Devices - Firmngin

Devices are the primary runtime unit in firmngin. A device has credentials, protocol metadata, entity values, availability, logs, dashboards, map metadata, firmware state, and optional Device Billing settings. [image:device detail screen with availability, credentials, entities, and logs]

Device lifecycle

Create a device in a workspace.
Generate or copy device credentials.
Configure firmware with the credentials.
Publish entity values and receive commands.
Monitor the device from the dashboard.

Device identity

Field	Use
Device ID	Permanent identifier used in the API and dashboard.
Secret ID	Device-facing identifier when the firmware protocol uses a separate public credential handle.
Secret key	Private credential for device authentication. Never expose it in docs, screenshots, or browser logs.
Display name	Human-readable name shown in dashboards and public pages when allowed.

Entities

Entities represent values or controls on a device. Examples:

Sensor readings: temperature, humidity, voltage.
Actuator state: relay, fan, door_lock.
Operational state: mode, battery, fault_code.

Use stable entity keys. Renaming entity keys can break dashboards, automations, map rules, and public pages that reference the old key.

Availability

Availability shows the latest reliable connection status for a device.

State	Meaning
`unknown`	Firmngin has not received a reliable connection signal for this device yet.
`online`	The device is currently connected.
`offline`	The device is currently disconnected.

A device shows as online only while it is actually connected, not just because it was registered or sent data earlier.