This article describes how to protect your iPads with Monitor.
The ‘Smoothwall Browser’ app monitors the text entered into web pages. As part of the deployment you will need to remove all other browsing apps including the default browser, Safari, because other apps cannot monitor text.
You will need:
- iPads with iOS14 or higher
- iPads enrolled in your MDM
- From Monitor>Organisations > Edit > License Information copy and save your
- UNCL Serial (Serial)
- Org ID (UUID)
What to do
Monitor recommends you update all your iPads to Smoothwall Browser 39.3 or newer.
In your MDM select ‘Show or Hide Apps’ and disable Safari and any other browser apps (like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Brave).
Push the ‘Smoothwall Browser’ app with the minimum three settings:
- Your UNCL Serial number for Monitor
- Your OrgID/TenantID for Monitor
- The username for the student assigned to the iPad
Most MDMs will identify the Bundle ID automatically when you add the Smoothwall Browser app. If your MDM requires an explicit association of the Bundle ID, use ‘com.smoothwall.ios.Firefox’ (case sensitive).
MDM Configuration Fields Naming Convention
The data fields you need to configure Monitor are identified with ‘Smoothwall’ at the beginning of the field name. You may see other data fields used by your organisation.
The field names below are for Smoothwall Browser 39.3 and newer. Monitor will support the older versions of the configuration field names if you are unable to update your iOS devices. Information on the old names can be found in Deprecated MDM Configuration Field Names.
| Field Name | Field Type | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| SmoothwallSerialNumber | String |
Required. Smoothwall Serial number for your organisation. Starts with ‘UNCL’. |
UNCLTEST1234TEST |
| SmoothwallTenantID | String (case insensitive) |
Required. Smoothwall OrgID (UUID) of your Organisation. |
0040007a-f99d-0000-dbdb-70024c4bb000 |
| UserID | String |
Required. A user identifier to appear in alerts, log activity, and used to group users with:
If these are Shared iPads deployed via Apple School Manager, use the steps in Additional Configuration Options for Shared iPads instead of the steps here. |
matt@example.org Matt A Doe |
| UniqueDeviceID | String (40 characters, maximum) |
Recommended. Add an optional unique identifier for the device from one of the following methods:
The Smoothwall Browser app will auto-generate a UniqueDeviceID using UIDevice.identifierForVendor if you do not provide one. Important The UniqueDeviceID will reset when the app is removed and reinstalled. |
ADCD-EFGH-IJKL-MNOP Stock: 2585 |
| HomePageURL | String |
Optional. Set the home page when the user opens the Smoothwall Browser. Type the web address with the leading ‘https://’. Note The user cannot change the home page settings. |
https://www.google.com |
To control whether other apps are allowed to display web content, please refer to Limiting access to in-app browsers on iPad.
Create a Manual Properties List (plist)
If your MDM does not have a User Interface for configuring individual fields, you will need to upload a 'plist’ file to the iPads. Here is an example of a plist file with the required and recommended field settings:
<dict>
<key>SmoothwallSerialNumber</key>
<string>UNCLTESTTESTTEST</string>
<key>SmoothwallTenantID</key>
<string>0040007a-f99d-0000-dbdb-70024c4bb000</string>
<key>UserID</key>
<string>matt@example.org</string>
<key>UniqueDeviceID</key>
<string>ADCD-EFGH-IJKL-MNOP</string>
</dict>
The ‘UserID’ field is required to determine the user shown in the logs and alerts. In order to have the correct value, do not hard code a string, let your MDM push the users’ variables into the plist instead.
For example, you can push the user’s variable $EMAIL in JAMF and {{userprincipalname}} for the ‘UPN’ in Intune. To find the variables for your MDM provider, please consult their documentation:
Reminder
If you use the Apple School Manager to manage shared iPads, please see Additional Configuration Options for Shared iPads.
Verify the Installation
Use your MDM to force a restart of the iOS devices after installation. To verify the installation, open the Smoothwall browser on an iPad. If the installation is successful you will be able to open a website like Google.
If the installation fails, you will be prompted for the user configuration details. To resolve the issue, check your MDM variables for case-sensitivity and completeness. Then, deploy the installation again. If you continue to have issues with your installation, contact your Monitor deployment manager or our support team for assistance.
