Ping Me device setup
Ping Me is Arino One's physical hardware button: press it once and it opens a live, real-time WebRTC voice channel straight into your agent inbox, with no app to download, no phone number to dial and no automated menu to sit through. Setup involves powering the device, joining it to Wi-Fi, pairing it to your instance with a code, and then naming and routing it so calls land with the right team.
What the hardware is for
Ping Me is designed for situations where typing isn't practical or a phone number is too much friction — a reception desk that needs a direct line to a specific department, a warehouse loading dock, an unmanned kiosk, a help point in a retail aisle. Instead of a customer or visitor needing to know a number to call or scan a code to open a chat, they simply press the device. That press instantly opens a voice session that appears in the inbox exactly like an inbound call on any other channel, and an available agent on the assigned team can pick it up immediately.
Step-by-step setup
- Power the device. Connect it to power and wait for the pairing indicator light to begin blinking, which signals it's ready to be configured rather than already bound to another instance.
- Join it to Wi-Fi. The device exposes a lightweight setup portal (typically by broadcasting its own temporary access point you connect to briefly from a phone or laptop) where you select your network and enter the Wi-Fi password. Once connected, it moves off that temporary access point and onto your normal network.
- Pair to your instance. Go to Settings → Channels → Ping Me in the console and enter the pairing code displayed on or by the device. This binds the physical unit to your specific Arino One instance so its calls only ever land in your inbox, never anyone else's.
- Name it by location. Give the device a clear, specific name — "Front Desk – Building 2" rather than just "Device 3" — because that name is exactly what the agent sees on their screen the moment a call comes in, and it's often the only context they get before answering.
- Route its calls. Assign the device to a specific inbox team so presses go to the people equipped to help, rather than to a general queue. You can also set escalation behaviour if no one on that team answers within a defined window.
Multiple devices and locations
Nothing limits you to one device per instance. Organizations commonly deploy several — one per site, per floor, per entrance — and each pairs, names and routes independently. This lets you build a map of physical touchpoints that all funnel into the same inbox agents already work from for WhatsApp, SMS and web chat, without agents needing to learn a separate system for hardware-originated calls.
Operational notes
Because the device is unattended hardware, connectivity monitoring matters more than it would for a software channel. Ping Me devices continuously report their online status, and if a unit drops off Wi-Fi or loses power, the console raises an alert rather than letting the device fail silently the next time someone presses it — which matters most for devices in high-traffic or unattended locations where a silent failure could go unnoticed for a long time.
Billing
Ping Me is a paid add-on, not part of the flat monthly platform fee. Expect three cost components: a one-time $200 hardware cost per device, $0.10 for every button press regardless of whether the call is answered, and $0.009 per minute of actual talk time once a call connects. None of this is covered by the $50/month connection and management fee, which explicitly excludes Ping Me usage — see billing-and-plans for the full picture of what is and isn't included in the flat fee.
Steps at a glance
- Power the devicePower the Ping Me device and wait for the pairing indicator to start blinking.
- Join Wi-FiConnect the device to your network using the on-device setup portal.
- Pair to your instanceEnter the pairing code shown on the device into Settings → Channels → Ping Me.
- Name and locate the deviceGive the device a location-based name so agents recognise where a call is coming from.
- Route its callsAssign the device to an inbox team so presses land with the right people.
Frequently asked
What is Ping Me?
Ping Me is Arino One's hardware button. A single press opens a real-time WebRTC voice channel directly into the agent inbox — no app to install, no phone number to dial, and no queue or IVR menu for the person pressing it.
How much does Ping Me cost?
The device is $200 one-time per unit, plus $0.10 per button press and $0.009 per talk minute. It is not included in the flat $50/month connection and management fee — that fee covers platform connection and management but explicitly excludes Ping Me usage.
Does Ping Me need Wi-Fi or a phone line?
It needs Wi-Fi only. There's no phone line, SIM card or separate telephony contract involved — the device connects to your network and opens a WebRTC voice session over that connection.
Can one instance have multiple Ping Me devices?
Yes. Each device pairs individually and gets its own location name and routing rule, so you can deploy several across different sites, desks or entry points, each routed to whichever team should answer calls from that location.
What happens if a Ping Me device goes offline?
Devices report their connectivity status continuously. If a unit drops off the network, it raises an alert in the console rather than silently failing to respond the next time someone presses it.
Can Ping Me calls be routed the same way as WhatsApp or chat conversations?
Yes — a Ping Me call lands in the same shared inbox and can be assigned to a specific team, following the same routing and escalation model used for other channels.
Apply this to your own deployment
This guide describes decisions we make on live instances. Tell us your channels, systems and region and we will map it to an architecture outline, a provisioning plan and an indicative commercial model — usually within one business day.