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Enterphone Solution Guide

Enterphone Solution Guide

Owned by Vinodhraj DP
Last updated: Feb 25, 2025 by Steven Lewis

Introduction

About This Guide

This guide is intended to be used as a standard guide for the Enterphone System. Enterphone Certification Training Knowledge is expected.

Initial Software Configuration

Administration Management

Starting the Enterphone Administration System

Launch a web browser (Edge, Firefox, or other browser that allows pop-ups).

In the Address field, type http://<Enterphone ip address>/ and press Enter.  For convenience, this page should be bookmarked.

 

In most cases the default IP address of a server or a panel is 192.168.123.101.

Login and Log Out

To login to Enterphone:

  1. Enter the Default Username and the Password.

  2. Click on the LOGIN button.

With certain older browsers pressing the Enter key causes an error message. Make sure to use the mouse to click on the Login button.

To log off, click on the Log Out button.

 

As a security feature, after a certain period of inactivity, Enterphone web will automatically log you off. At that point, the login page will appear, and the user will have to log back in.

System Management

Set Date, Time, Time Zone Settings

Date and time settings for Enterphone servers can be set either manually or by using a network time protocol (NTP) server. An NTP server is the recommended method for keeping the date and time in sync with other systems.

Setup Network Time Protocol (NTP) Settings

An NTP server is the recommended method for keeping the date and time in sync with other systems. However, it does require either a local NTP server or an internet connection. NTP Server could be an internal company facing NTP server or an external public facing.

To set the system time and date using NTP Settings:

  1. Click on the System navigation tab.

  2. On the left, click the Utilities link.

  3. Click the System Date/Time sub link. The following screen is displayed.

     

  4. Select a Time Zone from the dropdown box.

  5. Check the Enable NTP box.

  6. Enter an IP address or a hostname for the NTP Server.

  7. Click Save.

When changing the time or the date of a Enterphone System, the synchronizing of schedules and events are not done until the following day at midnight. For proper scheduling, please restart the Enterphone server using the reboot link from the Utilities section.

Change Date and Time Manually

If you are not using an NTP server, you can set the date and time manually.

  1. Click on the System navigation tab.

  2. On the left, click the Utilities link.

  3. Click the System Date/Time sub link.

  4. Select a Time Zone from the dropdown box

  5. Select the date from Set Date.

  6. Select the time from Set Time.

  7. Click Save to save the date and time.

  8. Once the date is set, click the Reboot link at the bottom of the Utilities list.

  9. Click the Reboot button.

System Card Format Support

The Enterphone Server has a built-in set of Card Format Definitions that determine how Wiegand data is being translated (e.g. Wiegand 26 bit).  Upon card swipe, Enterphone performs a sequential look-up of this list to find the best fitting definition.

To adjust this lookup behavior:

  1. Click on the System navigation tab.

  2. On the left, click the Manage Card Format link.

  3. To speed up the card format search, put the most relevant definition at the top of the list. If the installation is using Indala 36-bit cards for example – put the Indala 36-bit definition above all other 36-bit formats to ensure correct Wiegand data translation. Use the up/down arrows beside each definition to adjust the order of format preferences.

In case no suitable definition is available, use the Default Card Format drop-down list to select a default format. To narrow down the search, type the card format, and it will list the results. You can click on the required card format directly. Please note that the card format definition in Enterphone is highly customizable. Please feel free to contact Hirsch Technical Support (primissupport@hirschsecure.com) should you require a custom format.

Customize Dealer and Installer Pages

The links for Dealer and Installer from the Enterphone Administration software can be configured to match the company that sold and installed the Enterphone system.

  1. Click on the System navigation tab.

  2. On the left, click the Administration link.

  3. Click the System Parameters sub-link.

  4. Edit the dealer.ini and installer.ini files using the in-browser editor or save and edit them locally and restore them.

For more information, please refer to the instructions in the Enterphone Parameter Files section.

Enterphone Panels

Enterphone panels provide visitors with a way to communicate with tenants.

Enterphone panels display a list of users that can be dialed. Visitors can call a tenant by entering the tenant’s suite code on the (EP). By default, tenants can then allow access to the building controlled by the Enterphone Relay 1 by pressing the “6” key or relay 2 by pressing the “8” key on their telephone keypad, which will release the door for the visitors to enter the building. Once the “6” or “8” is pressed, visitors will hear a confirmation message “please enter the door is unlocked” from the (EP) letting visitors know that they can enter the building. Tenants can also deny access by hanging up the phone. The “6” and “8” access keys are configurable from the Enterphone UI System/Enterphone/Panels. See Optional Enterphone Configuration in this guide for more information.

Install Enterphone Panel

For hardware installation please view the Enterphone Installation Guide.

