Devices & Sessions
Your account is who you are; your device and session are where and how you are signed in.
REDENES tracks devices as carefully as it tracks people, because in a real agency the same phone may be shared between crews and the same person may carry a phone, a tablet, and a vehicle terminal. This page explains how the app tells those apart, what limits apply, and why a screen sometimes goes to sleep or asks you to try again.
Device, Session, Account
| Term | What it is | Lasts for |
|---|---|---|
| Account | You - your email, password, profile, and certifications | Until it is removed |
| Device | One phone, tablet, or computer, registered and given a name | Until the app is removed and re-registered |
| Session | One signed-in device, for one agency | Until you sign out of that agency on that device |
That three-way split is what lets you be signed in to two agencies on one tablet, or to one agency on three devices, without the app getting confused.
Registering and Naming a Device
The first time the app runs on a new device it registers itself, then asks you to name it - before you ever sign in.
- Finish First Launch & Onboarding.
- The app collects the device's details and registers it.
- Name Your Device opens with a suggested name already filled in.
- Keep it or replace it, then save. The name must be at least three characters.
- You continue to Sign In.
That name is not cosmetic. It is what your agency sees in device lists, so a name that identifies the device at a glance - Engine 12 Tablet, Battalion 3 iPad, Jane's iPhone - is far more useful than a model number.
Name shared devices after the vehicle or post they live in, and personal devices after the person. When an administrator is trying to work out which of eleven signed-in devices is in the field, that convention saves real time.
Confirming Device Access at Sign-In
After your password is accepted, and before you reach the dashboard, REDENES asks which of your devices should be logged in for each agency. This is the step that enforces how many devices your agency pays for.
Each agency row shows two counts:
| Count | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Organization Paid Subscriptions | Seats the agency pays for, and how many are in use |
| Personal Paid Subscriptions | Seats you pay for personally, and how many are in use |
- Review each agency and its counts.
- Tap a row to choose which devices should be logged in for that agency.
- Tap Submit.
- The app downloads that agency's data and opens the dashboard.
If you select more devices than the agency has seats for, the app tells you the maximum allowed and asks you to deselect some before continuing. Signing in on a new phone may therefore mean signing an old one out - which is exactly why device names matter.
Signing In on More Than One Device
Multiple devices are supported and normal. What you should expect:
| Behaviour | What happens |
|---|---|
| Your identity | The same on every device |
| Your preferences | Carried across if Sync Settings Across Devices is on in App Defaults |
| Your alert rules | Stored on your account, so they apply everywhere |
| Notifications | Delivered to every device signed in for that agency |
| A mute | Applies to your notifications, and is restored when you sign in again |
| Unread badges | Catch up per device as each one syncs |
| Seats | Each signed-in device consumes one seat for that agency |
Because alerts go to every signed-in device, a tablet left charging at the station will keep making noise for dispatches. Sign devices out when they are not in service, or the seat and the sound are both wasted.
Reviewing Devices and Sessions
Administrators can see every device signed in to the agency on Devices, with filters for mobile, desktop, active, and inactive.
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Identifying Name | The nickname you gave the device |
| User | Who is signed in on it |
| Manufacturer / Model / OS | What the hardware is |
| Version | Which app version it is running |
| Last Seen | When it last checked in |
| Session | Whether the session is Active or Inactive |
Tapping a device also shows its permission states as coloured dots - see Device Permissions Explained.
This view is a read-only reference. It is how an administrator confirms who is connected and spots devices running an old app version or no longer in use.
Signing Out
Signing out is done per agency, from the device itself, on Sign Out.
| Choice | Result |
|---|---|
| Select agencies, then Logout | Leaves only those agencies; you stay signed in to the rest |
| Logout All | Signs out of every agency and returns you to the sign-in screen |
| Cancel | Changes nothing |
If agencies remain after you sign out of one, you stay in the app. If none remain, you land back on Sign In.
On a shared device, signing out is part of handing over. Leaving your session open means the next crew receives your alerts under your name, and your seat stays consumed.
Screen Sleep, Screensaver and Timeouts
Three separate mechanisms are easy to confuse.
| Mechanism | Trigger | What you see | Where to change it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep Screen Awake | While the app is open | The display does not dim or lock | App Defaults |
| Screen Saver | No touches for the configured time | Floating bubbles; tap anywhere to return exactly where you were | Timeout comes from your account settings |
| Session Timeout | A request takes too long | A small popup offering to retry or dismiss | Not configurable - it reflects the connection |
The screensaver keeps the display awake while it runs and never signs you out - it is a privacy and burn-in measure, not a lock. See Screen Saver. The timeout popup is about the network rather than your session; see Session Timeout.
Keep Screen Awake plus a generous screensaver timeout is the usual setup for a device mounted in a vehicle. On a personal phone the opposite is normally better for battery.
Vehicle and Connected Devices
A device in REDENES is not only a phone. The app also connects outward to equipment.
| Kind | Where |
|---|---|
| In-vehicle dashboard | Mobile Data Computer and MDC Login |
| Bluetooth accessories and radios | Connect a Device and Bluetooth Scan |
| Wi-Fi equipment | Wi-Fi Scan and Wi-Fi QR |
| Fall monitoring | Fall Detection |
| Watch and CarPlay | Status shown at the top of App Settings |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Maximum devices" message at sign-in | Every agency seat is in use | Deselect a device, or sign an unused one out |
| A colleague's alerts arriving on your device | Their session is still open on it | Sign out fully, then sign in as yourself |
| Device name is wrong in agency lists | It was named carelessly at setup | Ask your administrator; the name is set during registration |
| Device shows as inactive but is in use | It has not checked in recently | Open the app and confirm its connection |
| Screen keeps dimming on a mounted device | Keep Screen Awake is off | Turn it on in App Defaults |
| Screensaver appears too often | The timeout is short | Ask your administrator about the configured timeout |
| Timeout popups keep appearing | Slow or missing connection | Check coverage, then retry |
Related Pages
⬅️ Previous: Device Permissions Explained | Next: Life of an Incident ➡️