How Kiosks Work

This guide explains how it all fits together. For one job at a time, the short articles in this topic have the exact steps.

Pair a Kiosk

Install the Agoo Kiosk app, pair it to a site and gate with a code from the Console, choose kiosk or guard mode, and lock the device to Agoo.

A kiosk is a tablet or phone running the Agoo Kiosk app, paired to one gate at one site. Pairing takes a couple of minutes and doesn't need anyone to sign in on the device: the kiosk gets its own secure identity, which you can revoke from the Console at any time.

Agoo Kiosk is for iPad and iPhone, and for Android tablets and phones. On Android, download it from the apps page and install it (the device asks once to allow installing from your browser); it will move to Google Play later. On iPad and iPhone, it's on its way to the App Store, and until then Agoo's team tells early-access organisations how to install it. The first time it opens, a short intro shows what it does, then it asks for the pairing code.

Before You Start

• A supported device. Any iPad or iPhone on iPadOS or iOS 26 or later, or an Android tablet or phone on Android 8.0 or later. See Hardware for recommendations.
• A device passcode. Set one in Settings → Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode). The kiosk keeps what it needs offline in storage the passcode encrypts, and Guided Access needs it too. On Android, set a screen lock (a PIN or password) in Settings → Security; unpinning the app asks for it.
• A network connection for pairing and its first sync. After that, the kiosk works offline too.
• A place for it. A stand at the counter or by the gate, near a power socket.
• Room on your plan. Each paired device counts towards your plan's kiosks and devices.

The Agoo Workspace app on staff phones doesn't count as a device; it belongs to the person signed in.

Pair the Device

1. 1

   Install Agoo Kiosk

   Install Agoo Kiosk on the tablet or phone: from the apps page on Android, or the way Agoo's team shows you on iPad and iPhone. Open it and allow the camera when asked; the kiosk uses it for visitor photos and to scan QR passes.

2. 2

   Create a pairing code in the Console

   Go to Console → Devices → Pair a device. Under What is it?, choose A tablet or phone; A computer's browser is for a kiosk on a computer. Then choose:

   Option	Choose
   Site	Where the device is: "Ridge HQ".
   Gate	Which entrance: "Lobby".
   Mode	Kiosk mode for visitors to use themselves, Guard mode for staff at a gate, or Clock-in only for staff clocking in. See below.
   Name	Something your team will recognise in alerts and reports: "Lobby iPad".

   Select Create code. The Console shows a pairing code (such as V2YS-FT1T) and a QR code, with a countdown. The code works once and runs out after 10 minutes; if it does, select New code. A device waiting to pair already holds a place on your plan; cancel it from Console → Devices if you change your mind.

3. 3

   Pair from the device

   In the Kiosk app, tap Scan the pairing code and point the camera at the QR code on your computer screen, or type the code. Letters can be typed in lower case, and the dash is optional.

   The app proves to Agoo that it's a genuine copy running on a genuine device, then shows your organisation's welcome screen. On Android it does so where the device can: one that can't still pairs, and shows as Not checked in Console → Devices. The Console notices straight away: the pairing window says the device is paired and asks for its device PIN.

4. 4

   Set a device PIN

   Set a device PIN of 4 to 8 digits, right after pairing or later from the device in Console → Devices. Staff need it to open the kiosk's device menu: press and hold the organisation's name at the top of the kiosk for two seconds (or tap Help, then Staff: device menu), and enter the PIN. The menu shows what the device is and whether it's locked to Agoo, and lets you refresh or unpair it. The kiosk checks the PIN itself, so the menu opens even offline. After five wrong tries it locks for 15 minutes, then longer.

   Don't use an easy PIN such as 1234 or 0000: Agoo won't accept it.

Choose What the Kiosk Offers

In kiosk mode, Check in is always on the welcome screen. Choose what else each kiosk offers in Console → Devices: select the device, then tick what you want under Welcome screen.

A new kiosk offers I have an invite, Check out and Staff clock-in. Choose a Feedback survey to ask visitors after they check out on the kiosk; when they answer there, the follow-up message for that visit isn't sent. The feedback stand uses the same survey. The kiosk picks up a change within a minute when it's online.

