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Bluetooth Unlock With Verkada Access Control

Bluetooth Unlock With Verkada Access Control

Verkada's Bluetooth unlock feature allows users to conveniently & securely unlock doors from their smartphones.
John Wilkie avatar
Written by John Wilkie. Updated this week

Bluetooth unlock is only compatible with Verkada readers.

Command Configuration

Organization Level Configuration

  1. Select the Admin page in the left-hand menu

  2. Select the Access Control tab

  3. Toggle on Enable Bluetooth Door Unlock

Site Level Configuration

  1. From the Access tab on the Home page select Settings from the site menu

  2. Under Verkada Pass Settings toggle on Enable Bluetooth Door Unlock

Door Level Configuration

  1. Navigate to the Installer Settings menu for each door

  2. Toggle on Bluetooth Unlock (Verkada Pass)

  3. Set the Bluetooth Unlock Distance

    • Immediate: phone needs to touch the reader (-35 RSSI)

    • Near: Phone needs to be around 2 to 3 ft from the reader (-45 RSSI)

    • Far: Phone needs to be around 7 to 8 ft from the reader (-60 RSSI)

    • Custom: set your own RSSI value

    Note: The distance a phone will unlock a door via Bluetooth depends on multiple factors including the material the reader is mounted on. This can result in varying unlock distances with the same configuration. Hold the phone at the distance you would like to unlock the door and adjust the settings until the unlock succeeds.

  4. Bluetooth Unlock Cooldown Time is the delay between subsequent Bluetooth unlock attempts from the same phone

  5. Beep on Bluetooth Unlock will have the Verkada reader beep each time a Bluetooth unlock is attempted

User Level Configuration (Individual)

  1. Navigate to Admin then select Access Control and Access Users

  2. Navigate to each access user that should have Bluetooth unlock permissions

  3. Under their Profile enable the Bluetooth unlock toggle

User Level Configuration (Bulk)

  1. Navigate to Admin then select Access Control and Access Users

  2. Select the checkbox next to each user that should have Bluetooth unlock permissions

  3. Once all the desired users are selected click the Enable Bluetooth button

    Note: An email address is required to enable Bluetooth unlock. If you select a user without an email the bulk enable option will be disabled until the non-email user(s) are deselected.

Verkada Pass Configuration Guidelines

Verkada Pass & Verkada readers are required for Bluetooth unlock. Users must have location sharing “always on” (iOS) and “when in use” (Android) enabled on their respective devices. Bluetooth permissions must be enabled on the user's profile and Bluetooth enabled on the door they are trying to unlock.

  • Two types of credentials:

    • Bluetooth

      • Will only work with Verkada Readers

    • Remote Unlock

      • Does not require Verkada readers, or any reader for that matter

      • Geofence where users can use this feature

Inviting a User to Verkada Pass (Individual)

A user is sent an email invite to Verkada Pass when at least one of the following is true:

  • Bluetooth unlock is toggled on during the add user flow

  • Bluetooth unlock is enabled under the user's profile

  • The bluetoothUnlock and cloudUnlock columns in the CSV upload are set to True

Inviting a User to Verkada Pass (Bulk)

Multiple users can be invited simultaneously via the Access Users tab

  1. Navigate to the Access Users tab

  2. Select the checkbox next to each user that should have access to the Verkada Pass app

  3. Once all the desired users are selected click the Send Pass Invite button

iOS Permissions

  • Bluetooth unlock requires the following:

    • Verkada Pass app needs to be running in the background (in your app switcher, does not need to be in the foreground)

    • Location services need to be “always”

    • Bluetooth permissions need to be on

    • Bluetooth needs to be on

Android Permissions

  • Verkada Bluetooth Unlock requires the following:

    • Verkada Pass app notification should be in the notification center (this allows Verkada Pass Bluetooth to work when the app is closed)

    • Location services need to be “Only while app is in use”

    • Bluetooth needs to be on

Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing issues with Bluetooth unlock, try the following:

  • Verify that organization, site, door, and user settings all have Bluetooth unlock enabled as above

  • iOS

    • Verify that Verkada Pass has location set to “always on” and Bluetooth is on

    • Toggle the Bluetooth permission in the Settings app for the Verkada Pass app

  • Android

    • Android users may need to reboot their phone after the installation to get the Bluetooth unlock feature initialized

    • Android Bluetooth is a bit slower than iOS Bluetooth, so users may need to get it closer to the reader and keep it there for a few seconds.

    • Disable NFC on that door if you are not using HF cards

  • Getting keycard denied events when trying to unlock the door with Bluetooth?

    • The phone's NFC chip is being scanned by the HF antenna on the Verkada Reader. This is probably caused by Apply Pay or Google Pay

      • Are you exclusively using low-frequency cards? If so, disable NFC Card Unlock to resolve this issue:

      • If you are using high-frequency cards (Mifare or Desfire), it is recommended that you increase the Unlock Proximity to Near (or set a custom Bluetooth Unlock RSSI value that is less than -35 such as -40 or lower):

  • Still not working?

    • Uninstall/reinstall the Verkada Pass app

    • Reboot your mobile device

    • Toggle Bluetooth permissions off, and then on, again.

  • Contact Verkada Technical Support if you are still experiencing issues

Note: Doors will not log Bluetooth unlock events while the door shows as open.

Visit Training Center for bite-sized video tutorials on how to accomplish role-based tasks in Command.

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