Setting Up a New Work Tablet: A First Day Checklist

A new work tablet takes about an hour to set up properly, and that hour decides whether it earns its keep from the first job or spends a fortnight half configured in the van. The order matters more than the brand of app. Charge it, get it online, run the updates, lock it, sign in, sort storage, install and test the apps you depend on, turn on backup, then fit the protection. This checklist walks through that order and says where a Tuga device does something slightly different from a consumer tablet.

Before You Start

Set aside a quiet hour with Wi-Fi, the box, the SIM you plan to use and the logins for your main apps and cloud storage. Do it at home or in the office, not on site. If you are replacing an older device, keep it signed in until the new one is working: most of what is on it comes across through your accounts.

1. Fit the Battery and Charge

Some rugged devices arrive with the battery packed separately, because a removable battery is part of what makes them serviceable. The Tuga A6, Tuga A8 and Tuga WH6 come with a removable battery in the box, so the first job is fitting it. The Tuga W8 and Tuga W10 also have removable batteries, but they arrive fitted. The Tuga A10 has a built-in battery and is ready to switch on. Our guide to removable batteries explains what the difference buys you.

Plug it in with the supplied UK adapter and USB-C cable and leave it charging while you work through the list. A first update can take a while and many devices will not install one on a low battery.

2. Get It Online and Fit the SIM

Join your Wi-Fi first, then fit the SIM. The SIM tray on a sealed device sits behind a cover that is part of the water seal, so close it properly and check the gasket has not caught on the edge. A seal that is not seated is the easiest way to let water into a sealed device.

One thing to know on the A6: the tray takes two Nano-SIMs, or one Nano-SIM and a microSD card, not both a second SIM and the card. Decide now rather than on a site with no signal. The A8 and A10 list dual SIM alongside a separate microSD slot. On the W10, 4G is an optional fitting, so check what you ordered before looking for the tray.

With a SIM in, open a web page over mobile data with Wi-Fi off to prove the connection works. Our guide to 4G, 5G or Wi-Fi only covers whether you need a SIM at all.

3. Run Every Update

Before you sign in to anything, let the device update. On Android that is Settings, then System, then System update, and it may run more than once. On Windows 11 it is Settings, then Windows Update, with a restart. A device that updates itself on site, in the middle of a job sheet, is a device that gets left in the van, so set updates to out of hours while you are in that screen.

4. Set the Screen Lock

Set a PIN before you sign in to any account that holds customer details. A tablet that lives in a van is easy to misplace, and a lock screen is the difference between losing a device and losing your customer list with it. Make it six digits if the device offers it, and set a short auto lock delay.

The W10 lists a fingerprint reader as an optional fitting; where yours has one, set it up, because unlocking becomes quick enough that you will not be tempted to switch the lock off. The other models do not list one, so use a PIN or pattern. Current Android devices encrypt their storage, and Windows 11 has device encryption in Settings, so check it is on; either way the lock is what protects the data. Our guide to protecting customer data on a work tablet goes through this in more detail, including remote wipe.

5. Sign In to the Right Account

Sign in with a work account, not a personal one: a Google account on Android, a Microsoft account or your company's Microsoft 365 login on Windows 11. The account carries your apps, photos and backup, and it is what you use to find or wipe the device if it goes missing. If the tablet belongs to the business, use an account the business controls, so that if the person using it leaves, the device does not leave with them. Turn on the find-my-device feature while you are there; it costs nothing and you will only ever want it once.

6. Decide Where Files Live

Photos and PDF drawings fill a device faster than anything else, so decide on day one where they go. The A6 has 64GB on board and takes a microSD card up to 256GB; every other model in our range has 128GB, and the W10 can be ordered with 256GB or 512GB fitted before dispatch. The A10 takes a card up to 2TB and the WH6 up to 512GB. The A8, W8 and W10 list a card slot without a published limit. Our guide to how much storage a work tablet needs works out whether that matters for you.

A card is cheap extra room for photos, but it is not a backup, because it goes missing with the device. Set the camera to save to it if you want the space, and set cloud storage to sync the camera folder so the photos exist somewhere else within minutes. On Android, format the card as portable storage rather than internal; it is simpler on a work device.