Documents your visitor types ask for, such as an NDA or site rules, are shown at check-in, and the visitor signs with a finger. Each signature is kept with the visit, like one signed from the pass.

Kiosk Mode and Guard Mode

You can switch a device between modes, rename it or move it to another entrance at its site in Console → Devices → (device). It switches within a minute when it's online. To move it to another site, unpair it and pair it there. Read more in Front desk and guard mode.

Which Camera It Scans With

Devices read passes, staff badges and IDs with the camera you choose in Console → Devices → Camera for scanning:

A device can have its own choice in Console → Devices → (device) → Camera for scanning; otherwise it follows your organisation's. Devices pick up a change within a minute when they're online.

Every camera screen on the device also has a Switch camera button. On a kiosk, the switch lasts for that visitor and the next one starts on your chosen camera again; on a guard's device, it stays until it's switched back. Visitor photos and clock-in photos always start on the front camera, with the same button to switch.

Lock the Device to Agoo

A kiosk in a public place should only ever show Agoo. Lock it down before visitors use it.

iPad and iPhone

Guided Access is built into every iPad and iPhone and needs no extra software.

1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access and turn it on.
2. Tap Passcode Settings → Set Guided Access Passcode and choose a passcode only your admins know. Don't reuse the device PIN.
3. Under Display Auto-Lock (in the Guided Access settings), choose Never, so the screen stays on.
4. Open Agoo Kiosk. Triple-click the side or top button (or the Home button on models that have one), then tap Start.

To leave Guided Access, triple-click again and enter the passcode.

If your iPads and iPhones are managed with an MDM (mobile device management) service, you can instead lock the device to Agoo Kiosk with your MDM's Single App Mode, so nobody needs to triple-click. Your MDM provider's documentation explains how to push the setting.

Android

Screen pinning (called "App pinning" or "Pin app" on some phones) is built into Android, and Agoo Kiosk starts it from its own device menu.

1. Open Settings and search for pin. On many devices it's under Security (Samsung: Security and privacy → More security settings → Pin app).
2. Turn it on, and turn on Ask for PIN before unpinning (or the similar option on your device).
3. In Agoo Kiosk, open the device menu and, under Lock-down, tap Pin Agoo Kiosk to the screen. Android asks you to confirm.

To unpin, tap Unpin in the device menu, or hold Back and Overview together and unlock the device. Menus differ between manufacturers, so the exact names may vary.

A restart unpins the app until someone pins it again. A set-up that keeps a tablet locked through restarts is planned. See Android kiosk.

Keep an Eye On Your Devices

Console → Devices lists every device with its site and entrance, whether it's online, its battery and whether it's on mains power, its connection, when it last synced, its app version and whether it was checked as a genuine app on a genuine device. A kiosk in a computer's browser is listed with its browser, its system and its address; it has no battery or sync to show. A device shows as Offline when Agoo hasn't heard from it for 15 minutes. The page updates live: a device coming back online, going offline, pairing or being paused shows within seconds, without a refresh. Check the page after a power cut, and look out for any device that has been offline for a long time. Owners, Admins and site admins pair and change devices (site admins at their own sites); receptionists, security leads and auditors can see them.

Close a Kiosk for Now

When reception is closed for lunch, a meeting or the end of the day, close the kiosk instead of switching it off. Open it in Console → Devices and select Pause, with a note if you like ("Back at 2 pm"), or use Manage → Quick switches in the Workspace app. The kiosk shows Closed for now with your note and asks visitors to go to reception, and it stays closed through a network cut. Select Open it again when you're back. Guard phones and clock-in devices aren't closed this way. Whoever pairs and changes devices can close and open them, and both are in the audit trail.

Retire a Device

To replace or retire a device, open it and select Unpair. The device immediately loses access to your organisation's data, wipes what it holds the next time it connects, and its place on your plan is freed. Staff can also unpair a device from its own device menu. Do this straight away if a device is lost or stolen.

• iPad kiosk: Recommended iPads, stands and power.
• Android kiosk: Specs, lock-down, staff cards and stands.
• Kiosk check-in: What visitors see, screen by screen.
• Offline mode: What keeps working in a network or power cut.

