. This option may be useful, if you have existing project data, e.g. in an Excel spreadsheet, which you want to transfer into the Project Assistant for further use. This article deals with option 2 and explains the steps potentially needed before you can refer to the steps explained in the following Youtube video ("Import from file"). Let's assume you already have existing project data prepared in an Excel spreadsheet and you want to transfer that data into a format that can be imported to the Project Assistant Go to the Bosch Security Systems DownloadStore and download the provided template file or download it directly from here:  "2019_09_12_example_project_IMPORT_template_minVersion_PA1.3.xlsx", which also includes detailed instructions and explanations on each parameter.   Import the .txt template file into Excel by opening the template file with Excel and following these steps:  Select "delimited" as well as "My data has headers." Select "Tab" in the Delimiters section and finish up the Excel import by pressing "Finish". INSTEAD, you can also use the NEW Excel file, where you can avoid the above described initial import step of the .txt file.   [Option A] According to the provided data columns, copy and paste your existing data from your initial spreadsheet file into the template file (you do not need to populate every column of the template) [Option B] This option works the other way around. Use the Project Assistant header tags, e.g. [ip], [mac], etc., which you can find in the template file and add these tags to the column headers in your initial Excel spreadsheet (cf. screenshot below). The Project Assistant is capable of searching the .txt import file for these tags and of filtering out the corresponding columns (no matter the order of the columns). Go to "Save As" in Excel and save the newly populated template file as a "Unicode Text (*.txt")" file   Transfer the file to where you can find it with the Project Assistant and start the app Create a new project Set a password for the project itself as well as default passwords for the cameras that you would like to assign That's it - Now it is time to refer to the Youtube video mentioned above Enjoy using the Project Assistant and feel free to share your feedback with us!   Note: By the way, the column tagged [info] in the tab-separated file corresponds to the "comments" text box in the app. So if you have any information that helps you describe the camera better, e.g. where it is to be mounted, you can add this info in the corresponding cell of the respective camera.    How to import a group of cameras from Configuration Manager in Project Assistant App? ... View more