--- title: "Request and activate Dongle licenses" canonical: "https://help.vicon.com/space/LicenseManagement/820610168/Request%20and%20activate%20Dongle%20licenses" format: markdown --- You install standalone licenses on the machine that is running your Vicon application software. A Dongle license is locked to a PC using a Thales USB dongle with a unique lock code. You must obtain the dongle and the lock code from Vicon. > ⚠️ **Important** > ⚠️ Use only Thales USB dongles, which must be ordered in addition to your Vicon software. You cannot use HASP dongles, which were previously used to license some Vicon software. > Macro (scroll-tablelayout) | | | | --- | --- | | ![Thales_dongle.png](media://f3c79cbc-6546-415f-b800-3bd272929567) | ![Hasp_dongle.png](media://68b10ba7-03d8-4670-84d1-427e5bab6633) | When you start your Vicon application software, the presence of the dongle is checked to ensure that the standalone license will allow the software to run.
Use the correct dongle driver When using a Thales USB dongle, ensure that the correct dongle driver is used and that it is up to date. The dongle driver can be installed in the following ways: - Windows may automatically install the driver when the dongle is plugged in for the first time. - Using the Vicon software installer (as part of the normal software installation procedure) - Using the Vicon Product Licensing installer - Using Thales' installer. This may have been sourced from either Thales or through Vicon.
> ⚠️ **Important** > ⚠️ Before you begin, make sure you have installed your Vicon application software. **To request and activate a Vicon Dongle license:** 1. From the email you received from Vicon Motion Systems with the Subject line **Vicon - Your Entitlement Certificate**, copy the Product Key for the application you want to license. :check_mark: **Tip**: Store the Product Key in a safe location as it allows access to your licenses. If you need to grant access to someone else who has permission to use your license(s), forward the email. 2. Go to [https://vicon.prod.sentinelcloud.com/customer/login](https://vicon.prod.sentinelcloud.com/customer/login) (the Sentinel Entitlement Management System). 3. Paste the Product Key that you copied in Step 1 into the PKID field and then click **Log In**. The Sentinel EMS **Products** page for your Vicon product(s) is displayed. 4. On the **Products** page, select the line for the Vicon software product that you are licensing and in the **Variant** field, select the **Dongle** option. 5. Click **Activate**. On the **Activate Products** page, in the **Selected Products for Activation** section, the software product and license type you selected in the previous step is displayed. 6. In the **Activation Description** field at the top of the page, add identifying information for your license in the form: `Hostname - License type PC location`, for example: `Blue103 - Dongle PC in Room 5`. 7. Leave the **Activate Products **page open in your browser. **To complete activation of a Dongle license:** 1. Plug the dongle into the machine on which you want to license the software. 2. In Windows Search, enter `Vicon Product Licensing` and select the **Vicon Product Licensing** app. 3. At the bottom left of the dialog, click **Request License**. 4. In the **Request a License** dialog, go to the **Options** section and select **Standalone license locked to a dongle**. 5. In the **Dongle ID** field, enter the ID, which is found on the dongle. 6. From the **Locking Code** field towards the bottom of the dialog, select and copy the machine locking code. 7. Leave **Vicon Product Licensing** open and go back to the Sentinel EMS **Activate Products** page that you left open in Step 7 above. 1. Go to the **Specify Locking Criteria** section and in the **Client 1 Value** field, paste the locking code that you copied in the previous step. 2. Click **Complete activation**. Your license certificate is displayed. 8. Depending on where you want to store your license certificate, choose the appropriate option: - **Save License** Save the license certificate to your chosen location (by default *C:\Users\Public\Documents\Vicon\Licensing\Licenses*). The license certificate is saved as *Product-name Version-number-date time.lic*, for example, *Vicon-Nexus 2.20-2026-03-24 10-00-45.lic* - **Send Email** Email the license certificate to the contacts that you specify. - **Append License to File** Not currently used for Vicon licensing. 9. Go back to **Vicon Product Licensing** and at the bottom of the dialog, click **Activate License**. 10. Locate .*lic* license file and click **Open**. The message `[Product Name] activated successfully` is displayed. 11. In **Vicon Product Licensing** click **Close**. 12. Open your Vicon software to check that licensing was successful. > ℹ️ **Note** > ℹ️ After the license is activated, you do not need to repeat these steps each time you plug the dongle into the computer. However, if you need to move a Dongle license to another machine, plug the dongle into the new machine and, using the same license file, follow the procedure to activate the license file, as described in the preceding steps.