Hardware

The tablets, phones, computers, printers, cards and terminals Agoo works with, how many devices each plan includes, and how to order ready-made kits.

Agoo runs on the iPads, iPhones and Android tablets and phones you may already own, and a front-desk computer can be a kiosk in its web browser. You only need extra hardware for printed badges, staff cards or a dedicated attendance terminal. If you'd rather not source anything yourself, our kits arrive set up for your organisation, with Agoo Kiosk installed.

What Agoo Works With

Both apps are on the apps page: the Android apps download from there, Agoo Workspace for iPhone and iPad is on the App Store, and Agoo Kiosk for iPad and iPhone is on its way there.

Mobile clock-in on staff phones needs no hardware at all. See Attendance.

Kiosks and Devices On Each Plan

Every paired kiosk or guard device counts towards your plan, and so does a kiosk in a computer's browser. Staff phones running the Workspace app don't.

Prices exclude VAT.

Kits

Ready-made kits arrive set up for your organisation, with Agoo Kiosk installed. Once a kiosk is in place, you lock it to the screen: Guided Access on an iPad, screen pinning on an Android tablet. Prices are one-off and exclude VAT.

The attendance terminal syncs with Agoo through the ZKTeco and Hikvision integration, which is planned, so it ships when that integration arrives. See NFC and terminals.

Order a Kit

There's no online checkout. Kits are supplied under a written quote, as the terms describe.

1. 1

   Ask for a quote

   Tell us which kits you need, how many, and for which sites: through the contact form, by email to hello@agoohq.com or by phone on +233 30 398 3393. Ask about NFC cards and tags for your staff at the same time.

2. 2

   Accept the quote

   The quote sets out the price (excluding VAT) and delivery. Hardware is invoiced separately from your plan.

3. 3

   Receive your kits

   Kits arrive set up for your organisation, ready to pair. Check them on delivery and tell us within 7 days if anything is damaged or missing.

Paying for hardware over time, such as a 24-month plan with replacement included, is planned.

Setup Help

Choosing Hardware

• Start with what you have. An iPad or a mid-range Android tablet on a stand is a complete front desk. So is the computer already on the desk, as a kiosk in its browser, where the connection is steady.

• One device per entrance. Put a kiosk or guard device at every gate people use, including the exit if it's separate. Gates are free; only devices count.

• Plan for power cuts. Kiosks keep working offline, but a tablet with a flat battery doesn't. Keep each kiosk charging, and put your router and printer on a UPS. See Offline mode.

• Buy a printer only if you need badges. Many offices manage with on-screen badges and passes on visitors' phones.

• iPad kiosk: Which iPad, stands, power and lock-down.

• Android kiosk: What the app does, recommended specs and lock-down.

• Offline mode: What works during dumsor.

Android Kiosk

Which Android tablets and phones run Agoo Kiosk, what the app does, how to set a device up, pinning it to the screen, staff cards over NFC, stands and power.

Most tablets in Ghana run Android, and Agoo is built to run well on affordable ones. Agoo Kiosk for Android runs on tablets and phones with Android 8.0 or later, with the same screens as the iPad and iPhone app, online or offline.

Download it from the apps page and install it: the device asks once to allow installing from your browser. It will move to Google Play later.

What the App Does

Everything the iPad and iPhone app does, on a tablet at the desk or a phone at the gate:

The kiosk doesn't match faces or print badges, on Android or on iPad and iPhone: visitors show the pass on their phone, and staff clock in with a badge, a PIN or a card.

Recommended Specs

Agoo Kiosk has a layout for phones and one for tablets, upright or on their side, in light and dark.

A phone works well for guard mode at a gate: something with a good back camera for scanning passes and plates, and a battery that lasts a shift.

Set Up the Tablet

Do this before you pair it.

