Getting started
The Calven presence agent can be utilized to detect which office an employee is present in based on the unique characteristics of the network via network fingerprinting. The presence agent can also detect which desk an employee is using by detecting the serial number of the monitor connected to their laptop. Either of those detection methods can be used, or both can be used together.
To begin, deploy the Calven presence agent to devices as described here. Once you have completed this section (network fingerprinting is optional) you can proceed to the steps below. This guide assumes you have deployed the Calven presence agent.
To configure the presence agent, you must have one of the following admin roles:
- Integrations administrator
- Global administrator
Collecting and mapping monitor serial numbers
The presence agent will read the serial numbers of connected monitors when the feature is enabled. When a monitor serial number is mapped to a desk, the presence agent will send a presence event for that user at that specific desk. The system can be configured either to just record the data, or optionally book the desk out for that user.
To enable the monitor identification feature, go to the monitor page within the presence agent configuration. The enable/disable toggle here will immediately turn the feature on or off. You may want to wait until you have mapped the monitors to enable the feature.
In order to map monitor serial numbers to desks, you need to start with the list of desks. You can download a CSV of desks from the monitor page by clicking Actions -> Download Mappings CSV. This will download a CSV file of all the desks on that floor to your local machine. Repeat the process of downloading CSVs for each location you plan to map.
To collect the monitor serial numbers, you will utilize the Calven Desk mapper tool. There are both Windows and Mac versions available, install the appropriate one now:
Run the desk mapper, and it will show the serial numbers of the monitors you are currently connected to.
To start mapping the desks, go to File -> Open and select the CSV file for the floor you wish to map. The neighborhoods and desks on that floor will appear on the left bar.
To map the desks to monitor serial numbers, plug into the monitor at a desk, select the desk from the list and the monitor(s) you wish to assign to that desks and then click “Assign”. Repeat that process for each desk you wish to map. You can check your work by plugging into a monitor and it will show which desk it is assigned to in the desk mapper.
When you are done collecting the serial numbers, click File->Export to save the CSV to your computer. Repeat this process for each CSV you want to map.
Importing mapped desks
After you have the CSV files with desks mapped to monitor serial numbers, you need to import those files into Calven Backoffice. Go to the monitor page within the presence agent configuration. Go to Actions -> Upload Mappings CSV and select the CSV file you exported in the previous step. Repeat that process for each CSV file.
You will see the list of monitor serial numbers and their respective desks listed in the table. To check your work, you can download a CSV of the mapped desks office-by-office.
If you need to update a monitor desk mapping, download the CSV for the office & utilize the Calven Desk Mapper tool to change the mappings. You can remove a mapping by clicking on the ⋮ icon for the appropriate row and selecting “Delete”.
Configuring automated desk booking
To automatically book desks for users when the user plugs into a monitor mapped to the desk, go to the “automations” page for an office and change “desk/neighborhood detection” to “automatically update work location”.
Running monitor serial detection
Once monitor identification is enabled, the Calven agents will automatically update to the new configuration on their next check-in, which happens every hour. You can ensure that an agent is reporting correctly by opening the status page for the agent. You will see that “Serial # Reporting” is enabled. The Mac status window is shown below.
You can also view the connected monitors’ serial numbers by clicking on the “machine” tab and looking under “Peripherals”.
FAQ
What happens if I plug into a desk where another user is already booked?
Your presence at the desk will be recorded, but the desk will not be booked for you unless “Allow overbooking” is turned on.
How are monitor serial numbers that users plug into recorded and stored?
Monitor serial numbers are not reported to the Calven service unless “Monitor identification” is enabled. When monitor identification is enabled, the serial numbers detected by the agent are reported to the Calven service to determine if a mapping to a desk exists and is then immediately discarded.
Are all monitors supported?
The Calven presence agent can detect monitors that are directly connected via HDMI, DisplayPort and, USB-C or Thunderbolt with DP Alt Mode, either directly connected or via a dock. Monitors connected via docks that use DisplayLink technology will not be detected. If you have docks deployed for external monitors, you should check if they are using DisplayLink. If a dock can provide external monitor support with only a USB-A connection then it is most likely using DisplayLink.
What events are sent for monitor connection/disconnection?
The Calven agent will send an event when both:
- Monitor identification is enabled
- A new monitor is plugged in
No events are sent when monitors are unplugged or laptops are closed.