Accessing the Enterphone Panel

The Default IP Address for Enterphone is 192.168.123.101

Instructions to change the default IP Address of the Enterphone Panel

  1. Connect a regular Ethernet cable from the (desktop/laptop) directly to the Enterphone panel.

  2. Change the IPv4 on your (desktop/laptop) to 192.168.123.100; subnet: 255.255.255.0; no gateway.

  3. Open up any browser on the (desktop/laptop), and enter the default IP address: 192.168.123.101

  4. Log in using the Default Username and the Password.

  5. Go to System > Utilities > Change IP > Program New IP Address > Save > Reboot (See screenshot below).

  6. Change the IPv4 on your (desktop/laptop) to the IP range configured.

  7. Log in with the New IP Address.

Adding a New Administrator and Deleting the Default Account

The first Administrator account created should be given full permission to manage all aspects of a Enterphone installation.  Additional accounts can be given less control over the installation depending on the role that each user plays in managing or supporting the installation. Users with an Administrator Account for the installation cannot create, modify or delete other accounts that have more privileges than their own. The extent to which one can create, modify, or delete accounts is limited to users with fewer privileges than the account under which one is currently logged in.

It is recommended that the first item done after login is to create an Administrator Account with full access to all pages so that the default “Enterphone” user may be deleted. This will eliminate any security problems that might occur if the default user name is kept.  Before deleting the default user, the new one should be tested.

To create an Administrator Account with full access and delete the default user:

  1. Log in to Enterphone using the instructions in Login and Log Out above.

  2. Click on the System navigation tab at the top of the screen.

  3. On the left, click the Administration link.

  4. Click the Admin Users sub-link.

  5. In the Actions bar, click on Add Admin User. The following screen is displayed:

     

  6. Enter the User ID, Last Name, and First Name.

  7. Enter a Password that is different than the one provided.

  8. Verify the Password.

  9. Beside Business, select All.

  10. Beside Sites, select ALL.

  11. Select Full Access for all of the available licensed parameters from Suites to Active Directory.

  12. For Mustering, select the required level.

  13. Select the Language that this full administrator would like to use.

  14. Select the View Suite/User Page Size 10, 25, or 50 to set the default number of suites/users per page this admin user sees when viewing the listing.

  15. Click Save to save the full access admin user.

  16. Click the [Log Out] button to log off and test the new user ID.

  17. Log in with the user ID and password that was created in the previous steps.

  18. Verify that you can log in successfully and that your new user has full privileges.

  19. Log out once more and log in using the default user account name.

  20. Click on the System tab, Administration, Admin Users and select the default “Enterphone” user account.

  21. Change one of its privileges and click Save.

  22. Log out and log in again as your newly created user.

  23. Go to Admin Users again and select the default “Enterphone” user account.

  24. Click on Delete and OK.

Once the admin user is saved, the user ID field cannot be edited.  This field specifies a unique admin user profile. You can change the other fields after an admin user profile has been saved.

Site Administrator Management

In addition to the full access administrator, there can be limited administrative users that have the capacity to add/modify/delete cardholder access. The privileges of these admin users can be fine-tuned to restrict or grant access to certain functions of the software. These restrictions include the modification of Controlled Areas, Access Groups, Devices, and Users. Admin users can also be assigned to certain sites within Enterphone, further restricting and partitioning data, thereby limiting their Admin access.

 

To add an Admin User:

Follow Steps 1 to 15 above to add new Admin Users. Each of the software’s tabs or links is listed with the following options:

  • No Access: The tab or action will not appear in the toolbar or action menu for this admin user.

  • Read Only: Only read permissions are given to selected tabs or actions.

  • Full Access: The user can modify every aspect of the section.

You will be able to assign Admin Users to the sites that they are allowed to administer (i.e. The user hoffjenn01 is limited to the control of the sites Distribution Centre, Huston Office, and Sales Office - Vancouver). Once the admin user logs in to the system, the sites that they have access to will appear in a dropdown list on the top-right corner of the screen. By selecting a Site from the dropdown list, the Admin User will only see data corresponding to that Site. Also, any data added (i.e. adding a controlled area) will be added to the Site that is currently selected.

Non-admin Users (cardholders) are considered global, and are not assigned to any particular Site. This is because a User may travel and have access to multiple sites. However, when assigning Access Groups to a User, the available access groups are filtered by the Sites that the Admin User has access to.

Programming Suites and Users

By Default a Guest Access Group, Schedule, and Controlled Area are already added and can be changed if needed. Additional Guest Access Groups, Schedule and Controlled areas may be added.

Suites

Adding a Suite

Suite information is used to enable access to that suite. In the Enterphone panel directory listing, users are displayed under their suites.

