Table Of Contents

Getting Started

Overview

Guidelines

Obtaining Cisco Instant Connect

Getting Started

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This chapter provides information that you need to get started with Cisco Instant Connect. It includes these topics:

•Overview

•Guidelines

•Obtaining Cisco Instant Connect

Overview

Cisco Instant Connect is an application for Android devices that allows you to use these devices to interact with other participants in a Cisco IP Interoperability and Collaboration System (IPICS) incident, channel, virtual talk group (VTG), and radio.

For information about Android devices and network configurations that support Cisco Instant Connect, see Cisco IPICS Compatibility Matrix.

Before you can use Cisco Instant Connect, you must download it to your Android device.

Guidelines

•An Android device can communicate with the Cisco IPICS server and UMS via a Wi-Fi network connection or via a 3G or 4G connection (see Cisco IPICS Compatibility Matrix for details). If the Cisco IPICS server and UMS is in an internal network, you must use the Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client to access the server. If the Cisco IPICS server and UMS can be accessed by external devices via the public Internet without firewall restrictions, the Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client is not required.

•To allow audio communication, the Cisco IPICS server and the UMS component must be in a network that does not block voice over IP (VoIP) communication.

•If you are using Cisco Instant Connect on a WiFi network and have established an audio connection, you temporarily lose the audio connection if you move to a different network, for example from a WiFi network to a 3G or 4G connection.

•When you view a list of incidents, channels, VTGs, and radios, the information in the screen updates automatically every 60 seconds.

•Most communication between the Cisco Instant Connect and the Cisco IPICS server goes over Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and is encrypted and secure. Secure communication includes logging in, logging out, and uploading resources. However, audio communication is not encrypted.

•If a standalone Cisco IPCS server fails while you are logged in from an Cisco Instant Connect, a message appears that says the server is unreachable.

If high availability is configured for the Cisco IPICS server, you can log back in by identifying the primary server, and the system redirects you to the secondary server automatically. If you are logged in to the secondary server when fallback occurs, you are reconnected to the primary server automatically.

•If you are using headphones with your Android device, plug in the headphones before starting Cisco Instant Connect.

For related information about the Cisco IPICS server, see the Cisco IPICS documentation.

Obtaining Cisco Instant Connect

To obtain the Cisco Instant Connect application and install it on an Android device, access the Google Play Store from the Android device and download the application.

After you obtain the application, it appears on your Android device as Cisco Instant Connect.