7. Install the Apps and Test Them Properly

Install in this order: your job management or quoting app, cloud storage, email, a PDF reader if drawings are part of your work, and maps. Then test each one on a pretend job: a test customer, a job sheet with a photo and a signature, a quote sent to your own email, the biggest PDF you have, a photo that appears on your phone through cloud storage.

If an app you rely on is Windows only, that should already have decided the device; our guide to Android versus Windows has a five minute test. We do not test third party software on our devices, so a vendor's minimum requirements, and your own test, are what to go by.

One Tuga-specific check while you are here. On the A6, which has a built-in Zebra 2D barcode scanner, press one of the two side scan keys with a text box open and scan a barcode off a box of fittings; the number should appear as typed text. Do the same on the scanner versions of the WH6, W8 and W10. The built-in scanner guide explains the difference between a scan engine and the camera.

8. Turn On Backup

Backup is separate from cloud sync. Sync keeps your photos and documents in two places; backup keeps the device's settings, app list and app data, so a lost or replaced device sets itself up again. On Android it is under Settings, then Google, then Backup; on Windows 11, Settings, then Accounts, then Windows backup. Switch both on, then check the job app's own settings, because many trade apps keep job data on their own servers. Then do the test nobody does: pick one job sheet or photo and find it on another device. If you cannot, fix it today rather than the day the tablet goes under a van wheel.

9. Fit the Protection and the Kit

A sealed, drop rated device does not need a case to survive, but a few items make it easier to carry and keep. Fit the Tempered Glass Screen Protector (two in a pack for £14) now, on a clean screen indoors, because a protector fitted on a dusty site will have grit under it for the rest of its life. The A6, A10, W8 and W10 come with a hand strap in the box; the A8 takes the Hand Strap at £24, and the A6 and WH6 take the Belt Holster at £22. For the four tablets, a Shoulder Strap is £19 if you want the tablet hanging rather than held, and the Rugged Carry Case is £34 for transport in the van. Everything is on the accessories page, and our guide to screen protectors, cases and straps is honest about which of them you can skip.

For charging on the move, the 12V DC Car Charger at £26 fits every device in the range. The Charging Dock at £49.99 fits the A10, W8 and W10, and the WH6 Charging Cradle at £79 gives the WH6 somewhere to drop in at the end of the day. If the tablet will live in a vehicle, the Vehicle Mounting Dock is £109 for the A8, A10, W8 and W10, and our guide to mounting a tablet in a van covers where to put it. A Capacitive Stylus at £14.99 is worth having if signatures and drawing mark-ups are part of your day; it is listed for every model except the A6. The Android models are USB-C only, so a USB-C to USB-A OTG Adapter at £8 is the way to plug in a memory stick or a wired keyboard. For the settings that get a battery through a full day, see making a tablet battery last a full shift.

10. Register the Warranty and Note the Serial

Every Tuga device has a 12 month warranty whether you register or not, but registering ties the serial number to you, which turns a claim into one email rather than a search for the receipt. The serial is on the box label and in the device's About screen; it takes two minutes on our warranty registration page. Add the serial, the date and the account it is signed in with to your business records. For a team, a list of serials against names is the thing you will want in a year's time; our guide to buying rugged tablets for a small team covers standardising the setup.

The Checklist

1. Fit the battery if it came separately. Charge.
2. Join Wi-Fi, fit the SIM, close the seal properly, test mobile data.
3. Run every system update, restart, set updates to out of hours.
4. Set a PIN, and the fingerprint reader where the device has one.
5. Sign in with a business controlled account. Turn on find my device.
6. Fit a memory card if you want one. Set the camera to save to it.
7. Install the job app, cloud storage, email, PDF reader and maps. Test each on a pretend job. Test the scanner if you have one.
8. Turn on backup and sync. Find one file from another device to prove it.
9. Fit the screen protector indoors. Fit the strap, holster or mount. Put the car charger in the van.
10. Register the warranty and record the serial number.

Still choosing the device? The four question picker narrows it to one model. Going paperless at the same time? Our paperless guide covers the order to set up job sheets, quotes and invoices. Questions about a specific setup, get in touch.

Compare head to head: A6 vs A8 · A8 vs A10 · A10 vs WH6