Third-party optical credentials

Kisi supports third-party barcodes and QR codes as credentials, allowing members to unlock doors using codes they already carry in a third-party app.

This is useful for facilities where members are already using a barcode or QR code from another platform. Instead of reissuing credentials, administrators can register the existing codes in Kisi and members continue using what they already have.

How it works

Third-party optical credentials work similarly to NFC and RFID cards. Administrators assign a barcode or QR code value to a user in Kisi, either manually through the web dashboard or via a marketplace integration that syncs credentials automatically. When a member scans their barcode or QR code at a compatible reader, Kisi validates the credential and unlocks the door.

note

Third-party optical credentials require a Kisi Terminal Pro with the scanner module. Standard Kisi readers do not support optical scanning.

Credential types

Two credential types are supported:

• Third-party barcode — a fixed alphanumeric code, displayed as a barcode in the member's app
• Third-party QR code — a fixed alphanumeric code, displayed as a QR code in the member's app

Both types are case-insensitive and treated the same by the Kisi platform. The type only affects how the code is displayed in Kisi apps and the SDK.

note

Only specific optical formats are supported. QR codes must use QR Code Model 2, and barcodes must use Code 39 or Code 128. Other symbologies cannot be scanned. Rotating or time-limited QR codes issued by third-party platforms are not supported. Only fixed credential values can be assigned.

Add third-party optical credentials

You can enter the credential value manually, scan the barcode or QR code at a Kisi Terminal Pro, or import them automatically through a supported marketplace integration. To add many credentials at once, import them from a CSV file.

Enter card data

1. Sign in to Kisi
2. On your organization dashboard, click on Credentials
3. Click on Add Credential and select Single credential
4. Select the Enter card data tab (selected by default)
5. Under Card Type, select 3rd-Party QR Code or 3rd-Party Barcode
6. Under Card UID, enter the code value of the credential
7. Under Assign to user, enter the email address of the user you want to assign this credential to (required)
8. Click Add

Scan at a Kisi Terminal Pro

1. Sign in to Kisi
2. On your organization dashboard, click on Credentials
3. Click on Add Credential and select Single credential
4. Select the Scan at reader tab
5. Under Search place, select the place where the Kisi Terminal Pro you want to use for scanning is installed
6. Under Search door, select the door connected to this Kisi Terminal Pro
7. Under Select reader, select the Kisi Terminal Pro you want to use for scanning. If the selected door has only one reader assigned, it will be selected by default.
8. Under Credential type, select 3rd-Party QR Code or 3rd-Party Barcode
9. Scan the barcode or QR code at the Kisi Terminal Pro
10. Once the credential has been detected, enter the email address of the user you want to assign it to
11. Click Assign. If you want to scan another credential, click on Assign and scan another

Import via integration

Some marketplace integrations can import and link users' barcodes automatically, without manual enrollment. For example, ABC Ignite can import each member's barcode and link it to their Kisi user when the Import Barcodes setting is enabled on the integration.

If you use a Kisi-maintained integration that does not yet support this feature but want to use it, contact our support team to request it. If you use a partner-built integration, contact the partner directly to ask about implementing this feature.

Import optical credentials in bulk

To add many barcodes or QR codes at once, upload them in a CSV file. Each row creates one credential and assigns it to an existing Kisi user.

Prepare the CSV file

1. Sign in to Kisi
2. On your organization dashboard, click on Credentials
3. Click on Add Credential and select Bulk Import Cards
4. In the list of card types, click on 3rd-Party Barcode or 3rd-Party QR Code to see the required fields
5. Click on the here link to download the template for that card type
6. Fill in one row per credential and save the file in CSV format

The file uses the following columns. All of them are required.

Column	Value
email	Email address of an existing Kisi user to assign the credential to
type	third_party_barcode for a barcode or third_party_qr_code for a QR code
uid	The value encoded in the barcode or QR code, up to 2000 characters
send_email	true to send the user an email for each credential assigned to them, otherwise false

For example:

email,type,uid,send_email
user@example.com,third_party_barcode,1234567890128,false

Upload the CSV file

1. On the Bulk Import Cards page, click on Import CSV File and select your file
2. Stay on the page until the import is complete
3. Once you see Import Successful, click on Done

Imported credentials are activated right away. Members can use them to unlock doors according to their access rights.

info

Credentials can only be assigned to existing users. If no Kisi user exists with the email in a row, that credential is not added. Each user can have at most 10 credentials assigned.

Fix import errors

If some rows can't be imported, Kisi shows Import completed with errors with the row number and reason for each failed row. The other rows are imported.

1. Fix the rows listed in the error message
2. Click on Import New File and upload the whole file again

Rows for credentials that were already imported are ignored, so you don't need to remove them from the file.