At an entry kiosk, a visitor can type a PIN on the keypad to enter. Community staff manage the PINs of the whole community on the Credentials tab of Access. This article is about the PIN codes on that tab. Residents manage the PINs of their own property in the app. See *Property PIN vs. Personal PIN*.
Open the PIN list
1. Select Access in the navigation.
2. Select the Credentials tab.
3. If the tab shows a row of types, such as All, PIN and QR, select PIN. The list then shows only PIN codes.
The PIN list shows only when kiosk PIN codes are on for your community. See *Enable Kiosk PIN Codes*. Your role must also let you see PINs or emergency PINs. An old link to the PINs tab opens the PIN list on the Credentials tab.
The PIN list
The list shows each PIN of your community. It never shows the digits of a PIN. Each row shows the owner of the PIN and its kind: Property, Guest, Vendor, Resident, User or Emergency. The Details column shows the uses and the dates of the PIN, such as Unlimited uses. An emergency PIN has the Emergency chip, and a suspended PIN has the Suspended chip.
- A Property PIN is one shared PIN for a whole property. The row shows the street.
- A Guest, Vendor, Resident or User PIN belongs to one person. A User PIN belongs to a person with a MyWatchtower account.
- An Emergency row shows the name of the PIN, or Community-wide.
To find a PIN, type the name of its owner or the street of its property in Search. To show only active or suspended PINs, use the Status filter. If you work in more than one community of a community group, use the Community filter to choose the community. The page, the type, the search and the filters stay in the address of the page. A reload or a shared link opens the same view.
Create a standard PIN
A standard PIN belongs to a property, or to one person at a property.
1. Select Create PIN. If the button shows Create, select it, then select Create PIN. The Create PIN dialog opens.
2. If the dialog shows two options under PIN type, keep Property / person PIN selected.
3. In Search for a property, type at least 3 characters of the street. Then select the property.
4. In Person (optional), choose the owner of the PIN:
- To make one shared PIN for the property, keep Whole property (property PIN).
- To give one person their own PIN, select a guest, a vendor or a resident of the property. The list does not show a guest or a vendor who is restricted.
5. Choose how to set the code:
- Generate: MyWatchtower makes a random code of 6 digits.
- Custom: Type a code of 12 digits or fewer. The code must have at least the minimum PIN length of your community. MyWatchtower refuses a code that is easy to guess, such as a repeated digit or a simple sequence.
6. Select Create PIN. The message PIN created shows.
Each code must be unique in your community. If another PIN uses the code, the message This PIN code is already in use in this community shows. A property can have one property PIN, and a person can have one PIN at a property. To change the code, edit the PIN, or remove it and create a new one.
If your community issues its PINs through Brivo or HID, a PIN for one person goes to that system. A property PIN and an emergency PIN stay in MyWatchtower. See *Enable Kiosk PIN Codes*.
A guest or vendor can become restricted after you give them a PIN. At the kiosk, the Restricted visitors setting in Settings > Unstaffed gates decides what happens. The kiosk refuses entry and records the attempt in the entry log, or it opens the gate and sends a notification to staff.
Emergency PINs
An emergency PIN lets emergency personnel, such as fire and EMS crews, enter at the kiosk. Each emergency PIN is community-wide: it works at each kiosk of the community and belongs to no property or person. It is different from a standard PIN:
- It has no minimum length. You type the code yourself, from 1 to 12 digits. A short code that is easy to remember, such as 911, is accepted. The code must still be unique in your community.
- At the kiosk, the code opens an Emergency PIN screen before the gate opens. The screen asks the person to confirm and says Staff will be notified. The person selects Continue to enter, or Cancel to stop.
- After Continue, MyWatchtower records the entry. It also sends an Emergency PIN Used notification that names the gate or the door. Each staff member whose role can view emergency PINs gets it. If no role can view them, the Admins get it. The notifications of your community must be on.
Create a community-wide emergency PIN
A community-wide emergency PIN belongs to no property.
1. Select Create PIN.
2. Select Emergency PIN (community-wide). If your role can manage only emergency PINs, the dialog opens on this form.
3. Optional: In Name (optional), type a name of up to 60 characters, such as the name of the fire department. The list shows this name.
4. Type the code.
5. Select Create PIN.
A property PIN or a PIN for one person cannot be an emergency PIN.
See or change a PIN
In the PIN list, only the Edit PIN dialog shows the digits of a PIN.
1. Select the row of the PIN. The Edit PIN dialog opens and shows the code.
2. Type a new code. For a community-wide emergency PIN, you can also change or clear Name (optional).
3. Select Save. The message PIN updated shows.
A new code for a standard PIN must have the minimum PIN length of your community, and it must not be easy to guess. Each new code must be unique in your community. You can open a row only if your role can change that kind of PIN.
Remove a PIN
1. Select the bin icon on the row of the PIN. The Remove PIN? dialog opens.
2. Select Remove PIN. The message PIN removed shows.
The PIN stops at once, and the kiosk no longer accepts it. Remove a PIN as soon as a person must no longer use it.
Who can do what
By default, the staff roles can do these tasks:
| Task | Admin | Supervisor | Gate Attendant |
|---|---|---|---|
| See each PIN in the PIN list of the Credentials tab | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Create and edit standard PINs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Remove standard PINs | Yes | No | No |
| Create, edit and remove emergency PINs | Yes | No | No |
| Get the Emergency PIN Used notification | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Residents do not see the Access section. Your community can change these defaults in Settings > Roles. The PIN codes and Emergency PINs permissions are under Visitors & entry passes. A role that can view Emergency PINs gets the Emergency PIN Used notification. For more information, see *Managing Roles and Permissions*.
Need help?
If you do not see the PIN list on the Credentials tab, or a PIN task is missing, ask your community Admin.