What SmartTE is, what it does, and how its two ways to connect compare. Commercial positioning and a presenter's guide have their own tabs.
What terminal emulation is, then what SmartTE is and does.
Terminal emulation lets modern devices work with the business systems that power warehouses, factories, and stores. Those devices include mobile computers, barcode scanners, and wearables.
Many companies still rely on host systems built decades ago to manage essential tasks like receiving goods, picking orders, and processing transactions. These systems are reliable and deeply embedded in daily operations, so replacing them can be costly and disruptive.
Originally, workers accessed a host through a terminal: a screen and keyboard that displayed text-based forms. They entered information, pressed Enter, and received the next screen. The host applications still use this same interaction today.
Terminal emulation software recreates the behavior and communication of those traditional terminals on modern devices. It lets workers use the host system from a scanner, mobile computer, or wearable. The host and the applications running on it do not change.
| Terminal type | Host systems |
|---|---|
| 5250 | IBM i, formerly AS/400 and iSeries. |
| 3270 | IBM mainframes. |
| VT | Unix, Linux and other hosts built for VT terminals, such as the VT100 and VT220. |
| TESS | Warehouse systems built for TekTerm devices. |
A basic emulator shows the green screen as it is: small text, function keys and a lot of typing. SmartTE goes further. It redraws each screen for touch, adds scanning, voice and keyboards suited to the task, and, through the StayLinked Server, keeps a worker's session alive when Wi-Fi drops. The host programs stay exactly as they are.
SmartTE is one app that connects workers to every host system they use, straight to the host or through a StayLinked Server.
SmartTE is StayLinked's terminal emulation app for Android mobile computers. It connects workers to IBM i (5250), mainframe (3270), VT and TESS hosts, and turns green screens into modern, touch-friendly screens. Each connection is either Direct, straight to the host with no server, or Managed, through a StayLinked Server, which adds sessions that survive drops, live support and usage data.
The server's engine runs in the app. No server to install.
The server runs each session. The app shows it.
In short: StayLinked has grown SmartTE from a server-based product into a platform with two architectures. Each site, and each connection, can use the one that fits its network, its people and its budget.
Use the StayLinked Server where sessions must survive drops and IT needs a live console. Connect straight to the host where a simpler setup is enough, for example a small site with reliable Wi-Fi, or a test lab. One app does both, connection by connection.
In Managed, the host session lives on the StayLinked Server, and the app talks to it over StayLinked's own reliable UDP protocol. A worker who loses Wi-Fi behind racking or inside a trailer comes back to the same screen. No new sign-on, no lost work.
SmartTE turns 5250, 3270, VT and TESS green screens into touch-friendly Android screens, with buttons, menus and clear input fields. Each screen is designed once in the SmartTE Administrator. The host programs stay as they are.
Managed: Twofish, with keys up to 256 bits, or Blowfish between device and server, with the keys rotated automatically. Direct: TLS 1.2 for 5250 and 3270 hosts, and SSH for VT hosts. Both are switched on as part of setup.
With the StayLinked Server, IT works from one place: watch a worker's screen live, take it over, send a message, push setup files and keyboards to devices, and read logs and usage data. Direct devices are set up through packages instead.
In short: before SmartTE 17.0.0, every connection was Managed. The StayLinked Server ran the session and the app showed it. Direct puts the server's session engine inside the SmartTE app, on the device.
On the device, the app's screen works with the engine the same way it works with a server in Managed. That is why screens, keyboards and scanning behave the same in both.
In short: more than a terminal. SmartTE modernizes the screen and adds what mobile work needs.
SmartTE recognizes each host screen and redraws it: buttons, labels, images, menus and clear input fields, sized to the device. The host program does not change.
Custom on-screen keyboards, key maps for each device's keys, and swipes between keyboards. SmartTiles add action buttons, and tap spots turn on-screen text such as F1 into a key press.
Barcode rules check type and length, trim, add prefixes and suffixes, substitute and match patterns. Scanners from the major device makers work out of the box, plus camera and Bluetooth scanners.
The device reads prompts, values and messages aloud with its own text-to-speech voice, for hands-busy, eyes-up work.
The host program can drive the device: show a message, beep, play a sound, turn the scanner on or off, speak, bring up a keyboard, or print to the device's printer.
Sign-on and reconnect scripts, actions when a session starts or ends, user variables and lookups. Android intents pass data to and from other apps.
Up to 10 connections in one app, Direct and Managed together. Workers switch with a menu or a hotkey.
