7. Create demo access control

Virtual Access is the access-control layer. It doesn’t open hardware by itself; it links portals, the virtual intercom, people, and invitations to underlying door entities (and optional lights for entry lighting that follow a door open).

The dashboard builds this for you. On Home, the Try OpenApp choice runs the same setup wizard described in Set up access control, in demo mode. Use Set up a company or property instead when you want a site that lasts.

Access getting started chooser, including Set up a company or property.(click to enlarge)

Close

Run the wizard

1. On Home, choose Try OpenApp.
2. Site — give the site a name (and an address if you like), then choose Create site. The site is created in demo mode automatically; there’s no toggle. A demo site is temporary and can link only to temporary demo openers, so you can’t accidentally build a real setup on resources that will be deleted.
3. Openers — choose Use an opener I already have, pick Demo door as the Opener, and Demo light as the Entry light (optional). (Use demo openers would create a fresh pair instead; this guide reuses the ones from the previous step.)
4. Doors — name the door (for example Front door) and set its Opening class to Ingress only (mechanical or listed local exit), then complete the Commissioning attestation. Choose Add this door. The wizard creates a public portal QR for every door, linked to Demo door and Demo light so a portal Open turns the light on together with the door. OpenApp won’t open a door that isn’t classified and attested; see Life safety and egress.
5. Listings — add one directory listing (for example number 12, name The Cohens) and choose Add this listing. Listings are what visitors browse in the virtual intercom.
6. People — invite yourself or a test account by email or phone, optionally assigned to that listing, and choose Invite this person.
7. Policies — set a curfew window, or choose Skip for now.
8. Done — choose Invite a guest to open the Invitations wizard for the site, pick the front-door portal and a validity window, and create the invitation. Choose Open site to see the site overview.

A portal is the public entry point, usually opened from a QR code or link. The virtual intercom is the visitor-facing directory and call surface built from your listings. An invitation is a time-bound grant that lets a guest use selected portals.

Add sample images

While you’re still in the dashboard:

• On the site, open Virtual intercom, edit the listing, and upload a photo. UI Faces has free AI-generated faces you can use for mock residents; for example, download this sample face, then upload it from the photo field.
• Open Doors, edit the front door, and upload a door image. Pixabay door images are a good source for demos; for example, download this sample door, then upload it from the image field.

If you automate the same setup with the SDK, a directory listing is an entity, so use client.entities.upload_image for listing photos and client.devices.upload_image for the portal device’s door image. Each accepts local bytes plus a content type. When the file is already at an HTTP(S) URL, use upload_image_from_url on the same sub-clients to fetch and upload in one step.

The HTTP API, SDK, and OpenApp Scripting steps later in this guide open the same door from code.

You now have a demo site whose front-door portal opens Demo door and turns on Demo light, plus a listing, a person, and an invitation. So far this has been administrator setup in a signed-in browser; you haven’t yet confirmed that a resident or visitor sees the right surfaces and that Open still reaches the demo entities. The next step walks those human paths before you drop down to raw HTTP and code.

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← Virtual opener and light · Test from the dashboard and portal →