NFC onboarding data

NFC data format: Payload

The payload in the NFC record contains the actual data that will be transmitted between NFC reader/writer and phone's NFC tag. You can specify the onboarding information in the NFC payload by configuring key-value pairs. The key and value are separated by a colon symbol, as shown below:

Key-value pair syntax: <Key>:<Value>

Example:


onboardingMethod:1
onboardingDetail:http://10.79.130.6/2302005811.xml
mac:A4114E0641C2  
Network_Name_1_:test_ssid
Wi-Fi_User_ID_1_:testuser
Wi-Fi_Password_1_:test12345
Security_Mode_1_:Auto
Frequency_Band_1_:5 GHz
Custom_CA_Rule:http://custom_ca.example.com/custom.ca

You can also configure the key-value pairs in the JSON format.

Example:


{
    "onboardingMethod": 1,
    "onboardingDetail": "http://10.79.130.6/2302005811.xml",
    "mac": "A4114E0641C2”,
    "onboardingConfig": {
        "Network_Name_1_": "test_ssid",
        "Wi-Fi_User_ID_1_": "testname",
        "Wi-Fi_Password_1_": "test12345",
        "Security_Mode_1_": "Auto",
        "Frequency_Band_1_": "5 GHz",
        "Custom_CA_Rule": "http://custom_ca.example.com/custom.ca"
    }
}

The object "onboardingConfig" exists only in JSON format. It contains the information about Wi-Fi profile and custom CA.

Supported key-value pairs for NFC onboarding

Key (case sensitive)ValueDescription
onboardingMethod1–5Specifies the onboarding method:
  • 1—Cloud URL
  • 2—Cloud CDA Preferred
  • 3—Cloud Activation code
  • 4—Unified CM
  • 5—Unified CM with Alternate TFTP

This pair is mandatory.

Example:

onboardingMethod:1

onboardingDetailHTTP address, activation code, or alternate TFTP address corresponding to the onboarding methodSpecifies detailed information for the corresponding onboarding method.
  • For onboardingMethod:1 (Cloud URL), the corresponding value is an HTTP address.

    Example:

    
onboardingMethod:1
onboardingDetail:<url_address>
...

  • For onboardingMethod:3 (Cloud Activation Code), the corresponding value is an activation code.

    Example:

    
onboardingMethod:3
onboardingDetail:<activation_code>
...
  • For onboardingMethod: 5 (Unified CM with Alternate TFTP), the corresponding value is an alternate TFTP address.

    Example:

    
onboardingMethod:5
onboardingDetail:<alt_tftp_address>
...
macMAC addressSpecifies the phone's MAC address.

This key-value pair is mandatory when the transmitted NFC data is signed (signing or signing + encryption).

The phone will accept the NFC data only when the configured MAC address matches with the its own MAC address.

Example:

mac:<mac_address>

Wi-Fi profile

For more information about the parameters, see Parameters for Wi-Fi profile.

Network_Name_1_

SSIDDefines the name for the SSID that will display on the phone.

Example:

Network_Name_1_:<ssid>

Wi-Fi_User_ID_1_User ID for the network profileSpecifies the user ID for the Wi-Fi network.

Example:

Wi-Fi_User_ID_1_:<user_id>

Wi-Fi_Password_1_Password for the user IDSpecifies the password for the user ID to access the Wi-Fi network.

Example:

Wi-Fi_Password_1_:<password>

Security_Mode_1_Auto|EAP-FAST|||PSK||None|EAP-PEAPSelects the authentication method used to secure access to the Wi-Fi network.

Example:

Security_Mode_1_:Auto

NFC onboarding doesn't support EAP-TLS.
Frequency_Band_1_Auto|2.4 GHz|5 GHzSelects the frequency band on the phone to access the Wi-Fi network.

Example:

Frequency_Band_1_:5 GHz

Custom Certificate Authority (CA)
Custom_CA_RuleCustom CA rule fileSpecifies the location of the custom ca rule file.

This key-value pair is applicable only for the onboarding methods: Cloud URL and Cloud CDA Preferred.

Example:

Custom_CA_Rule:http://<file_address>

NFC onboarding methods

The following table shows the NFC onboarding methods, string syntax of the methods for configurations in the NFC reader/writer, and the applicable call control systems for the methods:

Table 1. NFC onboarding methods overview
Onboarding methodAllowed security level Call control system

Cloud URL (1)—Register the phone to the call control system. It uses the cloud URL for fetching the profile rule.

Example 1:


onboardingMethod:1
onboardingDetail:<profile_url>
mac:<mac_address>
Network_Name_1_:<ssid>
Wi-Fi_User_ID_1_:<user_id>
Wi-Fi_Password_1_:<user_password>
Security_Mode_1_:Auto
Frequency_Band_1_:5 GHz
Custom_CA_Rule:<file_url>

Signing, Encryption + Signing

BroadWorks

Webex Calling

Webex Calling for BroadWorks

Cloud CDA Preferred (2)— CDA takes preference over the local DHCP provisioning.