About 300 Android device types from about 35 makers, including Zebra, Honeywell and Datalogic. Host code pages for many languages, including Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Select Modern screens, Keyboards and touch or Voice to see examples.
All of these work in both Direct and Managed. The few exceptions are in Every feature.
In short: every connection is Direct or Managed. The same screen designs run in both. What changes is where the work happens, how devices are set up, and how they are licensed.
What each mode gives, side by side.
SmartTE is a single pane of glass in three ways. The first two hold in both modes. The third needs the StayLinked Server.
Every host in one app. Up to 10 connections, Direct and Managed side by side, with the same screens and keyboards. Switch with a menu or a hotkey.
The SmartTE Administrator sets up both modes. Hosts and screens use the same editor, for a server or for a Direct package. Design once, deploy either way.
With a StayLinked Server, IT sees every Managed session in the Administrator: watch it, take it over, message it, and see usage and license use. Direct sessions do not show there. Direct seats are handled in SmartHub.
SmartTE gives workers and designers a single pane of glass, Direct or Managed. Add the StayLinked Server and IT gets one too.
Three things. Everything the worker sees is the same.
| What changes | Direct | Managed |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions that survive dropsMore → | No. If the connection breaks, the worker starts a new host session. | Yes. The worker picks up on the same screen, even after the app restarts. |
| Live support and usage dataMore → | No. No live view of sessions and no usage tracking. | Yes. Watch, take over and message sessions. Usage and license data. |
| Setup and licensingMore → | A package and a seat for each device. No server. | A StayLinked Server, with licenses on it. |
The same in both: screen design, keyboards, SmartTiles, scanning, voice and printing.
In short: what the worker sees is the same; what the server adds is persistence, live support and data. The right-hand column says what it means for the customer.
| Feature | Direct | Managed | What it means for the customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen design, same in both | The same screen files, run by the server's engine inside the app. | The same screen files, run on the server. | Same Design once. Modernized screens, buttons and menus work either way. |
| Keyboards, SmartTiles, scanning, same in both | Custom keyboards, key maps, SmartTiles, tap spots, barcode rules, voice and printing. | All of the same. | Same The worker's experience on the device is the same in both. |
| Host APIs and scripts, in both, works differently | All except usage activity (024), Evolve server access (029) and the remote file pair (02, 03). | All of them. | Check If the host programs use any of those four, those connections need Managed. |
| Session persistence, Managed only | Open while the app runs, also in the background. If the app closes or the link to the host breaks, the next connect is a new host session. | The server holds the host session. A device that drops off the network, or whose app restarts, rejoins it on the same screen. | Managed only The biggest difference. See Session persistence. |
| Administration and support, in both, works differently | Designed and packaged in the Administrator. No live view of sessions. | Live from the Administrator: watch a session, take it over, share or transfer it, send a message, end it. | Different The help desk can see and fix a Managed worker's screen remotely. For Direct, support works through the package and the device. |
| Rolling out a change, in both, works differently | A new package. A device picks it up when the app starts or the user checks in. | Change it once on the server. Every device gets it, with no new package. | Different Managed changes are made in one place. Direct changes reach each device as it picks up the package. |
| Licensing, in both, works differently | A seat per device, leased from SmartHub or entered as a key. A one-hour demo without one. | Licenses held on the StayLinked Server. | Different Two licensing systems. See Licensing and trials. |
| Analytics, Managed only | No usage tracking. | Usage tracking, the iQ dashboard and license use. | Managed only Data on how devices and sessions are used needs the server. |
| The connection, in both, works differently | Straight to the host: plain, TLS 1.2 for 5250 and 3270, or SSH for VT. | A link to the server that rides out short drops, with failover to another server. Twofish or Blowfish once keys are set. | Different Only Managed is built to ride out an unreliable network. Both need strong encryption switched on. See Security. |
| Host types, in both, works differently | 5250, 3270, VT-SMARTTE (also over SSH) and TESS. TESS needs a Zebra device with a Zebra Edition seat. | All of those, plus the classic VT engines (VT100, VT52, VT-UTF8, VT-SSHv2) and shared sessions. | Check Confirm each host's emulation before choosing Direct. |
For when a customer asks how.
In short: Managed keeps the worker's place. Direct keeps it only while the connection holds.
It stays open while the app runs: in the background, or while another connection is on screen. A notification shows it is running.