  1. Click on the Suites navigation tab.

  2. In the Actions bar, click on Add Suite. The following screen is displayed:

  3. Enter a Suite Name or the Number.

  4. Enter a 4-digit Suite Code that is to be displayed in the directory of a panel.

  5. Enter the Phone number for the Suite.
    • For an EPX relay number, enter the 3-digit relay number.

  6. Enter an Alternate Phone number. If the first number is not accessible by a panel the alternate number will be dialed.

  7. Select the Guest Access Group that applies.

  8. Optional: Business - Refer Business Management section below.

  9. Click on Save.

Users

Assigning Suites to Users:

  1. Click on the Users navigation tab.

  2. In the Actions bar, click on Add User.  The following screen is displayed.

  3. Enter the user’s Last Name that may be displayed on the Enterphone panel directory.

  4. Enter the user’s First Name that may be displayed on the Enterphone panel directory.

  5. Select Yes or No to Display this user’s name in the Enterphone Panel Directory.

  6. Select this user’s Suite from the drop-down.

  7. Optional: Enter a PIN number. This is for setting up a keyless entry. By default, the PIN length is 6 digits, which can be changed.

    1. Activating PIN code on Touch Screen

      1. Touch (*) and enter PIN

    2. Activating PIN code on IQ

      1. Hit (*)(*) quickly and enter PIN

  8. Optional: Email address. For information only.

  9. Optional: Telephone number. For information only.

  10. Click Save.

Optional Enterphone Configuration

Enterphone Panel Settings

Enterphone panel settings such as talk time, relay access digit, and activation time can be configured. To access these settings;

  1. Click on the System navigation tab.

  2. On the left, click on the Enterphone link.

  3. By default, the local panel is created and shows up and can be modified if required.

Access Digit (1 or 2): This is the digit on the telephone that the tenant must press to activate the appropriate relay.

Activation Time (1 or 2)  (Seconds): This specifies how many seconds the relay will be activated once a tenant grants access.

Talk Time: This is the maximum duration the call can occur (in seconds) before automatically hanging up.

Enterphone Parameters Files

Enterphone parameter files are used to configure the software on both the server and the panel. These files are located in the System Parameters link under the System -> Administration tab.  These files can be edited using the in-browser text field provided by clicking on the file or backed up by clicking on Download and edited with a text editor locally then uploaded back to the Enterphone. Once the files are uploaded back to the Enterphone, the server must be restarted using the Reboot link at the bottom of the Utilities page or by checking the Reboot after save option on the Edit page.

Parameter files should only be changed if instructed by Hirsch Technicians.

The following parameter files are user-modifiable:

  • dealer.ini

  • installer.ini

  • siteEngine.ini

  • sitePanel.ini

To Edit a Parameter file

  1. Click on the Administration link from the System navigation tab.

  2. Click on the System Parameters sub-link.

  3. Click on the file you would like to edit.

  4. Make any changes necessary to the text presented in the text area.

  5. If you would like a backup of the existing file, choose Write Backup.

  6. Check the Reboot after save box if a reboot is required. Keep in mind that for the changes to take effect a full system reboot is required.

  7. Click Save.

Main and Peer Configuration (Sync Enterphone Units)

This form of replication only copies the Suite and User data to a remote panel to be loaded on the display.  This does not allow for a remote system to be working as a backup unit for bridge communication.

Main and peer configuration creates a link between two or more Enterphone units. The Enterphone panel can also be peered to a Primis server or Enterphone cube server. The Main servers automatically start copying data once a peer establishes communication.

To Setup a Main and a Peer

Follow the instructions below on any unit that needs to be configured as a peer. No configuration is necessary on the main units.

  1. Open the siteEngine.ini using the instructions from System Parameters.

  2. Locate the line MainPeers=

  3. Add the IP address of the main server. For example, MainPeers=192.168.123.101
    Note: If the Main unit is a Primis server or Enterphone cube server, please set MQPeer=yes. Otherwise, for Main/Peer network containing only Enterphone panels, set MQPeer=no

  4. Save the siteEngine.ini

  5. Restart the Enterphone peer system

Once the configuration is done, connect to the Main server and log in. At this point, there should be a button labeled with the names of Peer devices along the top of the Administration System’s interface. If there are any changes that need to be made to non-common data, these buttons can be used to connect to the Peer devices. If the button is absent from the Main Server or Panel, check over the configuration that was made up to this point then log out and log back in.

The buttons that allows access to peer units might not be visible immediately after the configuration.

Copy Common Data

Once the connection is established between a peer and a main, there may be some data inconsistencies. To clear all the data on the peer and copy everything from the main a Copy Common Data needs to be done.

  1. Click on the System navigation tab.

  2. On the left, click on the Administration link.

  3. Click on the Copy Common Data sub-link.

     

  4. From the list of Available Servers, select the main server.

  5. Click Copy.

This step could take an extended period of time if the database is large. Common Data includes Schedules, Businesses, Suites, Users, User Access Groups, Special Days, Sites and Card Data.

