You can use MyWatchtower in two ways:
- The web app runs in a web browser on a computer, a tablet or a phone. You install nothing.
- The phone apps for iPhone and Android come from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
You sign in with the same account in each one, and you see the same data. When you add a guest on your phone, the guest is also in the web app. You can use both, and you can change from one to the other at any time.
The same features in two layouts
The web app and the phone apps have the same pages. Residents get the dashboard, their property, guests, vendors, vehicles, the Wallet, My Doors, notifications and their account. Staff also get Mission Control, the community lists, reports and settings. What you see depends on your role and your permissions.
The layout changes with the width of the screen. On a computer, the navigation is on the left side of the screen. On a phone, the web app and the phone apps show a navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. The center button of the bar opens shortcuts to the tabs of your property. For staff, the center button opens shortcuts to Mission Control and to the community lists.
What only the phone apps do
The phone apps use parts of your phone that a web browser cannot use:
- The apps send notifications to your phone, also when the app is closed. For example, you get a notification when a visitor at a kiosk asks for entry.
- You can approve or deny an entry request from its notification. You do not have to open the app.
- A call from a kiosk rings your phone like a phone call, also when the phone is locked. The web app does not show gate calls.
- When the app shows a QR code, it sets the screen to full brightness, so the scanner at the gate can read the code. When the code closes, the app sets the brightness back.
- Auto-open opens a gate as you drive up to it, on iPhone and Android. Your community must set up auto-open for the gate. Then turn on Auto-open as I arrive for that gate in My Doors. Auto-open needs your location set to Always on an iPhone, or Allow all the time on an Android phone. See Auto-Open as You Arrive.
The Android app has one more feature:
- The My Doors widget opens a door from your home screen. Put the widget on your home screen, then select a door. Tap the widget to open the door. The widget uses your location, and the door opens only when you are in its opening zone.
What the web app does
On a computer, you see more rows of a list or a report at one time. Staff who work at a desk can do most of their work there, for example in Mission Control, the entry log, reports and settings.
While a page of the web app is open, new notifications show on the screen and in the notification list. When the web app is closed, it does not send notifications to your device.
You install nothing. When JEKA publishes a new version and a page is open, a banner asks you to refresh the page.
What both do
My Doors uses the location of your device and shows the doors that you can open. The first time, your browser or your phone asks for permission to use your location.
Staff who can open gates can download the data of the community for offline mode. When the connection stops, they can find properties and visitors and record entries. MyWatchtower sends the entries when the connection comes back.
The web app uses the text size of your browser. The phone apps use the text size of your phone.
Quick comparison
| Feature | Web app | Phone apps |
|---|---|---|
| All pages for your role | Yes | Yes |
| Notifications when the app is closed | No | Yes |
| Gate calls | No | Yes |
| Answer an entry request from its notification | No | Yes |
| Full screen brightness for a QR code | No | Yes |
| Auto-open as you arrive | No | Yes |
| My Doors widget | No | Android only |
| My Doors | Yes | Yes |
| Offline mode for staff | Yes | Yes |
Updates
The web app gets each new version when JEKA publishes it. The phone apps get new versions from the App Store and Google Play. JEKA can also send a fix directly to the installed app.
Kiosk tablets
The kiosk tablets at unstaffed gates run a separate kiosk version of MyWatchtower. JEKA sets them up and keeps them current. You do not install the kiosk version on your own device.
Which one to use
If you are a resident, install the phone app. You then get notifications, gate calls, the Wallet and My Doors on your phone. Use the web app on a computer when you want a larger screen.
If you are a gate attendant or an administrator, use the web app on a computer for your daily work. Install the phone app to get notifications and to do quick tasks away from your desk.
Need help?
On a computer, select Help Center in the navigation. On a phone, tap your picture at the top of the screen, then tap Help. You can also contact your community office.