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Mason X-Ray: Remote ADB and Screen Share
When it comes to managing a fleet of devices, one of the most costly and time-consuming processes is troubleshooting issues experienced in the field. It’s inevitable that something will go wrong from time-to-time — from unexpected behavior and app crashes to user error. Traditionally, customer support teams are tasked with troubleshooting these issues over the phone. This increases operation costs and often results in a frustrating experience for the end-user.
We know that for devices with Android OS, Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a powerful solution for troubleshooting. That being said, ADB requires physical access to the device. This poses a huge challenge for organizations who manage a large fleet of global devices. From customer support to shipping costs, this quickly becomes very costly. With Mason X-Ray, customers can remotely use ADB to interact with any device in your fleet.Today, we’re excited to announce a new version of X-Ray with powerful new features!
What is X-Ray?
Mason X-Ray is a fully integrated device management and observability tool for remote debugging and resolution of issues on Mason’s smart devices deployed in the field. With X-Ray, troubleshooting these issues can now be done remotely, with capabilities for advanced logging and remote screen control, to diagnosing and debugging issues in real time.
New X-Ray Capabilities and Benefits
- Available in the Mason Controller allowing for non-technical users to easily troubleshoot, screen share, and remotely control devices
- More reliable and stable connections with a single webRTC connection
- Integrate custom protocols directly into existing workflows viaRESTful APIs
X-Ray Capabilities & Benefits
By using X-Ray, customers are able to:
- Easily manage device issues, with X-Ray’s user-friendly interface now available directly in the Mason Platform. This alternative to the ADB command-line interface empowers non-technical users to quickly and easily troubleshoot devices. Technical users can still leverage the Mason CLI to use X-Ray.
- Enjoy reliable device connections for streaming via a stable infrastructure. X-Ray uses a single webRTC connection for streaming interactions, which results in fewer network infrastructure pieces that can potentially fail, making X-Ray connections significantly more reliable and stable than traditional connections.
- Quickly debug and fix issues live in the field. With X-Ray’s extensive remote desktop functionality— including commands for logging, pushing and pulling files, installing apps, shell access, and more—support teams can remotely view and control device screens to quickly debug and fix issues live in the field.
- Integrate directly into existing workflows. With RESTful APIs, developers can easily script custom protocols, allowing customers to integrate X-Ray features into their own applications. For example, customers can automatically pull logs or generate a bug report for devices when customers create support tickets.
To see X-Ray in action, check out our demo video here:
Getting Started with X-Ray
If you’re curious to see what Mason can do for your use case, contact a solutions specialist.
You can also follow the steps below to get started, or check out our docs for some detailed instructions.
To get started with X-Ray, you’ll need the following:
- A Mason Account
- Mason CLI version 2.0
- A device running Mason OS 6.0.6. If you don’t have a device, create a free Mason account and place an order for a Dev Kit via the Mason Controller. You can also contact solutions@bymason.com if you have any questions, or want a full demo of Mason.
- An API Key with the XRAY:ADMIN scope. You can create a key from the Mason Controller.
- A target device’s DEVICE_ID info. You can find a device’s ID (sometimes referred to as UUID) from the devices page in the Mason Controller.
We’ve also made improvements to Controller, including how to build and deploy new projects to device fleets. With this change, you can now leverage a simple step-by-step guide within your account to create a new project, add artifacts (APKs, animation files, etc.), and deploy these to device groups. This change makes it easy for non-technical users to create custom configurations, while our CLI and APIs are still available to more technical users who prefer a programmatic approach.