When you receive a Watchmark access panel, the first thing to do is check the serial number and make sure it's already associated with your account - you can do that by logging in and checking the Doors dashboard.

The access panel consists of a two circuit boards - the back plate is wired to the lock, doorbell, sensors, etc, and the main board connects into the back plate. It's designed this way so that if it's ever necessary to replace a unit, you don't have to undo and redo all the wiring - simply swap out main boards and leave the existing backplate with all the tricky wiring alone.

You'll want to install the panel reasonably near the door on the secure side of the access boundary - it needs to be fairly close to the door so that it can connect outside the secure space to users' phones via Bluetooth and grant them access.

Assuming Bluetooth functionality is important to you, you'll want to take into account any brick or metal walls that might interfere with the connection between users' phones and the access panel - if there's any doubt, it might be worth plugging the panel in and testing your chosen location before the final install.

Minimal installation

At its most basic, the access panel needs two things:

Ethernet with PoE

The access panel needs to be plugged into an ethernet cable that runs to a switch/router connected to the internet

either the switch/router needs to be power-over-ethernet (PoE) enabled OR
you can plug the cable into a PoE injector, and then plug the injector into a non-PoE switch/router

Electric Lock

To have two wires run from the access panel to an electric lock

Typically the lock is an electric strike is installed in the door frame OR
It could also be a magnetic device holding the door closed as long as power is supplied

The Watchmark unit is capable of providing power to electric strikes in low-to-medium traffic situations. However, in the case of magnetic locks or extremely high-traffic scenarios (where the door is almost continuously held open for extended periods of time), you'll need to give the maglock/strike its own power supply, and simply have Watchmark open and close the circuit without providing power.

There are many other wires/sensors the access panel supports but that's the most basic - that minimal installation would be capable of being opened via the internet or the mobile app, but would lack keypad code/badge scanning access.

Additional connections

Watchmark access panels can connect to several other components to build your ideal access control system - none of these are required but most installations will use at least some of them.

Keypad

Many installations will need a Wiegand compatible keypad installed so that door access can be granted through Keypad Codes (and often the keypad will also read RFID Badges).

This is especially important for doors you want vendors/delivery drivers/cleaning companies to use - they won't necessarily be willing to install an app to open doors, but most have internal systems in place to keep track of keypad codes to access facilities and share them between their drivers/employees on each shift who need to access your building.

To connect a keypad, you'll need to run the following wires between the access panel and your keypad:

Power and ground
1. The access panel has a switch on the back to output either 5v either 12v to your keypad
2. Please make sure to select the proper output for your particular keypad!
Data 0 and Data 1 - these are the signal wires that will push Wiegand data from the keypad to the access panel (please use at least 18ga shielded wire, properly grounded on the panel end, to avoid RF interference on the data wires).

Doorbell

Watchmark access panels are capable monitoring a doorbell button (sometimes built into keypads and sometimes installed standalone) and then playing a doorbell sound through an internal speaker.

Alternately, the internal speaker can be removed and the access panel can push a signal to an external wall/ceiling speaker - however, in that case you'll most likely want to use an amplified speaker to avoid damaging the access panel (which is only capable of minimal amplification and can be damaged by trying to play through a large speaker).

The doorbell sensor wiring is a simple open/closed loop consisting of two wires - the order of the wires doesn't matter.

Don't attempt to wire a doorbell that requires power to the access panel, as this will damage it - you need to use a simple "dry" open/closed contact switch with no current draw.

If your keypad has a doorbell output, it will probably just be one wire, since the keypad already has a ground connection - in this case, just connect the unused Doorbell terminal on the Watchmark access panel to ground.

Door Position Sensor

This monitors whether your door is open/closed and can optionally trigger an alert/alarm if it's left open too long.

The door position sensor wiring is a simple open/closed loop consisting of two wires - the order of the wires doesn't matter.

Lock Position Sensor

This monitors whether your lock is locked/unlocked and can optionally trigger an alert/alarm if it's left unlocked at the wrong times.

The lock position sensor wiring is a simple open/closed loop consisting of two wires - the order of the wires doesn't matter.

Tamper Sensor

A tamper sensor can be installed behind your keypad and trigger an alert/alarm if someone pulls your keypad off the wall.

The tamper sensor wiring is a simple open/closed loop consisting of two wires - the order of the wires doesn't matter.

Request to Exit

A request to exit device is a button or motion sensor installed above the door on the secure side that unlocks the door and allows users to exit the secure area. It's not required if you follow our recommended setup (since we always recommend a mechanical egress method rather than being dependent on electronics), but some installations will require it.

The request to exit wiring is a simple open/closed loop consisting of two wires - the order of the wires doesn't matter. You can even wire multiple request-to-exit devices in parallel so that if any of the loops close the door will be unlocked.

Take extreme care wiring the request to exit sensor, since any grounding/wiring issues can accidentally unlock your door!

Installing the access panel Print