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Getting StartedEnrol a Device

Enrol a Device

Download the Agent

  1. From the portal sidebar, go to Settings
  2. Under the Agent section, click Download Windows Installer
  3. This downloads the MSI installer for the ChildOnlineSafety agent

Alternatively, the installer is available at https://cos-api.w3i.io/downloads/agent-installer.

Install the Agent

  1. Copy the MSI installer to the child’s Windows PC
  2. Double-click the installer and follow the prompts
  3. The agent installs as a Windows service that starts automatically on boot
  4. During installation, you’ll be prompted to enter:
    • API URL: https://cos-api.w3i.io
    • Device name: A friendly name (e.g. “Liam’s Laptop”)
    • Child: Select which child this device belongs to

Enrolment

Once installed, the agent:

  1. Registers itself with the API and receives an API key for authentication
  2. Begins capturing screenshots every 30 seconds
  3. Encrypts each screenshot with AES-256-GCM before uploading
  4. Sends a heartbeat every 60 seconds to report status and check for configuration updates

The device will appear in the portal under the child’s profile within a few seconds.

System Requirements

  • OS: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
  • Disk: ~20 MB for the agent, plus temporary screenshot storage
  • Network: Internet access to reach cos-api.w3i.io
  • Permissions: Administrator access for installation (the agent runs as a system service)

Verify It’s Working

  1. Go to the portal and navigate to Children → select the child → Devices
  2. The device should show as Active with a recent “last seen” timestamp
  3. Go to the Dashboard — you should see screenshot activity within a minute

Note: The agent uses screenshot diff detection to avoid uploading duplicate frames. If the screen hasn’t changed, no upload occurs, saving bandwidth.

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