1. Update Android to the latest version the device offers.
2. Set a screen lock (a PIN or password) in Settings → Security. Unpinning the app asks for it.
3. If the tablet is signed in to a Google account, use one that belongs to your organisation, not someone's personal one.
4. Turn off notifications from other apps, so nothing pops up over the check-in screens.
5. Turn on Find My Device or your manufacturer's equivalent, in case it goes missing.
6. Download Agoo Kiosk from the apps page, allow the install when the tablet asks, and open it.

Agoo Kiosk keeps the screen on while it's open, so there's no screen timeout to change. The first time a screen needs the camera, the kiosk says what it's for and Android asks you to allow it.

Kiosk Lock-Down

A kiosk in a public place should only ever show Agoo. Pin it before visitors use it.

Screen pinning

Android's built-in screen pinning (called "App pinning" or "Pin app" on some devices) keeps Agoo Kiosk on screen until someone unpins it.

1. Open Settings and search for pin. Turn app pinning on, and turn on Ask for PIN before unpinning (or the similar option on your device), so unpinning needs the device's screen lock.
2. In Agoo Kiosk, open the device menu: press and hold your organisation's name at the top for two seconds and enter the device PIN.
3. Under Lock-down, tap Pin Agoo Kiosk to the screen. Android asks you to confirm.

The device menu then shows that the kiosk is pinned. To unpin it, tap Unpin in the device menu, or hold Back and Overview together and unlock the device. Menus differ between manufacturers, so the exact names may vary.

A restart (for example, after the battery runs flat in a long power cut) unpins the app until someone pins it again. Check each kiosk when the power comes back.

Full lock-down

Setting a tablet up as a dedicated device, which stays locked to Agoo Kiosk through restarts with nobody pinning it again, isn't available yet: a managed device can be locked to one app, but there's no set-up guide for Agoo Kiosk. Until then, use screen pinning.

Our Kiosk Lite kit arrives set up for your organisation with Agoo Kiosk installed. Pin it to the screen from the device menu once it's in place, and again after a restart, like any pinned tablet.

Staff Cards

An Android tablet or phone with NFC reads staff cards for clock-in: the employee taps Staff clock-in, chooses Tap your card and holds the card where the kiosk shows. The kiosk recognises the card itself, even offline.

Many budget tablets don't have NFC. If you plan to use staff cards, check the specification before you buy, or use an NFC-capable phone at the staff entrance. On a device without NFC, staff use their badge or PIN. See NFC and terminals.

Stands and Power

• Stands: a lockable desk stand that tilts the screen towards the visitor and leaves the front camera clear, or a floor stand for lobbies without a counter. The Kiosk Lite kit includes a desk stand.

• Placement: away from direct sunlight and with the light in front of the visitor, not behind them.

• Charging: keep the tablet on charge all day, with the manufacturer's charger. Cheap chargers often can't keep up with a screen that's always on.

• Battery care: if your tablet has a battery protection setting that stops charging at about 85% (Samsung calls it Protect battery), turn it on. A tablet kept at 100% for months wears its battery faster.

• Backup power: put the charger, router and printer on a UPS or inverter if you have one. Check battery levels in Console → Devices after a power cut.

• Pair a kiosk: Connect the tablet to a site and gate.

• NFC and terminals: Staff cards and attendance terminals.

• Offline mode: What keeps working in a network or power cut.

iPad Kiosk

Which iPad to use, how to set it up, stands and enclosures, power, and locking it to Agoo with Guided Access or an MDM.

Agoo Kiosk for iPad and iPhone is on its way to the App Store. Until then, Agoo's team tells early-access organisations how to install it; the apps page has both apps. An iPad makes a polished front desk: a good front camera for photos and ID scans, a bright screen, and a lock-down mode built in.

Which iPad

To check the iPadOS version, open Settings → General → About. An iPhone works well for guard mode at a gate.

Set Up the iPad

Do this before you pair it.

1. Use a dedicated Apple Account for your organisation's kiosks, not someone's personal one.
2. Turn on automatic app updates in Settings → App Store once Agoo Kiosk is on the App Store, so it stays current. Until then, Agoo's team shows you how to keep it up to date.
3. Turn off notifications from other apps in Settings → Notifications, so nothing pops up over the check-in screens.
4. Turn on Find My in Settings → (your name) → Find My, in case the iPad goes missing.
5. Set brightness high enough for your lobby. Turn off True Tone and Night Shift if your brand colours look wrong.
6. Install Agoo Kiosk the way Agoo's team shows you, until it's on the App Store, and allow camera access.