Enterphone Panel File Configuration

On Enterphone Panels an additional configuration file exists that controls the configuration of Panel-specific options.

Use the steps described in Editing a Parameter file to edit the siteEngine.ini. The Panel will need to be restarted for any changes to this file to take effect.

Parameters in the sitePanel.ini file are:

Options

Description

serverName

localhost or the IP address of the panel

panelId

The panel ID. This field should not be changed.

screensaverTimeOut

The number of seconds before the screensaver becomes active (0 deactivates the screensaver).

codeprefix

Filters suites codes based on this digit so that only suites with codes beginning with this number (or range of numbers) are displayed on this panel.

switchDigit

Calling suites with codes beginning with this digit or range of digits (ex. ”1-5” or ”1,3,6”) will trigger the Call Redirector Board to use a second line.

 

ringAltCount

The number of rings the dialer will wait before calling a suite’s alternate number.

hbCode

If set, a button will be displayed at the top of the directory and when it is pressed, the suite whose code is entered will be dialed.

activateOnDialPanelId

The Panel ID of a panel that is in a Controlled Area whose devices should activate whenever a panel is in use.  This requires that a second panel be added to the local panel and that second ID used in the aforementioned Controlled Area.

directoryRows

The number of rows of suites displayed in the directory listing.

 

directoryColumns

The number of columns of suites displayed in the directory listing.

SSButtonHeight

Vertical placement of language buttons expressed in pixels from the top.

listBusTextCenter

Yes or No option to center business names.

 

directoryFont

Resize the directory font. 0 is the default, +1 will increase the size, -1 will decrease.

businessFont

Resize the business listing font.  0 is the default, +1 will increase the size, -1 will decrease.

displaySuiteCode

Yes or No option to display each suite’s code in the directory.

rightAlignSuiteCode

Yes or No option to place suite codes on the left or right side of the display.

Display Call Button 

Yes or No option that allows for removal of the call button beside a tenant’s name.

Search Only

Yes or No option that allows a user to use the panel only for searching for a tenant, no calling.

listTextColor

An RGB triplet that sets the color of the suites listed in the directory.

listBusTextColor

An RGB triplet that sets the color of the businesses listed in the directory.

listBGColor

An RGB triplet that sets the background color of listings in the directory.

alternateBGColor

An RGB triplet that sets the alternating color of listings in the directory.

cancelButtonColor

An RGB triplet of the color applied to the cancel button.

cancelButtonTextColor

An RGB triplet of the color applied to the text of the cancel button.

logoColor

An RGB triplet that sets the color of the logo area.

buttonSelect

An RGB triplet of the color applied to a button when it’s selected.

sbTrackColor

An RGB triplet of the color applied to the back of the scroll bar.

keyColor

An RGB triplet that sets the color of the touch keypad.

sbThumbColor

An RGB triplet that sets the color of the directory scroll button.

sbTrackColor

An RGB triplet that sets the color of the directory scroll bar.

Business Management

Enterphone Panels can be programmed to divide buildings into multiple businesses. Each business can control its own Controlled Area without affecting other businesses or areas. In order to divide buildings into businesses, controlled areas that will control a business’ physical access need to be created. When adding a new business to the Administration Software, areas that are controlled by that business can be selected. Then admin users can be added to be part of that business.

Business admin users are restricted on what they can add or view. Also, business admin users do not have access to the System tab and are therefore unable to manage the system or view any system-related information.  In addition, business admin users cannot add or delete suites, controlled areas, or schedules.  They can add user access groups and link them only to the controlled areas that are associated with that business. Any of the activity logs that are related to other businesses are not viewable by that business admin user.  A single business can have more than one controlled area. Also, a single business admin user can belong to more than one business.

Create Business Users

  1. Add a Business using the instructions in the Businesses section of Chapter Suites.

  2. Add a new admin user using the instructions in the section: Site Administrator Management.

  3. From the Add Admin User screen, select the business name from the Business list.

To select more than one business for that business admin user hold down CTRL on the PC  (⌘ key on a Macintosh) and select additional businesses.

Backup of Logs for Business Users

Because business admin users can’t access the System tab, the backup log instructions are different.

