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Using Profiles as an inReach Professional Administrator
Frequently Asked Questions about inReach® Profiles for Professional Accounts
The following questions about Professional Account Profiles are answered in this FAQ:
What are Profiles?
A profile is a collection of inReach settings and configurations that can be assigned to individual users or a group of users. Profiles are only available to Professional inReach accounts.
Why Should I Use Profiles?
Profiles allow for consistency across all inReach users or user groups by creating a common user interface for all devices. Administrators can remove icons from the home screen so that users only have access to features that they need. This is a key feature for controlling costs and limiting usage. Profiles also allow for creating common Device Settings, Preset Messages, Quick Text Messages, and Maps.
What Can be Configured?
Home screen icons can be added, removed, and reordered. Device settings, such as tracking and logging intervals, can also be adjusted. Preset Messages and Quick Text messages can be applied to individual users or user groups for consistency in messaging. Sets of Maps can be applied to profiles to ensure that your people in the field have the correct maps loaded to their inReach Explorer®+ for their needs.
Compatible Devices
inReach Explorer®
inReach SE®
inReach Explorer®+
inReach SE®+
Where and How Do I Create Profiles?
Profiles can be created and configured under the Groups & Users page.
Select Groups & Users.
Select Manage Profiles.
NOTE: Profiles must be enabled to use them. Once Profiles are enabled they cannot be disabled.
Select New Profile to start creating a profile.
From here, you can begin to configure the Home Screen Icons, Device Settings, Quick Text Messages,1 Preset Messages,1 and Maps for that profile.
You can toggle between different models of inReach devices based on the types of inReach devices your organization uses.
Select Save Changes to save the Profile settings.
Select Done to return to the Group & User page.
1 Check the override box(s) to ensure Quick Text and Preset Messages are updated as desired:
With the checkbox checked, when a device is synced, their Quick Text and/or Preset Messages will be overridden with the new changes.
With the checkbox unchecked, the individual user has to log in to their user account and create/edit Quick Text and/or Preset Messages there, and then sync.
How Do I Assign a Profile to a Group?
Assigning Profiles to a Group is done from the Groups & Users page.
From the Groups & Users page, select the group that you would to assign a profile to.
Select Group Settings.
Select Edit.
Use the drop-down menu under Profile to select a profile.
NOTE: Inherit from Parent means that the group will be assigned the profile that the parent device has.
Select Save.
Select Assign.
Select Done to return to the Groups & Users page.
IMPORTANT: For a Group profile change to take effect, each individual user needs the Inherit from Parent profile assigned to them. See steps below for assigning a profile to an individual.
How Do I Assign a Profile to an Individual?
Assigning Profiles to an Individual is done from the Groups & Users page.
From the Groups & Users page, select the individual user that you would like to assign a profile to.
Select Edit.
Use the drop down menu under Profile to select a profile.
Select Save.
Select Assign.
Select Done to return to the Groups & Users page.
How Do I Sync?
Now that you have assigned a profile to your group, you must sync to apply the configuration. Every time a change has been made to a profile, the portal will indicate that a sync is necessary to at least one device (the Sync Tab will turn red). You can sync two ways:
USB Sync
As an administrator, you can plug in and sync any device on your account. The inReach Sync app works for all types of data on the inReach and also installs firmware updates. This method is free, but can take a long time for accounts with a lot of inReach devices. All inReach devices must be physically present to be synced in this way.
Satellite Network Profile Sync
The inReach settings configured by Profiles can be synced over the satellite network instead of USB cable connection (Quick Text Messages, Preset Messages, and Maps are the exception, and will require a USB cable sync). Maps are for inReach Explorer+ only. For byte-based plans, syncing in this way will use data plan bytes, but allows for remote configuration of inReach devices.
To sync, select Sync All or select individual inReach devices, then select Sync Selected. A byte total will be provided (the number of bytes that will be required during the sync). Professional Flex plans will not be charged based on byte use and will continue to use the standard Professional Flex subscription plan fees.
Not sure which sync method you should use? We recommend Satellite Network Profile Sync for small changes that do not require large byte usage. This method is also useful when you need to make changes to a Profile and do not have access to the device.
USB sync is recommended for large changes, or when the administrator needs to activate a device quickly. This method is preferred when the administrator has access to the device on site.
NOTE: Profile changes for Professional accounts do not sync via the Earthmate® or Garmin Explore™ apps.