Lock It to Agoo

Guided Access keeps the iPad on Agoo Kiosk until someone with the passcode ends it. Set its Display Auto-Lock to Never so the screen stays on. The steps are in Pair a kiosk.

If you manage your iPads with Apple Business Manager and an MDM service, use your MDM's Single App Mode instead. The iPad stays locked to Agoo Kiosk even after a restart, with no triple-click needed. Kiosk Pro kits arrive set up for your organisation; turn on Guided Access once the iPad is in place.

Stands and Enclosures

• Desk stand for a reception counter: choose one that locks the iPad in, tilts towards the visitor, and leaves the front camera uncovered.
• Floor stand or enclosure for a lobby without a counter, or a public-facing entrance: it hides the buttons and ports, and puts the screen at a comfortable height for someone standing. The Kiosk Pro kit includes one.
• Height and angle: the visitor should see their face in the camera frame without bending. Test it with your shortest and tallest colleagues.
• Light: avoid placing the screen facing a window. Glare makes the screen hard to read and backlit faces make poor photos.
• Security: a stand bolted to the counter, or a security cable, stops the iPad walking off.

Power

• Keep the iPad charging all the time, with an Apple or good-quality USB-C charger and a cable long enough to reach without strain.

• Put the charger on a UPS or inverter if you have one, along with your router.

• Check battery levels in Console → Devices after a power cut. A full iPad runs Agoo for several hours on battery, enough to cover most outages.

• Pair a kiosk: Connect the iPad to a site and gate.

• Offline mode: What keeps working in a network or power cut.

Set Up a Kiosk On a Computer

Turn a front-desk computer into a kiosk in its web browser, pair it with a code from the Console, keep it full screen, and know what it can and can't do next to the Kiosk apps.

Many receptions already have a computer on the desk. Agoo Kiosk in a web browser turns that computer into a kiosk: visitors check in, show a pass and check out on it, couriers log parcels, and staff can clock in (and start and end their breaks, where your organisation has break punches on). There's nothing to install. You open your organisation's kiosk address in the browser and pair it with a code from the Console.

It sits beside the Agoo Kiosk apps for iPad, iPhone and Android, the Console's walk-in form and your check-in posters. It replaces none of them.

When to Choose It

What You Need

• A current browser: Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox, kept up to date.
• A steady connection: wired, or Wi-Fi that holds.
• A keyboard and mouse, or a touch screen. Signatures are drawn with the mouse or a finger.
• A webcam, only if you want it: for visitors' photos, photos of an ID (never a Ghana Card) or a document, scanning passes and clock-in selfies. Everything else works without one.
• The right date and time. Leave the computer's clock on automatic. A kiosk whose clock is more than a few minutes out can't reach Agoo.
• Room on your plan. A kiosk in a browser takes one of your plan's kiosks and devices, like a tablet. It's on every plan, at no extra price.

Pair the Computer

1. 1

   Create a pairing code in the Console

   Go to Console → Devices → Pair a device. Under What is it?, choose A computer's browser, then:

   Option	Choose
   Site	Where the computer is: "Ridge HQ".
   Gate	Which entrance: "Lobby".
   Mode	Kiosk mode for visitors to use themselves, or Clock-in only for staff clocking in.
   Name	Something your team will recognise in alerts and reports: "Front desk computer".

   Select Create code. The Console shows a pairing code (such as V2YS-FT1T) and your organisation's kiosk address. The code works once and runs out after 10 minutes; if it does, select New code. A device waiting to pair already holds a place on your plan; cancel it from Console → Devices if you change your mind.

   A code made for a computer's browser pairs only a browser, and a code made for the app pairs only the app.

2. 2

   Open the kiosk address on that computer

   On the front-desk computer, open the address the Console shows. It's your organisation's own address with /k at the end, such as https://voltabank.agoohq.com/k, or your own domain with /k.

