Introduction to the Connectivity Management API

The ThingSpace Connectivity Management API lets application developers manage the connectivity of M2M devices deployed on the Verizon Wireless network. You can use the API to integrate service provisioning and monitoring tasks with enterprise back-office systems. Some of the supported tasks include:

For a description of all Connectivity Management API requests and responses, see the API Reference pages.

When operating 4G devices (e.g., devices with CAT M1 or NB LTE RF communication modules) that conserve power by using sleep modes, you must ensure with the device OEM (e.g., OEM-provided tools that can configure device sleep mode settings) that the sleep mode settings are set to the desired values. Please see the About Device Reachability section under the “Working with Verizon Wireless” menu. Please contact your Verizon account representative for more assistance with such devices. Device Reachability APIs provide the ability for enterprise applications to be notified when devices become reachable (or unreachable) for data communications (i.e., when they wake up from sleep states or fall back to sleep. Please see the API Reference for Device Reachability APIs for more details.

To Get Started

You can follow these general steps to get started with the Connectivity Management API:

  1. Read the documentation to understand what capabilities are available in the API.
  2. Register on the ThingSpace Develop site to get access to the API and our simulator.
  3. Use the simulator token to try the API requests in the API Console, and to start coding your own application.
  4. Sign up for Connectivity Management login credentials.
  5. When you receive your login credentials, use a real API token and Connectivity Management credentials to manage real devices through your application.

To Get Started with ThingSpace APIs

If you have a ThingSpace IoT Marketplace plan, follow these instructions to get started using the Connectivity Management API.

  1. Read the documentation on what APIs are available with your IoT developer connectivity plan.
  2. Sign up for Connectivity Management login credentials.

    The Connectivity Management API requires a special set of credentials that allows you to manage IoT devices through an API. These credentials are used when starting a Connectivity Management session with an API, and allows you to retrieve the VZ-M2M Token.

    1. Go to thingspace.verizon.com and click Sign in/Sign up. Select Sign in to manage your connectivity plans from the drop-down.
    2. Click your user name or the icon in the top right corner, and in the drop-down, click API.

      The API user page appears

    3. In the User Name box, specify a user name.
    4. In the Password box, specify a password.
    5. In the Confirm Password box, re-enter the password.
    6. Click Confirm.
  3. Get API Token information.

    Your application must send an API token in the header of every API request. We use the OAuth2 “client credentials” grant type, and we require that the application key and secret are Base64 encoded. To obtain an API token:

    1. In the API user menu, choose API>Key management.
    2. Click Add Key Set.
    3. Copy the key and the secret, and store them in a secure place for your application to use.
    4. Concatenate the key and the secret with a colon between them, like this:

      My_key_value:my_secret_value

    5. Encode the entire string in Base64 format. (To learn more about encoding in Base64 format, visit www.base64encode.org).
    6. Send a POST request to thingspace.verizon.com/api/ts/v1/oauth2/token with the encoded string in the header.

      Curl Example:

      curl -X POST -d "grant type=client_credentials" -H "Authorization:Basic BASE64_ENCODED_APP_KEY_AND_SECRET" -H "CONTENT-TYPE: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" "https://thingspace.verizon.com/api/ts/v1/oauth2/token"

      The response contains a token that you must include in the header of all API requests. The token will be valid for one hour from when it was first issued, and any further token requests during that hour will return the same token.

  4. After you set your login credentials, use your API Token and Connectivity Management credentials to try API requests in the API console, or to manage real devices through your application.