  1. Click on the Events navigation tab.

  2. Select a range of dates in the From and To Dates. Note that the maximum number of days is 31.

  3. Click Search

     

  4. Download the search result in CSV Format.

Changing Screen Saver Image File

When Enterphone Panels are idle for more than the time set for the default screensaver time out, the default screensaver graphic is displayed. This graphic can be changed from the media files. The resolution of the screen saver depends on the size of the monitor you are using, below are the resolution sizes:

To confirm the resolution settings in the MeshJpanel.ini file for your panel, Go to Systems > Administration > System Parameters > MeshJpanel.ini > and scan for the resolutionX, resolutionY

Screen

Resolution size of the screen

Screen

Resolution size of the screen

19-inch

1280x1024

21-inch

1080x1920

IQ 10-inch

800x1280

15-inch

1024x768

Use a graphic editor or Paint to create your own screensaver and name it to match the filename. Filename: screensaver_1280x1024.gif for Enterphone 19 and Kiosk, screensaver_800x1280.gif for Enterphone iQ. Go to Systems > Administration > Update Media Files, use the Choose File button to navigate to the file location, select the file and click UPDATE. The original file will be over-written.

Restart the Panel using the Reboot link at the bottom of the Utilities page.

Changing Screen Saver Timeout

By default, the screensaver activates after 60 seconds of inactivity. This number can be changed from the file sitePanel.ini.

  1. Click on the System navigation tab.

  2. On the left, click on the Administration link.

  3. Click on the System Parameters sub link.

  4. Click on the sitePanel.ini file.

     

  5. Edit the line screensaverTimeOut=60; change the default value 60 to the desired number of seconds for the screen saver timeout.

  6. Check the Reboot after save box. This will do a full restart of the panel after you save the file.

  7. Click Save.

Enterphone Encryption Bridges

Enterphone Encryption Bridges allow door hardware to be connected to Enterphone servers. Bridges for card readers communicate with Enterphone’s software. Data is received from card readers, encrypted, and sent via IP to a Enterphone server for processing. Relays on the Enterphone Bridge are activated by commands from a Enterphone server to lock or unlock doors.

Discovering Enterphone Encryption Bridges on a Network

Enterphone Bridges can be discovered using one of two methods. Either using the Bridge Discovery Tool located in the Enterphone Administration Software or using the standalone Windows tool called Bridge Configuration Utility (BridgeUtil). For most systems, the built-in web-based discovery tool will be sufficient. If a Enterphone bridge is not located on the same LAN as the Enterphone server or is behind a switch/router where UDP MultiCast traffic is being blocked, the bridge utility application should be used on a PC located on the network where UDP traffic is not being blocked.

Finding a Enterphone Bridge on the Network

Once a Enterphone Bridge is connected to the network, you can scan the network for the added device and add it to the Enterphone Administration Software using the Enterphone Bridge Utility.

You can also find the Enterphone Bridge Utility at the bottom of the Devices - Main page, and click on the Enterphone Bridge Discovery Tool check box.

Using the Web-Based Enterphone Bridge Utility

  1. Click on the System navigation tab.

  2. On the left, click the Utilities link.

  3. Click the Bridge Utility sub link.

  4. Click the [Scan Devices] button. This process might take a minute or two.

  5. Click on the MAC address of the device you wish to provision.

     

  6. Assign the appropriate IP information to the device or choose DHCP. You may need to contact your system admin for this information. If the DHCP checkbox is checked, the IP, Netmask and Gateway fields are automatically populated once the bridge receives the DHCP information.

  7. To update Bridge Configuration only, click on Save. Note that it might take up to two minutes to save.

  8. To update and add the Bridge to Enterphone, check Save & Add Device To Enterphone checkbox and click Save.

     

  9. Enter the name by which you’d like to refer to the device and click the Save button.

Make sure that the device is not already configured and locked. This is indicated by the Status column on the scan device list. If the device is already configured and locked, it will need to be reset by holding down the reset button of the device for 40 seconds. Once it is reset, it can then be scanned and added to the software.

Lock Configuration

This is an option in Enterphone bridge configuration to lock the system configuration of the bridge. Once you choose to lock the configuration, no changes to the configuration can be made remotely. 

In order to remove the lock, it requires a manual reset of the bridge that will reset the IP address and require the IP’s be reset.

Windows Based Bridge Discovery Utility

The Enterphone Bridge settings can be changed by using Hirsch’s Bridge Utility. This program (BridgeUtil.exe) is self-contained, does not require a special install program and should run on Windows XP, 7, 8.1 and 10.

It is required when using the web-based scanning utility that if the bridge is not on the same network, or being routed where UDP traffic may not pass, the broadcast request may not reach the bridge.  In order to use this utility, you must be able to send and receive UDP traffic on the same network. 

Download BridgeUtil.exe from Enterphone Application

  1. Click on the System navigation tab.

  2. On the left, click on the Utilities link.

  3. Click the Download sub link.

  4. Click on the BridgeUtil link and save the executable on the PC.

  5. Locate the BridgeUtil.exe from where it was downloaded. Right click on the executable and select “Run as administrator”

An unknown publisher warning might pop-up. This can be safely ignored by pressing the [Yes] button.