   The page says this browser isn't paired yet and asks for the code. If the kiosk is a tablet's browser, scan the QR code the Console shows with the tablet instead: the page opens with the code filled in.

3. 3

   Type the code

   Type the pairing code. Letters can be typed in lower case, and the dash is optional. The browser makes a key that it keeps for itself and can't hand over, and from then on Agoo only listens to that browser on that computer.

   Your welcome screen appears, with your logo and colours as your plan allows, in light or dark to match the computer. In Console → Devices the computer shows as paired, with its browser and system, and as Online while Agoo hears from it.

4. 4

   Set a device PIN

   Set a device PIN of 4 to 8 digits for the computer in Console → Devices, right after pairing or later. Staff need it to open the kiosk's staff menu. Don't use an easy PIN such as 1234 or 0000: Agoo won't accept it.

Make It a Proper Kiosk

A kiosk in a public place should show Agoo and nothing else. Agoo can't lock the computer itself: a web page can't stop someone closing the browser or switching to another program. The browser and the computer can, in these ways.

Also worth doing:

• Stop the screen sleeping: set the display to stay on in the computer's power settings.
• Turn off pop-ups from other programs: updates and chat notifications shouldn't appear over a visitor's details.
• Don't clear the browser's data. The kiosk's identity lives in that browser's storage. If it's cleared, or the browser is set to clear everything when it closes, the kiosk has to be paired again.

Allow the Camera

The first time a screen needs the camera, the kiosk says what it's for and the browser asks for permission. Choose Allow for this site, and choose to remember it if the browser offers. The browser asks once.

To change it later, select the icon beside the address in the address bar (a padlock or a settings icon) and set Camera to Allow, or look under the browser's settings for site permissions. In the browser's kiosk mode there's no address bar, so allow the camera before you lock the computer down.

Of your organisation's visitor pages, only the kiosk's page may use the camera.

The Staff Menu

To open the staff menu, press and hold the kiosk's name at the foot of the screen for two seconds, or select Staff beside it, then enter the device PIN. Agoo checks the PIN, so the menu needs a connection. After five wrong tries it locks for 15 minutes, then longer.

The menu lets staff:

• turn full screen on or off;
• check the connection again;
• see the kiosk's version;
• unpair this browser, which asks for the PIN again.

What Visitors Can Do

In kiosk mode, Check in is always on the welcome screen. Choose what else the kiosk offers in Console → Devices → (device), under Welcome screen, as for a tablet.

Who a visitor is here to see follows the visitor type: one person, several people, a team, or no one in particular. See Who a visit is for.

After check-in the kiosk says Welcome, or Please take a seat when someone has to let the visitor in. It never says why: a host being asked, a security review and reception being needed all look the same.

If you share your guest Wi-Fi on kiosks, Welcome also shows a code the visitor's phone camera joins with in one scan, with the network's name and password, and stays up for 30 seconds so there's time to scan it. Please take a seat never shows it: the Wi-Fi comes once they're let in, on their pass.

Your watchlist, your site's walk-in rules, host approvals, visitor counting and the audit trail apply exactly as they do on a tablet.

When reception is closed, close the kiosk for now from Console → Devices: it says Closed for now, with your note.

Privacy at a Public Screen

A front-desk computer is shared and in plain view, so the kiosk is careful with what it shows and keeps.

• Names are short. Finding an invitation, checking out and staff clock-in show nothing until three letters are typed, then only a first name and an initial, such as "Ama O.".
• The screen forgets. After a minute or so untouched, the kiosk asks "Still there?" and, if nobody answers, clears everything and returns to the welcome screen.
• Nothing a visitor types is kept on the computer. Details, answers, signatures and photos go to Agoo and aren't saved in the browser. All the browser keeps is the kiosk's own identity and how it's displayed.
• The page isn't saved by the browser for reading back later.