It's recommended to scan the NFC tag before the phone boots up. Otherwise, the users might miss the configurable time range.

Example 2-1:


onboardingMethod:2
mac:<mac_address>
Network_Name_1_:<ssid>
Wi-Fi_User_ID_1_:<user_id>
Wi-Fi_Password_1_:<user_password>
Security_Mode_1_:Auto
Frequency_Band_1_:5 GHz
Custom_CA_Rule:<file_url>

Example 2-2:


onboardingMethod:2
mac:<mac_address>

Example 2-1:

Signing, Encryption + Signing

BroadWorks

Webex Calling

Webex Calling for BroadWorks

Unified CM (if both CDA and DHCP onboard fail)

Example 2-2:

Plain text, Signing, Encryption, Encryption + Signing

Cloud Activation Code (3)—Activation code (for Webex only). The phone can automatically register to the call control system by using this code.

If the users are prompted to enter an activation code on the phone, they can choose to scan the NFC tag to fill in the code.

Example 3-1:


onboardingMethod:3
onboardingDetail:<activation_code>
mac:<mac_address>
Network_Name_1_:<ssid>
Wi-Fi_User_ID_1_:<user_id>
Wi-Fi_Password_1_:<user_password>
Security_Mode_1_:Auto
Frequency_Band_1_:5 GHz
Custom_CA_Rule:<file_url>

Example 3-2:


onboardingMethod:3
onboardingDetail:<activation_code>
mac:<mac_address>

Example 3-1:

  • Online NFC: Signing, Encryption + Signing
  • Offline NFC: Encryption + Signing

Webex Calling

Webex Calling for BroadWorks

Example 3-2:

  • Online NFC: Plain text, Signing, Encryption, Encryption + Signing
  • Offline NFC: Encryption, Encryption + Signing

Unified CM (4)—Abort the ongoing registration (if existing), and directly register the phone to Unified CM.

Example 4-1:


onboardingMethod:4
mac:<mac_address>
Network_Name_1_:<ssid>
Wi-Fi_User_ID_1_:<user_id>
Wi-Fi_Password_1_:<user_password>
Security_Mode_1_:Auto
Frequency_Band_1_:5 GHz

Example 4-2:


onboardingMethod:4
mac:<mac_address>

Example 4-1:

Signing, Encryption + Signing

Unified CM

Example 4-2:

Plain text, Signing, Encryption, Encryption + Signing

Unified CM with Alternate TFTP (5)—Abort the ongoing registration (if existing), and directly register the phone to Unified CM with the alternate TFTP server specified.

Can also be used when the users need to enter an alternate TFTP server on the phone.

Example 5:


onboardingMethod:5
onboardingDetail:<alt_tftp_address>
mac:<mac_address>
Network_Name_1_:<ssid>
Wi-Fi_User_ID_1_:<user_id>
Wi-Fi_Password_1_:<user_password>
Security_Mode_1_:Auto
Frequency_Band_1_:5 GHz

Signing

Encryption + Signing

Unified CM
For the onboarding methods "Cloud CDA Preferred (2)", "Cloud Activation Code (3)", and "Unified CM (4)", when Wi-Fi configurations or custom CA rule, or both are added, the only allowed security levels are: Signing and Signing + Encryption.

Phases of NFC onboarding

The NFC onboarding can be performed in the following phases:

  • NFC offline: The phone is still in box (isn't turned on and doesn't connect to any network).

    In this situation, you can use a mobile phone that running a custom app to scan the NFC tag to write onboarding information to the phone. After the phone boots up, it will start the onboarding process automatically based on the written information.

    The NFC onboarding info can determine to which call control system (Unified CM or Cloud) the phone will be registered and the deployment preference mode (CDA preferred or local DHCP).

    During the phone's onboarding process, the users might be prompted to choose a call service or enter an activation code, or both.

    If the phone is still packed in the phone box, you can use an NFC device to scan the NFC marked area NFC icon on the phone box to write the onboarding information to the phone. The phone will register by itself when it boots up.

  • NFC online: The phone (without any NFC onboarding info) is turned on and connects to a network.

    You can scan the NFC tag at any time during the onboarding process. To ensure that the NFC onboarding info can be detected in time, it's recommended to scan the NFC tag just after the phone successfully connects to a network.

    If the NFC onboarding method is Cloud URL (1), Unified CM (4), or Unified CM with Alternate TFTP (5), the ongoing onboarding process will be aborted immediately when you scan the NFC tag. And a new onboarding process will start, the phone will be registered to the call control system according to the selected method (UCM or Cloud).

    During the phone's onboarding process, you might be prompted to enter some information (for example, TFTP server or activation code) to proceed the process. In this situation, you can choose to scan the NFC tag to automatically fill in the information on the phone.