Door cards guide, part 4: connect the encoder

This is part 4 of 6 of the Xenia door cards guide: 1. What you need and how it fits together · 2. Add the bridge in Xenia and set up your rooms · 3. Put the bridge on the hotel computer · 4. Connect the encoder · 5. Make room cards · 6. Special cards and the card register.

This part connects the real encoder. Have a blank card and your lock supplier's authorisation card (Tengo) or system card (RF) next to the encoder.

Plug the encoder in

1. Plug the encoder into the computer and switch it on. Set the computer's power-saving to "never sleep", so the bridge keeps running.

2. Open the Xenia bridge shortcut on the desktop. The setup window shows that the encoder files are in place and which encoder is chosen. They were put there by the installer, so there is nothing to copy.

Test the encoder

1. In the setup window choose Test the encoder. It pauses the bridge for a moment and tries to reach the encoder.

2. A good result says the encoder answered. A bad one says why, in plain words (see the list below).

Authorise the encoder, once

A new encoder does nothing until it has read your hotel's authorisation card. This is done from Xenia, once per encoder.

1. Open Door locks in Xenia. The bridge must be Online.

2. Put the supplier's card on the encoder.

3. Choose Authorisation card (Tengo) or Read the system card (RF and Pulmos).

4. Xenia waits for the encoder, then shows Done and the hotel identifier read from the card.

Read a blank card

1. Put a blank card on the encoder and, under Card tools, choose Read the card.

2. Xenia shows Done, the card's number, and Kind: Blank card.

A card that has been written shows its Kind (for example Guest card), its Rooms and its Valid from and Valid until. Read is also the way to find out what a card you found in a drawer is.

What the messages mean

• Put a blank card on the encoder. There is no card on the reader, or it is not a blank card.

• No encoder answered. Check that it is plugged in and switched on.

• The encoder port could not be opened. Another program is holding it. Close the desktop Xenia program.

• The encoder library was not found. The installer could not put them in place, usually because it was not run as an administrator. Run the installer again and choose Yes when Windows asks.

• It must be the 32-bit library. The files are the wrong kind.

• The encoder has no authorisation card information. Do the authorisation step above.

• Timed out. The bridge is not running or is offline. Open the Xenia bridge shortcut and choose Restart.

Erasing is safe

Erase the card makes the card on the encoder blank again so it can be reused. Xenia asks you to confirm first, because whatever card is on the encoder stops opening doors. Always read a card before you erase it.

Check it survives a restart

The installer made the bridge a Windows service, so it starts with the computer and keeps going when nobody is logged in. Its sign-in is saved on the computer, so you do not add a new bridge after a restart.

1. Restart the computer and wait a minute.

2. Open Door locks in Xenia. The bridge is Online without anyone starting anything.

3. Read a blank card once more to be sure the encoder works from the service too.

For a technician

The setup window can be skipped. On the encoder computer, in a command window run as administrator: Xenia.LockBridge.exe install W9YN-AFQ2-6CPU with your code. The same file also takes status, uninstall and test. To remove the bridge, use Remove in the setup window, or uninstall on the command line.

Next: Part 5: make room cards.