What It Can't Do

Next to the Agoo Kiosk apps, a kiosk in a browser:

• works online only: nothing is saved to send later;
• has no guard mode: a gate device is the app, with each guard signed in;
• doesn't take staff badges, badges on phones or cards: staff clock in by name and PIN;
• doesn't read IDs or number plates itself: a Ghana Card's number is typed and the card is never photographed; another ID's number is typed, and the ID photographed if you ask;
• doesn't print badges;
• logs parcels online only: the Delivery button needs a connection, and the kiosk reads labels only when your organisation has reading labels with Agoo AI on;
• can't lock the computer down: use the browser's kiosk mode or full screen.

If Something Goes Wrong

Retire a Kiosk

Open the computer in Console → Devices and select Unpair, or use Unpair this browser in the staff menu. The browser stops being a kiosk at once and its place on your plan is freed. Do this straight away if the computer is lost, stolen or passed on.

Turn Browser Kiosks Off

Kiosks in a browser are allowed by default. Owners and Admins can turn them off for the whole organisation in Console → Settings → Security, under Kiosks in a browser, with the Allow kiosks in a browser switch. While it's off, no browser can be added or paired, and browsers already paired show that they aren't in use. The Agoo Kiosk apps aren't affected. The change is in the audit trail.

• Pair a kiosk: The Agoo Kiosk app on a tablet or phone.
• Kiosk check-in: What visitors see, screen by screen.
• Clock-in methods: How staff clock in at a kiosk or on a phone.
• Offline mode: What the apps keep doing in a network or power cut.

NFC and Terminals

Use NFC staff cards and tags on the kiosk, plan for attendance terminals, and connect doors, turnstiles and barriers.

The kiosk can do more than check visitors in. With NFC, staff tap a card to clock in and regular visitors tap to check in. Dedicated attendance terminals and door integrations extend Agoo to staff entrances, turnstiles and vehicle barriers.

NFC Cards and Tags

NFC cards, key fobs and stickers can be linked to a person in Agoo. Holding one to the kiosk then:

• clocks a member of staff in or out, on an iPhone kiosk or an Android kiosk with NFC, or
• checks a recurring visitor in or out, such as a cleaner or driver with a standing pass (planned).

To clock in by card, the employee taps Staff clock-in (or Clock in or out on a clock-in-only device), chooses Tap your card and holds the card near the top of an iPhone, or where the kiosk shows on an Android device. The kiosk recognises the card itself, even offline, and nothing is sent to check it.

Which readers

Which cards

Use 13.56 MHz NFC cards or tags (the kind phones and tablets can read, such as MIFARE cards). Many staff ID cards are already this type, so you may be able to reuse them.

Link a card to a person

1. Open the person in Console → People and, under Clock-in, select Link a card.
2. Type the card's number. It's printed on many cards; if it isn't, hold the card to a phone with an NFC reader app, which shows it (for example 04:A2:2B:1C:33:5E:80).
3. Select Link the card. It works on every iPhone kiosk, and every Android kiosk with NFC, at the person's sites from their next sync.

When a card is lost, open the person and select Unlink next to it. It stops working at once, and the next sync reaches kiosks that were offline. Clocking in by card is switched on in Console → Settings → Organisation → Clock-in methods, or for one site under Settings → Sites; see Clock-in methods.

Doors, Turnstiles and Barriers

Agoo can open a door, turnstile or vehicle barrier when a visit is approved or a pass is scanned, so the guard doesn't have to.

Door and barrier integrations are usually done with your security installer. Plan them per gate: each gate in Console → Settings → Sites can have its own door or barrier.

• Clock-in methods: QR, PIN, NFC and geofence, by plan.
• Android kiosk: Choosing a tablet with NFC.
• Developers: Webhooks and the REST API for integrators.

Offline Mode

What keeps working on the kiosk and guard devices during network and power cuts, how sync works when the connection returns, and how to prepare for dumsor.

Network drops and power cuts are a normal part of the working week. The Kiosk app is built for them: it saves everything on the device first and syncs when the connection returns, with the original times intact. Visitors keep checking in and staff keep clocking in, and the screen says calmly that it's offline, so nobody at the desk panics.

Offline mode is part of the Kiosk app and the Workspace app, on iPad, iPhone and Android: clocking in, showing your badge, approvals, the Desk's check-ins and check-outs, and the evacuation list. A kiosk in a computer's browser is different: it works online only and keeps nothing to send later, so where the network drops often, use the app.

