To perform the BlinkUp process, you will need physical access to the inside board of Kisi devices and our iOS or Android app.
Always run BlinkUp with the screen facing away from you and towards the device being configured, especially if you suffer from a medical condition that makes you susceptible to strobing light.
In this article we will cover:
- What is BlinkUp?
- BlinkUp the Kisi devices from iOS
- BlinkUp the Kisi devices from Android
- What can cause BlinkUp to fail?
What is BlinkUp?
BlinkUp is the process of transmitting your wired or wireless network credentials to the Kisi Controller and Readers. Both the Kisi Controller and Readers have a photosensor in the PCB and a status LED, as shown below:
When performing a BlinkUp, your phone screen will rapidly flash between maximum and minimum brightness at a fixed rate. The photosensor on the Controller and Reader PCB interprets the optical signal — a sequence of flashes — and converts it back into useful information.
There are 3 types of BlinkUp processes in Kisi:
- Connect over Wi-Fi & Ethernet: This option allows you to connect your Kisi device over Wi-Fi and Ethernet. If your device does not have Ethernet, this will only set up Wi-Fi. Ethernet, if available, will always be the preferred connection for your device.
- Connect over Ethernet only: This option allows you to connect your Kisi device over Ethernet only.
- Clear configuration: This option will reset your Kisi device's internet connection settings. If you are having trouble connecting your Kisi device to the internet, try clearing these settings first.
Only Kisi Pro devices support 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks. Older Kisi devices connect exclusively to 2.4 GHz networks. Please contact your internal network or IT administrator for details on your network settings.
BlinkUp the Kisi devices from iOS
The steps to BlinkUp are:
- Confirm that the status LED in the Kisi device is blinking. If it is not, you need to restart the device.
- Open the Kisi mobile app and click on Settings (
)
- Click on Admin Dashboard
- Select Connect Kisi Devices
- Click OK, Let's Get Started
- Choose from the options 3 BlinkUp options available (connect over Wi-Fi and Ethernet, Ethernet only or clear device connection). If you select the option to connect over Wi-Fi, you will be prompted to select the Wi-Fi network and enter the password. You can also connect your devices to Wi-Fi using WPS
- Click on Start BlinkUp Now and you will see a 3 seconds countdown
- Hold your phone screen to the BlinkUp sensor in the Kisi device to begin the process. Once it ends your phone will vibrate
BlinkUp the Kisi devices from Android
The steps to BlinkUp are:
- Confirm that the status LED in the Kisi device is blinking. If it is not, you need to restart the device.
- Open the Kisi mobile app and click on a place
- Click on the building icon and select Admin Dashboard
- Click Connect Kisi Devices
- Click OK, Let's Get Started
- Choose from the options 3 BlinkUp options available (connect over Wi-Fi and Ethernet, Ethernet only or clear device connection). If you select the option to connect over Wi-Fi, you will be prompted to select the Wi-Fi network and enter the password. You can also connect your devices to Wi-Fi using WPS
- Click on Start BlinkUp Now and you will see a 3 seconds countdown
- Hold your phone screen to the BlinkUp sensor in the Kisi device to begin the process. Once it ends your phone will vibrate
Once the BlinkUp is complete, please refer to the Kisi mobile app for confirmation of status. As a general rule, the LED status has to blink green at least once after the BlinkUp otherwise the BlinkUp was not successful and we suggest repeating the process.
The BlinkUp status LED will also show you the progress of the device’s attempt to connect to the network. The LED status color patterns are:
What can cause BlinkUp to fail?
There are several reasons that can cause the BlinkUp process to fail. Below are some of the most common reasons and solutions.
- Incorrect Wi-Fi network and/or password: if you are connecting your devices to Wi-Fi, please double-check that you have selected the correct WiFi network and entered the correct password. Make sure your mobile OS has not auto-capitalized the first letter of your Wi-Fi password — passwords and SSIDs are case-sensitive. Also, please check our Network Settings and ensure all the correct ports are whitelisted in a corporate proxy/firewall.
- Incorrect positioning of the mobile phone: when performing the BlinkUp, make sure to keep your phone screen as close as possible to the BlinkUp sensor in the Kisi Controller and/or Reader. Additionally, ensure your phone and Kisi device remain as stationary as possible during BlinkUp. Your phone screen should be turned towards the device, parallel to and facing the sensor (as shown below):
- Bright and/or unusual lighting conditions: to perform the BlinkUp successfully, please ensure you do not BlinkUp in bright lighting conditions (eg. outdoors, under direct sunlight) or under unusual lighting conditions (eg. strobing lights). If you are performing a BlinkUp for an outdoor Kisi Reader, please create a shadow area around the Reader.
After reviewing the above recommendations, please try to perform the BlinkUp again. If you are still running into any trouble, please contact Kisi Support for guidance.