 

BridgeUtil is a program that requires access to certain ports on the PC. These ports are used to discover bridges. If the following Windows Security Alert comes up, select the network that the PC is currently on. If unsure of which network, it is safe to select all the available networks. Then hit [Allow access]. 

If the PC has more than 1 IP address, (ie WiFi and Ethernet). Select the IP address of the network that the bridges are connected to then hit ok

 

  1. Once the utility starts, click on the [Scan Devices] button and all the bridges on the local network will be displayed by MAC and IP addresses.

 

The last bridge displayed has an asterisk next to the IP address. This indicates that there are multiple bridges configured with the same IP address.

  1. Double-click on the MAC address of the bridge that needs to be configured.

The settings may be changed and updated as needed. When done hit the Save button

Device Properties

Each Enterphone Bridge model displays a different properties section. For example, a single port Enterphone Bridge will only have one reader, input and output properties section; two ports will have two, and so on.

The following tables describe the properties of Enterphone bridges.

Reader Properties

Options

Description

Description

Reader description identifies the reader.

Default Card Format

This field specifies the card that is being used with this bridge device. Auto card format will try to match the best fitting card format. The auto card format behavior can be managed by going to System, Devices and then Manage Card Format. For more information see the section on Managing Card Formats.

Input Properties

Options

Description

Description

This field identifies what input signal is being monitored.

Activate Relay Output

This option configures the Enterphone Bridge to activate the specified relay when the input is shorted.
Note: This feature is executed in the Enterphone Bridge hardware level and it does not require a connection to a Enterphone server. Thus, this is generally used as a “Request to Exit” function (e.g. via a push button).

Activate Relay Output: Relay:

This drop-down list specifies which relay is to be activated as input event occurs. This drop-down menu is only active if the above Active Relay Output checkbox is checked.

Default Activation Time

This drop-down list specifies the number of seconds that the relay activates as input event occurs.

Supervised Input Ready:

This checkbox is for Enterphone Bridge Devices that are equipped with supervised inputs. This field should be left uncheck, unless the optional Supervised Input Board is connected. For specific instructions on how to connect the supervised input board, please see the appropriate instructions.

LED Properties

Description: Identifies the LED when adding to Port Trigger Actions or viewing in Activity Logs.

Buzzer Properties

Description: Identifies the Buzzer output when adding to Port Trigger Actions or viewing in Activity Logs.

Relay Properties

Options

Description

Description

Description of the relay output. Identifies the relay in the Controlled Areas and Port Triggered Actions.

Default Relay Position

Default power up position of the relay.

Schedules

Schedule Management

A Schedule is a given period of time that is applied to different aspects of the software. If a Schedule is added to a Controlled Area, then that schedule activates the devices and outputs in that Controlled Area. If a schedule is linked to a Controlled Area, under User or Guest Access Groups, then the schedule enables or disables access to that controlled area only to the users that are contained in that User Access Group.

A single schedule can contain more than one Period. For example, a schedule named Business Hours can contain a period Monday through Friday, 9 AM ON TIME and 6 PM OFF TIME. If needed, multiple periods can be added to a single schedule.

In addition, Special Days can be added to enable or disable access for certain days only. For example, if a special day is set to January first then that schedule can be turned off on every January first or it can be set to be active only on January first.

The current state (on or off) of all the schedules can be seen on the Schedule tab.

Adding a Schedule

  1. Click on the Schedules navigation tab.

  2. In the Actions bar, click on Add Schedule. The following screen is displayed:

  3. Enter a Name and Description.

  4. Select Weekdays OR Special Days.

    1. If you select Weekdays, check the box for each Week Day this schedule applies to and check the box for each Type of Special Day you would like to exclude from this schedule. To add a Special Day, see the instructions in the previous section.

    2. If you select Special Days then you wish to apply this schedule ONLY to the Type of special day that you select in the dropdown box.

  5. Enter an ON Time for this schedule.

  6. Enter an OFF Time for this schedule.

  7. Under Effective Dates, check the Always On box if this schedule is to remain in effect at all times or, if not, enter a Start Date and an Expire Date for this schedule.

  8. Click Save.

Special Days (Holidays)

Special days are an optional addition to a schedule. They can be used for holidays or any other day where a schedule needs an explicit or relative period. Special days are added to schedules as a period so they may need to be configured before adding a schedule.

Adding a Special Day

  1. Click on the Schedules navigation tab.

  2. On the left, click the Special Days link.

  3. In the Actions bar, click Add Special Day. The following screen is displayed.

     

  4. Enter the Name of the Special Day.

  5. Choose a number for this Type of special day, the number between 1 and 12. Special day types allow the grouping of different special days. For example, a Type 1 special day labeled First of Every Month could contain the first day of every month. In this case, there will need to be 12 special days added, all of them belonging to the Type 1 group.