VBVolta Bank

OnlineTue 30 Sep · 10:42 am

Agoo!

Welcome to Volta Bank.

Tap below to let us know you have arrived. Your host will be notified right away.

Check inVisiting someone today

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Lobby iPad · reception, Ridge HQ

Visitors · Ridge HQ

Today · Tue, 30 Sep

Online

Lobby iPadGate 2WarehouseLive

VisitorInStatus

AO

Ama Owusu

Coastline Consult · Meeting

10:38 am

On site

NA

Nii Armah

Delivery · Front desk

10:21 am

On site

YB

Yaw Boateng

Contractor · Facilities

9:02 am

Checked out

What Works Offline

How Sync Works

1. Saved on the device first. Every check-in, check-out, clock-in, feedback answer and delivery is written to the device's own storage the moment it happens, with its time and place.
2. Sent in order when the connection returns. The kiosk notices the network is back and sends everything it saved, oldest first, after uploading any photos and documents taken offline. The status at the top of the screen shows Syncing while it does, and the device menu shows how many actions are still waiting.
3. Never twice. Each action carries its own unique ID, so if a send is interrupted and retried, Agoo ignores the duplicate.
4. Original times kept. A visitor who checked in at 10:43 am appears in the Console at 10:43 am, not when the kiosk reconnected, and is marked as synced late.
5. Nothing lost quietly. If Agoo can't accept an action (the visit was cancelled meanwhile, say), it doesn't hold up the rest: they still go through, and the kiosk lists the one it couldn't send in its device menu, under Sync, for reception to record at the desk.
6. Updates flow back. Changes made elsewhere while the kiosk was offline (new hosts, cancelled visits and passes, watchlist entries, form and document changes, a new pass key) reach it as soon as it reconnects.

Console → Devices shows each device's connection and when it last synced, so you can spot a kiosk that has been offline for a while. Kiosks and guard devices also report how up to date their screening list is: when a device's list is older than your organisation's limit (24 hours by default), reception sees a quiet "screening list last updated …" notice.

Watchlist screening offline

• What's on the device. Kiosks and guard devices (never staff phones) keep one-way fingerprints of the watchlist entries for their site, in the device's secure storage. No names, phone numbers or ID numbers from the watchlist are on the device. Only plans that include the watchlist get it.
• What's checked. A walk-in's name, phone number and any ID number recorded; an expected visitor's or pass holder's name.
• A match offline is handled like one online: the visitor sees a neutral "Please take a seat. Someone from reception will be with you shortly.", the host isn't told, and reception and security are alerted as soon as the check-in reaches Agoo, which screens it again.
• A match the device missed (a misspelt name, or an entry added since its last sync) is found when the check-in reaches Agoo. The visit is flagged as having entered while offline, and security is alerted at once.
• Removing someone from the watchlist removes them from every device at its next sync. Unpairing a device, or wiping it remotely, deletes the copy, and a revoked device's keys are replaced.

When Two Devices Disagree

Offline devices can't see what other devices are doing, so occasionally two records overlap. Agoo keeps both on the visit's timeline and resolves them predictably:

Preparing for Dumsor

• Keep kiosks charging. A tablet on charge starts a power cut with a full battery. Check battery levels in Console → Devices after long outages.

• Back up the router. A small UPS or inverter for the router keeps check-ins syncing through most cuts.

• Have a second connection. A tablet with a data SIM, or a mobile Wi-Fi device, keeps the kiosk online when the office internet goes down with the power.

• Lock down so restarts don't matter. If a battery runs flat, a fully locked-down kiosk (an iPad with MDM) comes back to Agoo on its own. With Guided Access, or screen pinning on Android, someone needs to lock it again.

• Check the load-shedding timetable. If an outage is due during your morning rush, make sure devices are charged beforehand.

• Practise. Run the offline test from the go-live checklist every few months, so new staff know what offline looks like.

• Roll call: The evacuation list kept on staff phones.

• Clock-in methods: Offline clock-ins and tamper flags.

• Pair a kiosk: Lock-down options for iPad and Android.