If the app closes or the network link to the host breaks, the host session ends. The app can reconnect by itself, but that is a new session: the worker signs on again, unless a startup script does it for them.
When the device drops off the network, the app shows that it is linking and keeps trying. The host session carries on at the server.
When the device is back, or after the app restarts, the app asks for its last session and the server hands it back on the same screen. Reconnect scripts can run at that moment.
The server holds the session until the device returns, unless an inactivity timeout the customer sets ends it first.
In short: both paths can be strongly encrypted. Neither is by default, so make it part of every setup.
The connection type is chosen for each host: 5250 or 3270 over TLS 1.2, VT-SMARTTE over SSH, or plain telnet.
Plain is allowed, so check each host.
The device-to-server link has an encryption level, set on the server. Strong encryption is Twofish or Blowfish, with keys the customer sets in the Administrator.
As shipped, the server is set to its basic level, which is not one of these ciphers. It also falls back to the basic level when keys are missing or a device cannot use the cipher. Turn strong encryption on during setup, and confirm it on every server.
The server's link to the host is chosen per host, as in Direct.
In short: Direct is a seat per device from SmartHub. Managed is licensed on the server. Prices and terms are not covered here.
Each seat has a check-in period: how long it lasts without a check-in. A device out of Wi-Fi range or switched off keeps its seat until the period ends.
Without a seat. The app runs Direct as a one-hour demo. It warns at 50 and 55 minutes, then ends every Direct session. Managed connections on the same device keep running.
In short: build a package on a Windows PC, set up seats in SmartHub, install the app, then get the package to each device. There is no StayLinked Server to install.
.tdp file..tdp file to the device's Download or Download/StayLinked folder, or to /enterprise/usr on Zebra devices or /storage/IPSM/StayLinked on Honeywell devices. In the app's managed configuration, set SmartHub's address and port and the device's asset tag..tdp file to the device's Download folder. Or add the hosts on the device, in Configure › SmartTE Direct.On the device, Configure is on the Host menu. It can ask for a configuration access code. Get the code from the customer's administrator before you start.
In short: use the Administrator to build what devices run, in both modes, and to run a StayLinked Server. Use SmartHub to license Direct devices and, if you choose, to deliver their packages. A site with only Managed connections does not need SmartHub.
A Windows app for the people who set SmartTE up. It designs screens and keyboards, builds Direct packages, and runs each StayLinked Server, with the live console for Managed sessions.
A server on Windows or Linux, with a web console on port 3008. Direct devices check in with it. It gives them their seats, publishes their packages and shows which devices hold a seat.
| The job | SmartTE Administrator | SmartHub |
|---|---|---|
| Design screens, keyboards, SmartTiles and tap spots | Yes. The same editor for a server or a package. | No. |
| Set up hosts, device settings and connections | Yes. On the server for Managed, in a package for Direct. | No. |
| Build a Direct package | Yes. Saved as a .tdp file. |
No. It delivers the packages the Administrator builds. |
| Deliver packages to Direct devices | No. Export the file, then use SmartHub, an MDM or the device. | Yes. To every device, or by maker, model, Android version or asset tag. |
| License devices | Managed. Licenses on the StayLinked Server, and their use. | Direct. Seats, seat keys, check-in periods and the maintenance license. |
| See which Direct devices hold a seat | No. | Yes. Each device's seat and when it last checked in. |
| Watch, take over or message a session | Yes, for Managed sessions. | No. Direct sessions have no live view. |
| Usage data and server logs | Yes, from a StayLinked Server. Managed only. | No. |
The Administrator, to build packages. SmartHub, for seats. An MDM if the customer has one. No StayLinked Server.
The Administrator and a StayLinked Server, with licenses on it. No SmartHub.
All three. Screens and keyboards are designed once in the Administrator and serve both.
For workers, yes: one app for every host, Direct and Managed. For designers, yes: one Administrator sets up both, with the same host and screen editor. For live IT operations, yes for Managed connections, through the StayLinked Server. Direct sessions do not show in that console.
Yes. The app holds up to 10 connections, each set as Direct or Managed. The worker picks one from the connections menu or with a hotkey. A Direct session stays live while another connection is on screen, and the server keeps a Managed one.
No. The mode belongs to the connection, not the session. To use Managed, the worker opens a Managed connection.
Yes. They add a StayLinked Server and a Managed connection. Direct and the server read the same screen design files, so the screens already built carry over.
It stays open. The app keeps Direct sessions running in the background, with a notification, until the app is closed or the connection to the host breaks.