  6. Select Explicit or Relative. An explicit day is a particular day of the year while a Relative day is a day that will occur every month i.e. the first Monday of every month.

  7. Enter the Month and Day of the special day if Explicit was selected; select the Day of the Week if Relative was selected.

  8. Click Save.

Assigning a Special Day to a Schedule

Once a special day is added, it can be programmed to be a part of a schedule.

Controlled Areas

In general, Enterphone has two different types of Controlled Areas - Door and Floor Areas.

Door Areas are areas that have readers, in this case, the Door Area represents the in-cab reader. Floor Areas contain relay outputs that activate elevator access (e.g. button in the cab).

The administrator needs to first "link" a Door Area to its associated Floor Area(s). That means all floors that are accessible by the elevator need to be linked to the Door; in this particular case, the Door is simply the in-cab reader.

Floor Controlled Area is an Access Control Object that represents a floor. It contains the Enterphone Bridge output ports that are typically connecting to elevator control modules in the building. Floor areas can be linked to door areas in such a way that when Enterphone server grants access to a door, its associated floor area outputs can be activated. The cardholder’s floor access rights then determine which floor area should be activated.

How to set up

First, the administrator needs to create Door Areas to hold the elevator readers. Then for each controlled area, “link” the corresponding Floor Areas to it. In the above example, a Door Area called Elevator A is created that hosts “Cab A Reader”. This door needs to have linked Floor Areas “Cab A - FL 1”, “Cab A – FL 2” and “Cab A - FL3” that contain relays to elevator A’s control:

Elevator B would follow the same idea except that it is using Elevator B reader, Floor Area Cab B – FL 1 through to FL 3.

Enterphone offers two ways to handle Floor Access

Use separate Floor Access Groups

The user will need to be assigned to a User Access Group that allows access to the various elevators. Floor Access Groups are then assigned to the user to give access to his floor.

This is how the User Access Group would look like for the above example:

This is what the Floor Access Group looks like for 1st Floor:

 

For the cardholder that has access to the 1st Floor, this is how his User and Floor Access Groups look like:

No separate Floor Access Group

To switch to this mode, in siteEngine.ini, set property “UseFloorAccessGroups” to “no”. Restart the server after the update (please note that once this mode is chosen, returning to the old method may require some database cleanup).

Once this mode is set, the “Floor Access Group” menu item will disappear from the Access tab:

In the above example instead of having one Resident User Access Group and 3 Floor Access Groups; we need 3 Resident user groups, each one covers elevator door access and one floor

Each Residents group would have access to Elevator A and Elevator B controlled area:

 

Floor Access is immersed into the User Access Group in the second tab labeled “Floor Access and Schedules”. In the “Resident FL 1” User Access Group, it includes access to the first floor for both elevators:

 

When assigning Access Group, the administrator will select a group that will give the cardholder access to both elevators and his corresponding floor. Note that in this mode, the Floor Access Group select box is not present.

Controlled Area Configuration

Configure a Door Controlled Area

Controlled Areas are areas in a facility that are controlled by one or more devices such as Card Readers. Any area within a facility that requires controlled entry or exit must be set as a Controlled Area. An area can also be set to change from Secure to Unsecure based upon schedules or manual control. 

Adding a Door Controlled Area

  1. Click on the Controlled Areas navigation tab.

  2. In the Actions bar, click Add Controlled Area. The following screen is displayed:

     

  3. Enter a Name that describes the controlled area.

  4. Enter an optional Description.

  5. Select Door Area as the Area Type.

  6. Select a Reader for the controlled area.

  7. By default, Enterphone assigns input 1 as Door Contact and input 2 as Request to Exit. To choose a custom setting, check Custom and select the desired input mapping.

  8. Click Save.

If no reader is assigned to this controlled area now, it can be assigned later using the Assign Device button. See the Assign a Device to a Controlled Area section for more information. For information on Floor Area refer Elevator Configuration.

Once the controlled area is saved, different aspects of it can be modified.

Config Tab

The Config tab allows the configuration of the reader that is assigned to the controlled area.

For a Door area:

  1. Select a Card Format for the Reader; set it to Auto to default to the system settings.

  2. For the Door Contact, check the Suprv Ready box to indicate that the bridge input has supervised resistors set.

  3. Set the Door Contact Switch to Normally Open or Normally Closed.

  4. For Request to Exit, check the Suprv Ready box to indicate that the bridge input has supervised resistors set.

  5. Set the Request to Exit Switch to Normally Open or Normally Closed.

  6. Check the Activate Relay to set the lock to trigger when the REX is fired and select a Relay and enter the number of seconds for it to remain active.

  7. For each of the Outputs, enter a Delay time (the number of minutes/seconds the relay will fire) and an Activation Time (the number of minutes/seconds the relay stays open).

