Web, Web Mobile, and Lumos Capture: what to do where

Lumos supports three surfaces. Each covers different needs, but they are not in competition: they complement each other.

The good news: almost everything you do in Lumos is available from any of the three surfaces. The real differences come down to two things:

• What native capture brings you on the field: offline mode, and an optimized experience for photos, voice dictation, and annotations.
• One single screen that requires a large screen to function: the report template editor.

Everything else works everywhere. The gap is in usage comfort, not in available features.

Three surfaces, three uses

Lumos Web (desktop)

The main platform, available at inspector.lumos.property from any browser on a computer. It gives you access to all Lumos features.

Use it for:

• Configuring your profile, business, branding
• Configuring or modifying your report templates (this screen requires a desktop-class screen width)
• Writing, structuring, and auditing your reports comfortably with a keyboard
• Managing your invoicing, contracts, contacts
• Delivering interactive reports to your clients

Limits: an active Internet connection is required. The platform is not designed for field work (keyboard input, no camera or microphone optimization).

Lumos Web Mobile

The same web application, accessed from a phone browser (or a small tablet in portrait mode). The interface adapts automatically based on screen width.

Use it for:

• Quickly checking a project on the go
• Reviewing your upcoming inspection calendar
• Reading or lightly editing a report between two appointments
• Adding small details to a project file without pulling out your computer
• As a fallback: capturing a photo or audio when Lumos Capture  is not at hand

Limits: the report template editor is disabled below the desktop breakpoint (the interface is too dense for a small screen). Long-form writing remains uncomfortable on a mobile keyboard. No offline mode. Photo and audio capture work via the browser, but the experience is less fluid than with Lumos Capture.

Lumos Capture (native iOS app, Android coming)

The native app dedicated to field capture, downloadable on your iPhone or iPad. It adds two essential things to Lumos: an optimized capture experience (photos, videos, voice dictation, annotations) and offline mode.

Capture also includes a built-in shortcut to Lumos Web Mobile: a button in the app opens the web interface in an internal view. Concretely, anything you do in Web Mobile is available from Capture, without switching apps.

Use it for:

• Capturing photos and videos during the inspection (optimized field experience)
• Dictating your spoken observations (voice capture)
• Working offline in basements, crawl spaces, attics, or rural areas without signal
• Annotating your photos directly on the field
• Quickly navigating between building sections during the visit
• And reaching all other Lumos functions through the built-in Web Mobile shortcut

Limits: as on Web Mobile, the report template editor is disabled. Long-form report writing remains better done in the office than on a mobile keyboard.

What about tablets (iPad, Android)?

Tablets are fully supported. They often offer the best compromise for nomadic work: a screen large enough to write or review comfortably, but as portable as a phone.

On browser (Safari, Chrome). Lumos adapts based on your screen width and orientation. On a large tablet in landscape mode, you generally get the full Lumos Web interface, template editor included. On a smaller tablet or in portrait mode, you switch to Lumos Web Mobile. The transition is automatic: nothing to enable.

With Lumos Capture on iPad. The app works, but for now it is the iPhone app adjusting to tablet form. The experience is not yet fully optimized for the larger screen. A native iPad version is planned later.

On Android tablet. Lumos Capture will be available on Android (phone and tablet) soon. In the meantime, you can use Lumos Web or Web Mobile through your Android tablet’s browser, which already offers everything except offline mode.

Quick reference: what to do where

Reading the table: “via webview” means that Lumos Capture automatically opens Lumos Web Mobile in an internal view for that task. You stay in the Capture app; the experience is seamless. “Disabled below desktop breakpoint” means the screen activates automatically as soon as the screen width reaches the desktop format (typically large tablets in landscape and computers).

A typical inspector journey

For most inspectors, the use of the three surfaces breaks down naturally as follows:

1. Before the visit, on Lumos Web (computer or tablet in landscape) — you create the project, enter client and building information, prepare the service agreement (CSPI), and schedule the date. This is also when you configure your report templates upstream.
2. During the visit, on Lumos Capture (iPhone or iPad) — you capture photos, videos, voice observations, annotate in real time. To add a contact or check info, you use the built-in Web Mobile shortcut without leaving the app. If you lose signal, you continue without interruption in offline mode.
3. After the visit, on Lumos Web — everything you captured appears in the project (automatic sync as soon as Capture regains a connection). You write comfortably with the keyboard, audit, then deliver the interactive report to your client.
4. Between two engagements, from Web Mobile (or Capture) — you check your calendar, verify a project’s status, reply to a message from a client.

See also

• Sync and offline work — how data flows between Capture and Web
• Lumos Capture (native iOS/Android apps) — full guide to the application
• Starting an inspection on Lumos Capture — first steps on the field
• Customizing report templates — the template editor (desktop width required)