deskbird Dock

Early Beta

deskbird Dock is a lightweight desktop app that automatically sets the connected user's status to "In Office" and checks them into their desk and parking bookings as soon as they connect to the office network or plug into a recognized office monitor. It can even create a new desk booking when a user plugs into a monitor and has no existing booking for that day. No manual check-ins or booking creation required — the app runs silently in the background after initial sign-in.

1. What is deskbird Dock?
2. Prerequisites
3. Install on macOS
4. Install on Windows
5. How it works
6. Setting up office detection (Admins)
7. Setting up desk detection (Admins)
8. Troubleshooting
9. Feedback & support
10. FAQs

1. What is deskbird Dock?

deskbird Dock is a lightweight desktop app for macOS and Windows that runs silently in the background. The app only requires manual action during initial sign-in. After that, it works in the background with no further input needed.

Once a user connects to a recognized office network, Dock automatically:

• Checks the user into their existing desk and parking bookings
• Updates the user's status to "In Office" in the Schedule tab

Once a user plugs into a recognized monitor, Dock automatically:

• Creates a new desk booking if none exists for that day
• Checks the user into their existing desk bookings
• Updates the user's status to "In Office" in the Schedule tab

2. Prerequisites

Before deploying deskbird Dock, make sure the following are in place:

• Account: employees must have a deskbird account using their company email (SSO via Google or Microsoft)
• Check-in: enable check-in under Admin > Booking settings
• System: macOS or Windows
• Network: the office network must be configured under Admin > Presence detection
• Floor plan: a published floor plan, required to enable monitor mapping for desk detection
• Installer: download the installer file under Admin > Presence detection > deskbird Dock app (available for macOS (.pkg) and Windows (.zip)), or from the bottom of this page

3. Install on macOS

Users install deskbird Dock on macOS as follows:

1. Download and install: the .pkg installer is available under Admin > Presence detection > deskbird Dock app > macOS, or at the bottom of this page. Users open it and follow the installation steps.
2. Grant permissions: when prompted, users should allow location access. If no popup appears, they can go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and enable deskbird Dock.
3. Sign in: the app opens automatically after installation. Users sign in using Google or Microsoft SSO via their browser.
4. Access the dashboard: the deskbird Dock icon appears in the top-right menu bar. Users click it and select "Open Dashboard" to view the detected office and connected devices.

💡 Tip: if the tray icon is not visible, users should free up space in the menu bar via System Settings > Control Center.

4. Install on Windows

Users install deskbird Dock on Windows as follows:

1. Download and install: the .zip installer is available under Admin > Presence detection > deskbird Dock app > Windows, or at the bottom of this page. Users extract it and run the installer. If a "Windows Protected your PC" warning appears, they click "More Info", then "Run anyway".
2. Sign in: the app opens automatically after installation. Users sign in using Google or Microsoft SSO via their browser.
3. Access the dashboard: the deskbird Dock icon appears in the bottom-right system tray (click the ^ arrow if hidden). Users click it and select "Open Dashboard".

5. How it works

Once installed and signed in, deskbird Dock runs silently in the background. When a user's device connects to a recognized office network, the app:

1. Detects the office automatically based on the network
2. Checks the user into any existing desk and parking bookings for that day
3. Updates the user's status to "In Office" in the Schedule tab

When a user's device connects to a recognized monitor, the app:

1. Detects the office and desk automatically based on the monitor
2. Checks the user into any existing desk bookings for that day
3. Creates a new desk booking for that day if none exists
4. Updates the user's status to "In Office" in the Schedule tab
5. If the booking was for a different desk, it is automatically swapped to match the desk where the monitor is mapped

The Dock dashboard displays the current network status and connected monitors.

💡 Tip:

• For existing bookings: users should refresh their browser to sync the updated status in the deskbird web app.
• For new bookings: if Dock is already running, users should sign out and back in, then refresh the web app to sync their latest changes.

6. Setting up office detection (Admins)

Office detection is typically configured by the IT team. To link a network to an office:

1. Navigate to Admin > Presence detection > Office detection
2. Click "Add network"
3. Enter the office and network details (Wi-Fi SSID/BSSID, Default Gateway, or Public IP) to link them to the office

Once a network is added, any user connecting from that network will be automatically detected and checked in.

7. Setting up desk detection (Admins)

Desk detection links a specific monitor to a specific desk, so users are checked in at the exact desk they plug into. A published floor plan is required. To link a monitor to a desk:

1. Navigate to Admin > Presence detection > Desk detection
2. Click the gear icon for the desired office
3. Manual mapping: click Manual mapping, connect a monitor to your device to surface it in the system, select the correct desk from your floor plan, then click Map to link the monitor to it.
4. Auto-mapping: switch on the Auto-mapping toggle and set the number of detections required to confirm a match. Track progress in the Mapped and Unmapped tabs. If a conflict arises (a monitor detected at 2 or more desks), you will be prompted to resolve it manually from this page.

Once a monitor is mapped, any user connecting from that monitor will be automatically detected at that specific desk and checked in.

💡 Note: Auto-mapping requires an office network to be configured. To enable it, go to Presence detection > Office detection and add your office networks.

8. Troubleshooting

If something isn't working as expected, check the table below for common issues and quick fixes:

9. Feedback & support

As an early beta tester, your feedback is essential to shaping the final product. To report bugs or request support, reach out to the deskbird team at dock@deskbird.com.

⚠️ Note: this version is for early-stage testing and may contain rough edges. It does not necessarily reflect the final product. Thank you for helping us build a better workspace experience!

10. FAQs

For Windows, use deskbird Dock_0.3.0_x64-setup.exe. 

For Mac, use deskbird Dock_0.1.3_aarch64.pkg.