About
This guide presents a best practice approach to deploying and installing access controllers. It’s intended to mitigate costs and complexities related to post-install troubleshooting. This article covers the four parts of deployment:
Prepping Command
A Command organization is always required to manage and troubleshoot Verkada devices. Verkada Support requires an admin to generate a support token to troubleshoot Verkada devices. Take these steps before each deployment:
Ensure the end customer has a Verkada Command organization
The installer should be an Organization Admin, Access Admin, and Access Site Admin on all relevant sites. This allows the installer to confirm all devices are working and provide a support token for troubleshooting
Add the Verkada devices to the organization before the installation begins
Note: Have the serial number of the device on hand and ensure you see that serial number in Verkada Command before contacting Support
Staging Hardware
Stage the devices to ensure the installation is successful. This will avoid costs, difficulties, and time delays from dealing with a faulty device in the field. A confirmed working device streamlines troubleshooting with the final install. All install troubleshooting would then center on the physical and network environment.
Designing a Staging Lab
On your tool bench:
A lock
A badge reader (Wiegand or Verkada)
Badge (must be a compatible format with your reader)
Store-bought Ethernet cable
AC41 cassette
A few short wires
Managed switch (This allows for packet captures to be collected)
Multimeter
Laptop
Set up your test environment
AC41 cassette
Wire in the lock
Wire in the reader
Connect the two DPI ports together with a wire
Connect the two REX ports together with a wire
Connect the managed switch to the site’s network
Staging Process
If you have Verkada, wire them to the AC41 cassettes and attach the cassettes to the AC41
Plug the AC41s in and connect them with the Ethernet cable to the network switch
Let it sit for 30 minutes to give it adequate time to update. The AC41’s status LED in the top left corner will flash orange while updating. Once finished the LED will be solid blue
If the status LED never goes solid blue:
Go through the Troubleshooting Deployed Hardware section of this document
Reach out to Verkada Support as needed
Testing each door port
Use the test door button to select door 1. Trigger Lock should be illuminated, Emulate DPI should be off, Emulate REX should be off
Power off the AC41, do not hotplug
Attach the pre-wired cassette to door 1 while the AC41 is powered off
Set the power to 12V or 24V to power the lock
Power on the AC41 by plugging the power in
Check status lights:
Both Emulate DPI and Emulate REX should now illuminate for the door port with the cassette
Badge reader has power now, it will light up
Press trigger lock and the lock will release, confirming the lock relay works
Once the badge reader is ready, scan a card. The card will be denied, as it isn’t added to a user
Repeat the above tests for all 4 door ports
Reach out to Verkada Technical Support if you do not get the expected results from the above tests
Cable exits, some installs will require plastic bushings to be inserted for the cable exits, here are the dimensions:
Access Control Cable Exit: 1 1/2"
Power Cable Exit: 1 1/4"
Finalizing the deployment
The most important aspect of a deployment is delivering a working solution to the customer that they can maintain and get help on when you leave. This means demonstrating to them that they have access to all of the devices they purchased and that the devices are fully functional. Complete the below checks to prove the installation was successful before you leave the site.
Physical checks:
Verify all access controller status lights are solid blue
Verify you are using shielded wiring for all of the access controller’s connections; locks, readers, REX, DPI
Verify the shielded wiring is drained to earth ground
Verify each lock unlocks when a badge is scanned
Verify each door’s DPI state is correct when the door is opened and closed
Verify if the REX is properly configured to unlock a door
Verify each type of badge the end user will be using works on the readers
Verify doors are labeled on the access controller
Software checks:
Make sure there is at least one Access Admin besides the installer
Have this Access Admin login and verify they can see all of their devices
Confirm the Access Admin can see the support token generation page so they can leverage Technical Support if needed
The Access Admin should be added as a Site Access Admin to all sites with access controllers
Configure access levels and add doors to the controller
Configure a user and verify the user can badge in
Answer any questions the customer may have and ensure they understand how to add access users, and configure access groups/levels. This will prepare them to manage the system themself
Have the customer remove you, the installer, from the Command org. This is standard practice when the installation is complete.
Troubleshooting Deployed Hardware
There may be unforeseen issues when installing devices. Always have a multimeter on hand to troubleshoot physical components and connections. Many common issues will yield an LED code that sheds light on the root issue. Below are the LED status and their associated cause and remediation steps. Check the top left corner of the AC41 for the LED.
LED Status | Issue | Troubleshooting before contacting Support | Troubleshooting before contacting Support continued |
Flashing Blue | Network issue | Connect the controller with a known-good short patch cable to a known-good switch port
| If the AC41 continues flashing blue, go through the steps at the bottom of this document |
LED Solid Orange | If the AC41 is solid orange for more than 5 minutes, it's not receiving enough power, or the boot process has failed | Plugin the AC41 to a different power outlet. Swap the AC41’s power cable with another AC41’s power cable | Leave the AC41 plugged in and attached to the network. Reach out to Verkada Support
|
LED Solid Blue and the device shows offline in Command | The access controller is not added to Command | Confirm the serial beneath the power supply of the AC41 matches the serial number in Command. If they don’t match, add the correct serial number and wait for the controller to check-in | If the serials match, take a picture of the serial number on the AC41 and contact Support |
LED Flashing Orange | If the AC41’s LED is stuck flashing orange for 30 minutes or more then it's unable to finish a firmware upgrade | Directly connect the AC41 to the network switch with a short patch cable and wait 30 minutes to see if it clears | If after direct connection to the switch it does not upgrade, contact Support
|
No LED | If LED is not illuminated it is not receiving power | Connect the AC41’s power cord to a different outlet. Swap out the power cable with another AC41’s cable | If the LED does not illuminate when connected to a different outlet, contact Support |
When an access controller cannot reach the Verkada backend, its LED will flash blue. There are many points in the network where the issue may lie. Cabling, DHCP, DNS, NTP, and HTTPS access to the Verkada Cloud - all need verification. If the access controller worked when you staged it, you will need to work with the customer to fix their network.
Network Diagnostic Tests
Work with the DHCP server admin to get the following for the AC41: IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS servers. The access controller can be identified on the DHCP server by its MAC address, located on the sticker below the power supply on the AC41
Disconnect the access controller from the network. This avoids an IP conflict when you configure your laptop to the same IP address
Assign your laptop the same IP settings as the controller
Connect your laptop to the same cable used previously by the controller
Verify you can access these URLs in your browser:
Verify NTP reachability for Verkada’s NTP servers
For Mac users, open a terminal window and enter
sudo sntp -sS time.control.verkada.comsudo sntp -sS 34.216.15.26
For Windows users, open a command prompt and enter
w32tm /stripchart /computer:time.control.verkada.com /samples:3 /dataonlyw32tm /stripchart /computer:34.216.15.26 /samples:3 /dataonly
If any of the above requests fail, work with the network administrator to allow the following:
TCP port 443 to
access.control.verkada.comapi.control.verkada.comrelay.control.verkada.comindex.control.verkada.comfirmware.control.verkada.comupdate.control.verkada.com
Bidirectional UDP port 123 for
time.control.verkada.comand34.216.15.26
You can find further documentation on network requirements here.
If all the above tests succeed yet the access controller’s LED continues to flash blue, reach out to Verkada Support. Support will request a support token and a packet capture from the access controller’s switchport.