Device Assembly
A Device Assembly is a group of network devices that are logically and visually grouped together and represented as a single icon on the plan. Instead of showing each member device individually on the canvas, the assembly displays as one colored circle icon with a small badge indicating how many devices it contains. This is useful for modeling pre-configured equipment sets, rack assemblies, or any collection of devices that are always installed together.
When to use this
- When you have a set of devices (e.g. NVR + switch + UPS) that are always installed together and should be treated as one unit on the plan
- When you want to simplify a busy plan by collapsing related devices into a single recognizable symbol
- When you need to reuse a standard equipment set across multiple locations or projects using the template library
- When you want to document internal wiring between devices within a group using the graphical connections editor
- When your company has standardized equipment packages that should be available to all team members via enterprise templates
Adding a device assembly
To add a new empty assembly to your plan, open the Add menu from the toolbar and choose Device Assembly. The assembly is placed at the center of the current view as an empty group with a default blue circle icon. You can then add member devices to it using the Members tab in the sidebar or by dragging existing devices onto the assembly icon.
Assembly sidebar
The Assembly Sidebar appears automatically when you click an assembly icon on the plan. It is organized into two tabs: Settings and Members.
Settings tab
The Settings tab is the main configuration area for the assembly.
Identity card
At the top of the tab, the identity card displays the assembly's current state at a glance:
- Icon badge – Shows the assembly's icon and color
- Display name – The name of the assembly
- Member count – How many devices are currently in the assembly
Template actions
Below the identity card, the template actions area provides quick access to the assembly template library. The available actions depend on whether the assembly has member devices:
Empty assembly (no members yet):
- Select from existing – Opens the template picker overlay where you can choose a saved assembly template. Selecting a template populates the assembly with the template's member devices and internal connections.
Configured assembly (has members):
- Save to library – Saves the current assembly configuration (members, connections) as a new template in your personal library. You will be prompted to confirm the name if a template with the same name already exists.
- Update in database – Visible when the assembly is already linked to a saved template. Overwrites the existing template with the current assembly state.
- Select from existing – Switch to a different template. The current members are removed and replaced with the selected template's members.
- Save as – Creates a new template under a custom name without affecting any previously linked template.
A spinner is shown on the action button while the save or load operation is in progress.
Display name
The Display Name is shown on the plan when the App Settings > Display Names option is enabled. It is also used in lists, reports, and the template library. Choose a descriptive name that clearly identifies the equipment group.
Icon
Configure the assembly's visual appearance on the plan:
- Icon picker – Choose an icon from the available set to represent the assembly type
- Color picker – Set the fill color of the assembly circle icon
Internal connections
This card shows how many internal wiring connections are defined between the assembly's member devices and provides access to the graphical editor.
- Connection count – Displays the number of defined internal connections
- Open graphical editor – Opens the Internal Connections Editor, a visual diagram where you can draw connections between the assembly's member devices and set the connection type. This button is disabled until at least two members have been added.
Members tab
The Members tab lists all devices currently assigned to this assembly.
- Add member – Opens the member picker to select an existing device from the plan and assign it to this assembly. The device is then represented inside the assembly instead of as a standalone icon.
- Member list – Each entry shows the device thumbnail image (if a model is assigned), device type, and manufacturer/model information.
For each member device in the list you can:
- Edit – Opens the device's own sidebar so you can configure its settings
- Eject – Removes the device from the assembly and places it back as a standalone icon on the plan, preserving all its settings
- Remove – Permanently deletes the device from the project
Adding members by drag and drop
You can drag any standalone device icon from the plan and drop it onto an assembly icon. The device is immediately added as a member of that assembly and disappears from its standalone position on the plan.
Template library
The template library lets you save and reuse assembly configurations across projects.
Saving a template
After adding and configuring member devices, click Save to library (or Save as to choose a specific name). The template stores the list of member devices with their types, models, icons, and internal connections. Templates are saved to your account and available in all your projects.
Loading a template
Click Select from existing to open the template picker overlay. It lists all your saved assembly templates. Click a template to apply it — the assembly's current members are removed and replaced with fresh copies of the template's devices. The assembly remains linked to that template so you can update it later.
Updating a template
If you modify an assembly that was loaded from a template, click Update in database to save the changes back to the original template. This does not affect other assemblies in your project that were previously loaded from the same template.
Deleting a template
In the template picker overlay, each template row has a delete button (trash icon) on the right. Click it and confirm to permanently remove the template from your library.
Copying and pasting assemblies
Assemblies support the standard copy and paste keyboard shortcuts:
- Ctrl+C – Copies the selected assembly (and all its member devices) to the clipboard
- Ctrl+X – Cuts the assembly (removes it from the plan and stores it in the clipboard)
- Ctrl+V – Pastes the assembly, creating a new assembly with fresh device IDs positioned 30 px offset from the original
When pasting, the new assembly is immediately added to the current selection so you can continue working with it without having to click it first.
Legend support
The Auto-generate function in the legend editor supports device assemblies. When generating the legend, each unique assembly icon and color combination is added as a single entry — assembly member devices are intentionally excluded from the device list to avoid duplicate entries. This means an assembly with three internal member devices contributes only one row to the legend, not four.
Enterprise templates
If your account has enterprise administration rights, the Enterprise panel > Assemblies tab lets you copy your personal assembly templates to the company scope. Company-scope assemblies are visible to all users in your organization in the Select from existing picker, allowing teams to share standardized equipment packages.
TIP
Company-scope assemblies can only be copied or deleted from the Enterprise panel. Individual users cannot edit them directly — they load them as a starting point and save their own variations.
Tips
- Add at least two member devices before using the graphical editor to define internal connections
- Use descriptive display names — they appear in reports and the template library
- Drag devices onto an assembly icon for the fastest way to build up a group
- Use Save as to create template variants without overwriting an existing template
- Use Eject instead of Remove if you want to move a device out of the assembly while keeping it on the plan
- When auto-generating a legend, assemblies are shown as a single symbol per unique icon and color combination
- For frequently used equipment packages, save them as templates or ask an enterprise admin to publish them to the company library