Device Onboarding
Device onboarding claims a device for an nRF Cloud project, registers the device's public key with nRF Cloud, and enables the device to establish a mutually authenticated connection. The credential and provisioning flow depends on the device family, but private keys remain protected on the device in every flow.
Choose an onboarding guide
Select the guide for your device family:
| Device family | Onboarding credential | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| nRF9151 and nRF9161 | Identity attestation token | nRF91 Series |
| nRF93M1 | Registration JWT | nRF93M1 |
Both guides use Fleet → Devices → Add devices in nRF Cloud. For
automated onboarding, use the nrfcloud device create command as described in
Onboarding Devices with the CLI,
or call the
Create nRF9x Devices in Bulk
REST API endpoint.
Device identity operations, including onboarding nRF9151, nRF9161, and nRF93M1 devices, are currently supported only in an organization's default project. You cannot onboard these devices to a non-default project.
Device firmware requirements
Firmware requirements differ by family:
- nRF9151 and nRF9161: Your application firmware must include and enable the nRF Cloud provisioning client. See nRF91 Series device firmware requirements.
- nRF93M1: The nRF Cloud client is part of the module firmware. See nRF93M1 prerequisites.
After onboarding
Onboarded devices appear in the Device Inventory under Fleet → Devices. The device-specific guides explain how to confirm that credential provisioning and authentication have completed.
Manage onboarded devices
Edit and organize devices
- Select Bulk edit devices to change settings across many devices at once.
- Assign devices to cohorts to divide your fleet into mutually exclusive
groups—for example,
betaandproduction—so you can release new firmware to a small test group before rolling it out to everyone. See Cohorts.
Deactivate and reactivate devices
Deactivation and reactivation are supported only for nRF9151 and nRF9161 devices. See Deactivate and reactivate an nRF91 Series device.
Remove a device
Deleting a device permanently removes it from your fleet and releases its claim. The device can then be onboarded again, including by another organization or project. For an nRF9151 or nRF9161 that might return to the same project, deactivate it instead to retain its claim.
- In nRF Cloud, open the device's details page.
- Open the actions menu, then select Delete Device.
- Type the device ID into the confirmation box, then select Delete.
Troubleshooting
- A device does not appear after onboarding. Wait a few minutes, then reload the Device Inventory.
- Onboarding reports that the device belongs to another project. A device can belong to only one project at a time. Remove it from its current project, then try again.
- The device appears but does not connect. Follow the troubleshooting steps in the onboarding guide for your device family.