How Private Device Farms Enable Remote Device Testing

Introduction

Device farms have a special significance in the software testing ecosystem. QA engineers must ensure that any digital product that works on one device is optimized for other devices around the globe as well. However, for companies, providing a remote team with access to a large number of devices is no easy feat! This is where QA teams benefit from device farms. By allowing access to a large variety of devices at any time from anywhere, private device farms have made device testing faster, easier, and more accurate.

Challenges of Remote Device Testing 

COVID-19 has changed the way many businesses operate forever. DevOps and QA teams are no exception. As such, engineering teams need access to a lot of technology for everyday operations, even when they’re working from home. Therefore, having access to real devices instead of virtual devices helps them to successfully perform remote device testing. Some businesses may even opt-in for a public device farm which, unfortunately, may be very expensive.

Benefits of using Private Device Farms for Remote Device Testing

Private device farms can help engineering teams access devices for testing from a secure, cloud-based platform. There are multiple advantages of using a private device farm for remote device testing. Some of these advantages include:

Users can remotely connect to any device in the device farm whenever they want to

When devices are easily accessible, engineering teams have higher chances of getting their hands on whichever devices they need. This results in improved productivity. Moreover, private device farms offer businesses a cost-effective way to maximize return on investment for every device that they might have invested in. 

Customers do not have to ship their devices for troubleshooting

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses couldn’t imagine offering technical support to customers without having the devices brought back to the development facility. But with a private device farm, businesses do not have to worry anymore. For instance, customers can enroll their devices into the private device farm, allowing service teams to easily troubleshoot from wherever they are. This, in turn, will help businesses save thousands of dollars.

Identify and debug issues quickly

More often than not, engineering teams need to test products on various models of the same device. However, given the remote work situation, without a private device farm, it is often not possible to run automated tests on a huge variety of devices. By using devices from a private device farm, device manufacturers, software companies, or OEMs can ensure a uniform mobile experience across all devices.
Even for remote source-level debugging, developers can identify and debug issues quickly on their product by using any development environment (IDE) such as Android Studio. Moreover, it can help developers or support engineers get full control over the enrolled devices, even when devices are in remote areas. This makes remote debugging a lot easier.

Run your code on real devices and get accurate results

Testing software on virtual devices (simulators and emulators) may be a suitable option during the initial stages of software development. However, considering the fact that users will run the software on real devices, businesses must consider real device testing. After all, the only way to get test results relating to battery, network connectivity, and GPS sensors is to use real devices. A private device farm enables engineering teams to execute tests on the latest mobile devices in real-time instead of running them on simulators.

Supports third-party tools

Automation testing teams often need access to third-party tools such as Appium to create tests for different mobile operating systems. Most advanced private device farms support these tools to help deliver the perfect mobile experience.

AstroFarm- A Modern Mobile App and Device Testing Platform for Modern Businesses

Astrofarm is a Private Mobile App Testing Platform designed for modern businesses. Unlike other device farms, AstroFarm is a scalable and cloud-based platform that allows any user to contribute mobile devices and build their own farm. Once enrolled, users can achieve a lot with AstroFarm. For instance, AstroFarm can provide as vast a collection of devices as companies have in their offices. Based on their needs, users can get their hands on any device. Next, users can test their websites and apps live in various browsers. In case users need to automate, AstroFarm also enables them to remotely run automated tests using any test automation tool such as Appium.