---
title: "Set up a dedicated operator station"
description: "Pair a shared tablet or PC to one machine from Assigned Asset in Organization Settings so it boots straight to /assets/operator-asset/:id after every sign-in, with a header that has no product navigation. The pairing lives in that browser's local storage, so it holds whoever signs in; each sign-in clocks the operator in on the machine. Leaving needs an Owner or Administrator, and unassigning is the same setting in reverse."
category: "See what machines are doing"
source_url: "https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/operator-stations/"
---
# Set up a dedicated operator station

Pair a shared tablet or PC to one machine so it boots straight into it.

An *operator station* is a browser that IoTFlows has tied to one machine. Whoever signs in on it lands on that machine's page, with no way to browse to the rest of the fleet. It is the platform's *kiosk* mode: a device that stays at the machine and shows only it.

You need an Owner or Administrator role to set one up, see [Roles reference](/docs/admin/roles-reference/). Do the setup on the device that will become the station, signed in.

## How an operator station differs
An operator station is not [Operator View](/docs/monitoring/operator-view/), which is a display preference any user can turn on and off. A station is a pairing between a browser and a machine.

| | Operator View | Operator station |
|---|---|---|
| Set from | The profile menu, on any machine page | **Assigned Asset** in Organization Settings |
| Who can turn it on | Any signed-in user | Owner or Administrator |
| Who can leave it | Any signed-in user | Owner or Administrator |
| Where it lands after sign-in | The Assets page, as usual | The paired machine, every time |
| Header | The standard header | A reduced header with no product navigation |
| Clocks the operator in | No | Yes, on every sign-in and sign-out |

**Choose an operator station when** the device is shared and stays at the machine. Because the pairing lives in that browser's local storage, signing in as a different person does not change which machine the station shows, and clearing site data unpairs it. **Choose Operator View when** a person works from their own account and moves between machines. A supervisor's laptop needs neither.

## Assign this device to a machine
The assignment is stored in the browser's local storage, not on your account. It is per device and per browser: a tablet paired in Safari is not paired in Chrome.

1. On the device that will become the station, sign in as an Owner or Administrator.
2. Click the gear icon at the top right of the header. It opens Organization Settings at `/settings/organization`.
3. Scroll to **Assign to Local Device**.
4. Next to **Assigned Asset**, click **Assign Asset**.
5. In the **Asset-Device Assignment** dialog, search for the machine, for example `Haas VF-2`, and click it.

![The right end of the standard header showing the notifications bell, the gear icon and the user avatar, with the gear icon highlighted](/images/monitoring/mon-station-05.webp)

*The gear icon at the top right of the header opens Organization Settings.*

The machine's name and identifier appear next to **Assigned Asset**. Nothing else changes until the next sign-in or reload.

![The Assign to Local Device section of Organization Settings with the Asset-Device Assignment dialog open over it, showing a search box reading Search assets above a list of machines, with the asset picker highlighted](/images/monitoring/mon-station-01.webp)

*Assigning this device to a machine. The pairing is stored in this browser, not on your account.*

## Confirm the station boots correctly
1. Sign out from the profile menu.
2. Sign in again, as the operator's account if it has one.

The browser lands on `/assets/operator-asset/:id`, where `:id` is the machine you assigned, instead of on the Assets page. Every later sign-in and reload does the same. If it lands on the Assets page, see [Errors](#errors).

Each sign-in on a station also clocks the operator in on that machine, and each sign-out clocks them out. That is where the work sessions on the machine's page come from, see [Operator performance](/docs/monitoring/operator-performance/).

![A freshly launched browser showing one machine's page at /assets/operator-asset with a reduced header, no sidebar, no breadcrumbs and no Assets back link](/images/monitoring/mon-station-02.webp)

*A paired station boots straight to its machine.*

## What the operator sees
The station shows the [machine page](/docs/monitoring/asset-detail/) with everything that leads away from it removed: no sidebar, no breadcrumbs, and no **Assets** back link. The operator can classify stops, correct counts, run jobs and leave notes as on the standard page, see [Classify a downtime event](/docs/monitoring/classify-downtime/).

The header is reduced to the organization name, the dark mode switch, the feedback button, a **Sign out** button and the avatar. The avatar menu holds **Sign out**, and **Exit Operator View** for an Owner or Administrator. There is no product navigation, by design.

![The reduced station header: the organization name at the left, then a dark mode switch, a feedback button, a Sign out button and the user avatar at the right, with no product menu between them](/images/monitoring/mon-station-03.webp)

*The station header. There is no product navigation, by design.*

## Unassign the device
Unassigning is the same setting in reverse. It needs an Owner or Administrator, because only they can leave the station to reach settings.

1. On the station, click the avatar and click **Exit Operator View**. The browser goes to the Assets page with the standard header.
2. Click the gear icon at the top right of the header, then scroll to **Assign to Local Device**.
3. Next to the machine's name, click the **×** labeled **Clear asset from local device**.

The section returns to the **Assign Asset** button. From the next sign-in the device behaves like any other browser.

**Exit Operator View** alone does not unpair. It releases the browser until the next sign-in or reload, which boots back to the machine. Use it to reach settings, then unassign.

![The Assigned Asset row in Organization Settings showing a machine's photo, name and identifier with the red clear control beside it highlighted](/images/monitoring/mon-station-04.webp)

*Unassigning. The device leaves station mode and behaves like any other browser.*

## Moving a station to a different machine
You do not need to unassign first. Exit Operator View, click the gear icon, click the change icon next to **Assigned Asset** and pick the new machine. The next sign-in boots to it, and clock-ins from then on go against it.

Moving the physical device does nothing on its own. A tablet carried from the Haas VF-2 to the Okuma beside it still boots to the Haas until someone changes the assignment.

## Errors
| Symptom | Means |
|---|---|
| The station boots to the Assets page instead of the machine | Site data was cleared, or this is a different browser or profile. Assign again |
| The operator cannot leave the machine page | That is the role gate working. Only an Owner or Administrator sees **Exit Operator View** |
| **Assigned Asset** is missing from Organization Settings | You are signed in as an operator. Sign in as an Owner or Administrator |

## See also
- [Use Operator View on the shop floor](/docs/monitoring/operator-view/)
- [Roles reference](/docs/admin/roles-reference/)
- [Classify a downtime event](/docs/monitoring/classify-downtime/)
- [Offline behavior](/docs/get-started/offline-behavior/)