Add Network Devices

Discover and add RFID readers, printers, and IoT lamps on your local network

You can add RFID readers, label printers, and IoT lamps that are on your local network. This flow lets you either scan the network for devices or enter an IP address manually (see the Network Devices screen below). After a device is added, it appears in the Device Overview where you can edit its name, icon, and other settings.


Starting the add-device flow

Open Settings and go to Device Overview. Tap the + button in the header. The Add Device screen shows two options:

  • Beam Bridge: "Connect a Bridge to enable cloud features and remote management". Use this to add a Beam Bridge (see Devices Overview).
  • Device: "Scan for devices on your local network". Use this to discover and add RFID readers, printers, or IoT lamps on your LAN.

Tap Device to go to the Network Devices screen ("Find devices on your local network").

ℹ️
Network scanning is not available in the browser. Use the Beam mobile or desktop app to add network devices.

Network Devices screen

On the Network Devices screen you can either start an automatic scan or enter an IP address manually.

Initial state

Before scanning, the screen shows 0 found and 0 identified, with the message "Discover devices on your network". You have two actions:

  • Start Scan: starts an automatic scan of your local subnet.
  • + Enter IP manually: Opens the "Enter IP address" dialog. Enter an IP (e.g. 192.168.1.100) and tap Scan to scan that address. Cancel closes the dialog.

During the scan

First the network is scanned, then each device is checked for compatibility. The screen shows a scan animation and live counters (X found, X identified). Use the red Stop button in the header to cancel.

After the scan

When the scan finishes, you see the total X found and X compatible. Compatible devices are those Beam can talk to (e.g. supported RFID readers, printers, or IoT lamps). Tap View X Devices to see the full list. You can tap Rescan at any time to run the scan again.

The list is split into:

  • Compatible: devices that Beam can add and use.
  • Other Devices: devices found on the network that are not compatible (e.g. routers, computers). Each row shows an icon, name, IP address, and optional info (e.g. "Apple"). Tapping a device may still open the add flow if you want to try adding it (e.g. for manual setup).

Adding a discovered device

When you tap a discovered device (or one from the list), an Add Device dialog appears with:

  • Discovered device info: icon, name (e.g. "home"), IP address (e.g. 192.168.1.1), and Ports (e.g. 80, 443).
  • Device Name: an editable field, pre-filled with the discovered name. Change it if you want a different label in the Device Overview.
  • Device Type: three options: RFID Reader, Label Printer, and IoT Lamp. Select the type that matches the hardware.
  • Cancel and Add Device: Cancel closes the dialog; Add Device saves the device and adds it to the Device Overview.

After you tap Add Device, the device appears in the Device Overview. It may show as offline until the app has successfully connected to it.


Device Overview and editing

Added network devices appear in the Device Overview. For the screen layout, grouping, and all actions (e.g. +, search, expand, Configure) see Devices Overview. Tap a device and choose Edit to change its name, IP address, icon, and color.

💡
Ensure your phone or tablet and the hardware you want to add are on the same WiFi network. Devices on different subnets or VLANs may not be discovered.