The app shows that it is linking and keeps trying. The server holds the host session meanwhile. When the device is back, it rejoins the same session on the same screen, even if the app had to restart. An inactivity timeout, if the customer sets one, can end a session that waits too long.
Both paths can be. Direct uses TLS 1.2 for 5250 and 3270 hosts and SSH for VT hosts, where the host is set up that way. Managed uses Twofish or Blowfish between device and server, once keys are set. Neither is strongly encrypted out of the box, so include it in the deployment plan.
SmartTE Direct is new in the SmartTE app 17.0.0. Packages are built in the SmartTE Administrator 17.0.0.
For seats, yes. A device leases its seat from SmartHub, or takes a seat key made there. For packages, SmartHub is one option: an MDM can deliver them instead, or a device can be set up by hand. See The Administrator or SmartHub.
.tdp file, built in the Administrator: hosts, screens, keyboards, device settings and connections.For sales and partners. Not for customers.
Start every conversation here.
SmartTE is one app that connects workers to every host system they use, straight to the host or through a StayLinked Server.
Workers get one app, with modern screens and keyboards, for IBM i, mainframe, VT and TESS hosts. Each connection is either Direct, straight to the host with no server, or Managed, through a StayLinked Server. Managed adds what only a server can: sessions that survive drops, live support and usage data.
SmartTE gives workers and designers a single pane of glass, Direct or Managed. Add the StayLinked Server and IT gets one too.
Each answer points to one mode or the other.
Lines the product does not back, and what to say instead.
| Do not say | Say instead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Do not say"Manage every device and session from a single pane of glass," when any connection is Direct. | Say instead"One app for workers, one tool for designers. With the StayLinked Server, one live console for IT." | WhyDirect sessions do not show in the Administrator, and Direct seats are in SmartHub. |
| Do not say"Every core feature works in both modes." | Say instead"Screen design, keyboards and scanning work in both. Persistence, live support and analytics come with the StayLinked Server." | WhyDirect has no persistence, no live view and no usage tracking. |
| Do not say"One app, one server." | Say instead"One app. Each connection goes Direct or through the StayLinked Server." | WhyDirect connections use no StayLinked Server. |
| Do not say"Direct has no session persistence," and stop there. | Say instead"A Direct session stays open while the app runs. If the connection breaks, the next one is a new host session." | WhyDirect sessions survive switching apps and connections. They do not survive a break. |
| Do not say"Direct is fast to deploy." | Say instead"Direct needs no server. Each device needs a package and a seat." | WhySpeed depends on the customer's MDM and SmartHub setup. |
| Do not say"Switch any session to Managed at any time." | Say instead"Switch between connections at any time. Each connection is set as Direct or Managed." | WhyA live session cannot move from one mode to the other. |
| Do not say"It's encrypted," or "enterprise-class connectivity," with no detail. | Say instead"Both paths can use strong encryption: TLS or SSH for Direct, Twofish or Blowfish for Managed. We switch it on during setup." | WhyNeither path is strongly encrypted until it is set up. See Security in the Product overview. |
| Do not say"Licensing works the same way." | Say instead"Direct is a seat per device from SmartHub. Managed is licensed on the server." | WhyThey are two separate systems. |
In short: plan a seat for any Direct pilot longer than an hour. Prices and terms are not covered here.
For presenting SmartTE to partners. Not for customers.
In short: a 45-minute partner session in seven steps, from the problem to a pilot. Each step has what to show, what to say and what to avoid.
Partners leave able to explain SmartTE in one sentence, choose Direct or Managed for a customer, and see where they add value.
Select a step to jump to it. Short on time? Shorten the demos, and keep step 6, Direct or Managed.
SmartTE gives workers and designers a single pane of glass, Direct or Managed. Add the StayLinked Server and IT gets one too.
In short: one device, one host, and both ways to connect, ready before the room fills.
In short: show, say, demo. Show opens the part of this page to put on screen; a pop-up opens right here.
Enhanced for every screen, then Hybrid or Modern for the screens used most.
A keyboard for each task, each device and each connection.
Direct packages through the customer's MDM or SmartHub. A StayLinked Server for Managed.
TLS or SSH for Direct, Twofish or Blowfish for Managed, switched on during setup.
One site, one host and a few screens first. Then the rest of the sites.
Short answers. Each is backed in the Product overview tab.
In short: what the product does not do today. Each one has come up before.