  8. Select an Output for this door.

  9. Enter an optional Description.

  10. For each output, enter a Delay time (the number of minutes/seconds until the relay will fire) and an Activation Time (the number of minutes/seconds the relay stays open). Click the Show Accessibility box to enter an Accessibility Delay time and an Accessibility Activation time: this is a separate set of delays and activation times for users with special needs (e.g. wheelchair, crutches) that are used if the Accessibility check box is selected in that user’s setup page. See Chapter Users for more information on setting up a User.

  11. Check the Latch Allowed box to allow the corresponding output to remain open(latched) when it is set to Open state either by the Administrator or through Unlock Schedule.

  12. To add another Output line, click the + button beside the first output line.

     

  13. Click Save when all outputs are configured.

Unlock Schedule Tab

A Schedule is a given period of time that is applied to Controlled Areas and Access Groups and is used to schedule device activation and alarms. If a schedule is added to a Controlled Area, then that schedule activates the devices and outputs in that Controlled Area. If a schedule is linked to a Controlled Area, under User or Guest Access Groups, then the schedule enables or disables access to that Controlled Area only to the users that are contained in that User Access Group.

For more information about schedules, please refer to Schedules.

In the Unlock Schedule tab on the View/Edit Controlled Area screen:

  1. Select a Schedule for this controlled area.

  2. Select an ON action.

  3. Select an OFF action.

  4. Select the box below each Alert Level that corresponds to the users in this controlled area: Low, Guarded, Elevated, High, or Severe.

     

  5. To add another Schedule line, click the button beside the first schedule line.

  6. Click Save.

 For more information regarding alerts, please refer to Alert Levels.

Door Monitor Tab

There are two Door Monitor Alarms for a controlled Door area: a Door Held Open Alarm that indicates a door being held open for a given period of time and a Door Forced Open Alarm that indicates that a door is being forced open without the use of a reader or an entry/exit device.

Enterphone tracks the status of a monitoring device and tracks the state of an entry and an exit device.  Once an event is triggered, two output actions can be activated for generating a buzzer or an alarm.

In the Door Monitor tab on the View/Edit Controlled Area screen:

Door Held Open Alarm

  1. Under Door Held Open Alarm, check the Enable box.

  2. Enter the number of seconds in the Held Open Time box before the alarm will sound.

  3. Select output in the Output 1 dropdown box; in the Action box, select Activate or Deactivate; in the Duration box, select the number of seconds the alarm will sound.

  4. Repeat Step 3 for Output 2 if necessary.

  5. Select the Schedule from the dropdown box that you would like applied to the action, or select Always On if you need the action to be enabled 24/7; check the Effective Except for this Schedule box to have the alarm sound during all schedules except this one.

  6. Check the General Alarm box if you need this action to generate an alarm in the Events tab.

  7. Check the Ack. Required box to require an acknowledgment from the AMS Server.

  8. Select a Severity level from the dropdown box: Warning, Error, Alert, Critical, or Emergency.

  9. If needed, a customized message can be added in the Instruction field that will be displayed in the log when the Alarm is triggered. The Instruction dropdown menu passes the selected instructions to the AMS Server. To create a new alarm instruction, click the Alarm Instructions link and click Add Alarm Instruction in the Actions bar.

  10. Once done, click save at the bottom of the window

Door Forced Open Alarm

  1. Under Door Forced Open Alarm, check the Enable box.

  2. Select output in the Output 1 dropdown box; in the Action box, select Activate or Deactivate; in the Duration box, select the number of seconds the alarm will sound.

  3. Repeat Step 2 for Output 2 if necessary.

  4. In the Racing box, enter the number of seconds when the door contact state change is reported before the push button bar signal reaches the system.  If Racing is set to 1, then the DFO will not fire if a REX is detected within one second of the door contact change state.

  5. In the Shunt Window box, enter the number of seconds. This option shunts the alarm when the REX opens the door (no card scan releases the door).

  6. Select the Schedule from the dropdown box that you would like applied to the action or select Always On if you need the action to be enabled 24/7; check the Effective Except for this Schedule box to have the alarm sound during all schedules except this one.

  7. Check the Generate Alarm box if you need this action to generate an alarm in the Events tab.

  8. Check the Ack. Required box to require an acknowledgment from the AMS Server.

  9. Select a Severity level from the dropdown box: Warning, Error, Alert, Critical, or Emergency.

  10. If needed, a customized message can be added in the Instruction field that will be displayed in the log when the Alarm is triggered. The Instruction dropdown menu passes the selected instructions to the AMS Server. To create a new alarm instruction, click the Alarm Instructions link and click Add Alarm Instruction in the Actions bar.

  11. Click Save.

Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab on the Controlled Areas screen contains additional configuration flags: