What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented Reality is the ability to provide a digital layer, such as drawings, objects, pictures on top of a physical layer representing the real world. Many of the mobile phones and tablets used today have the ability to support augmented reality inside the device camera’s live field-of-view.
What does CareAR do?
CareAR makes it easy to provide assistance to anyone, no matter where they are, from anywhere. Through their mobile device, an expert can virtually see the situation live, discuss it, and provide visual guidance by simply drawing on the screen for clear instructions. There are also objects that can be used, such as 3D arrows, blinking rings, and text boxes for writing short descriptions and labels. These annotations are digital layers positioned in 3D and stay fixed in place (anchored) on whatever you drew or placed them on.
What can I use CareAR for?
CareAR was created primarily to help service management teams within enterprises and businesses to provide remote assistance to employees, customers, and field workers as if they were physically there. CareAR eliminates or greatly reduces the need for an onsite service call. There are an infinite number of uses for CareAR across any number of industries. Such uses range from helping someone complete a task, providing technical assistance (e.g., a service task on a piece of equipment), performing training, or collaborating remotely on a task or project.
How do I connect with someone using CareAR?
Any user can connect with anyone using CareAR by simply sending an invite through CareAR via SMS or email. The invited user (the guest) will receive a message that contains a link that allows instant connection of both guest and host, automatically displaying a live video from the requester’s camera.
How do I make CareAR work best?
To get the most out of CareAR, use with good lighting, flat surfaces, and stationary objects. When providing assistance, you want to make sure the mesh plane is visible over the object being viewed for assistance. This enables annotations to stick onto objects. In case the mesh plane is not visible, it’s helpful to pan your camera (move your phone or tablet back/forth and side to side) around the object being viewed. This allows CareAR to better understand the physical environment.
Also, CareAR annotations stick best to stationary surfaces that have visual details and not those that have flat or reflective surfaces or those that are moving.
In low or no bandwidth environments, you may want to utilize standalone mode to annotate and take a screen capture, which can then be shared with others via email, text, or some other collaboration tool.
How do I annotate on the screen?
Both participants can instantly draw on the screen by using their finger (or stylus, if supported). Simply drag your finger on the screen and see lines appear. Users will have different line colors to help know which user drew which line. You can set the pen’s line color and thickness by long-pressing the pen icon. Additional annotations are available, like arrows, pulsating rings, and text boxes. You can undo your annotations as well as erase them.
What are the device requirements?
CareAR is available for mobile phones, tablets, and desktop. Requirements are available here: Device Compatibility
Is CareAR supported in my country?
CareAR is not supported for use (either as a host or as a guest) from the following countries: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, China, Russia, and Ukraine (due to export control considerations pertaining to Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions).
What are the network requirements?
The minimum amount of bandwidth required for a CareAR session is 500 Kbps. See this page for more information on data usage.
The network ports used for CareAR can be found here in our Network Firewall Settings document.
Why aren’t my annotations sticking?
Your drawings may not stick in the first few seconds of a call while CareAR learns about your environment. Please also refer to “How do I make CareAR work best?” question above.
When I invite someone using SMS, do I include their country code?
Yes, you’ll need to prefix the country code in front of their mobile phone number. In the U.S. and Canada, you can enter 1+10 digits or just 10 digits for the phone number.
How does the flashlight tool work?
The flashlight tool works on iOS devices (iPhone and iPad). Turning it on or off controls the flashlight of the iOS device that has its camera on. For example, when an expert assists a field service tech who has the camera enabled for remote viewing, the expert (or the field service tech) can turn the flashlight on and off for better illumination.
Does CareAR only work with mobile data connections?
The requirement is Internet connectivity. So on mobile devices (phones and tablets), CareAR works with mobile data connections (LTE) and with wifi connections. On desktop and laptop computers, it works with ethernet and wifi connections.
Will I be charged for the voice calls made using the CareAR app?
No, there are no “voice minutes” used when having an audio connection using the app. Both voice and the live AR video session occur over the data connection (either wifi or mobile based data) of your device. Do note that mobile data plans vary from unlimited data to fixed usage plans.