eVisitor Frequently Asked Questions




OVERVIEW

What is a Visitor Management System (VMS)?

Visitor management refers to tracking the visitors entering a building or site. By gathering increasing amounts of information, a Visitor management system can record the usage of the facilities by specific visitors and provide documentation of visitor’s whereabouts.  The main components are:
  • Visitor registration
  • Visitor badge printing
  • Visitor reporting



What is eVisitor?
eVisitor is the state-of-the-art cloud-based Visitor Management System that is easy to use and affordable by the leading Visitor Management company in the world, THRESHOLD.  It is designed to be very easy to use, yet flexible enough to make it your own.




GETTING STARTED

What do I need to run eVisitor?
A windows computer with high speed internet access is all you need to run eVisitor.  eVisitor has a small app which connects your computer to our cloud-based system (more info).



How long does it take to get started with eVisitor?
Installation and basic training typically takes less than 30 minutes.  With overnight shipping of your equipment, we can get you up and running tomorrow.  Installation, training and support is provided remotely.




How secure is eVisitor?
  • eVisitor is housed at one of the largest Data Warehouses in the world.
  • eVisitor uses 256-bit SSL data encryption technology to move data through the internet.  This is the same technology as on-line banking systems.
  • We store as little personal information as possible in eVisitorPass.
  • The driver's license number is encrypted with an irreversible encryption.  Not even we can un-encrypt it.
  • There are no credit card numbers or other broadly-valuable information stored in the system.



My office only has Macintosh computers.  Can we run eVisitor?
Some solutions that our customers have implemented include:
  • Run a virtual windows computer inside your MAC.  Oracle's Virtual Box is a good solution.  (more info)
  • Remote into a Windows terminal
  • Partition the Mac hard drive for Windows with Apple's Boot Camp.
  • Obtain a Windows computer.  See our low cost solution (more info)





FEATURES

Will eVisitor read a driver's license?
Yes, eVisitor will read your visitor's information from a driver's license or State issued ID using one our Driver's License Readers.  Click here for ID scanners.
eVisitor reads IDs that follow the AAMVA standard which is most licenses in the USA as well as a number of other countries.


Will eVisitor read a passport?
Yes, with the optional passport reader eVisitor will read an international passport.


Will eVisitor show a picture of my visitor?
Yes, eVisitor can read a picture from a driver's license or take a current picture from a camera. Reading the picture from a driver's license is usually a lower quality picture.


Will eVisitor print a visitor badge?
Yes, we have a large variety of badges for eVisitor.  Click here to see your choices. 


Will eVisitor remember a returning visitor?
Yes, eVisitor will remember a visitor's Name, Company, Photo and Alert status.


How do I issue visitor passes during off-hours when the receptionist is not in?  What if my internet connection is down or my computer breaks?
We recommend you purchase a manual registry book (learn more) to use for off-hours or when your computer is not working.  When the attendant is next in, he/she may log the registry book entries into eVisitor so you have a complete electronic record of your visitors.


Can I have more than one computer running eVisitor?
Yes, eVisitor supports multiple terminals.  You may have as many terminals as you want (more info).  They can be located anywhere (next to each other, or in another state).  Each sign-in or sign-out terminal requires a software license.  You may run eVisitor on a back-office terminal for reporting and pre-registration.


What can I customize in eVisitor?
  • Logo
  • Visitor Categories
  • Hosts (The "Visiting" list)
  • Badge layout including photo or no-photo.
  • Visitor alerts (flags), Visitor alert notes.


Can I pre-register a visitor?
Yes, the eVisitor attendant can pre-register a visitor into the system for a future visit.  Employees can email the eVisitor attendant with pre-registration requests.  You can pre-print the badges and just scan the visitor in when they arrive.


What kind of reports can I get?
eVisitor provides flexible reporting options.  The four basic report layouts which can be filtered for a specific date-range include:
  • Visitors Log - of all visitors or a single type of visitor.
  • Single visitors detail
  • Evacuation list
  • Flagged visitors list
Standard reports can be:
  • Printed to your printer
  • Sent to Excel for analysis
  • Sent to Word or PDF for archiving or sharing.


How do I add a visitor to the watch list?
To flag a visitor:

  • Bring up the visitor (like you are going to give them a badge)
  • Double Click on the photo area
  • On the lower left corner, you can set a red, green or yellow flag
  • Then you can add a note to the flag.  E.g. "Do not admit"
  • Click DONE to save it.
  • Now you can sign them in, or click "more actions, cancel"



Does eVisitor support foreign languages?
  • The eVisitor screens and reports are in english.
  • All of your data including your logo can be in any language.  This includes the categories of visitors.
  • For example, your badges can say "VISITANTE" instead of "VISITOR"on top.
  • Here is an example of a Spanish site (click here)


SERVICE

Guarantee
If you are not fully satisfied, return your order within 90 days of receipt for full credit, replacement, or refund. 


Warranty
Hardware components for eVisitor carry the manufacturer’s warranty.  Please be sure to fill out the included warrantee card that is provided by the manufacturer.  VPS warranty info   Equipment warranty info.


Who do I call if my system is down?
You may call us at the number at the top of the screen.  (More info)
During off-hours or if your system is down, you may use the manual registry book.  The manually issued passes can be entered into eVisitor once service is restored. 


What is the eVisitor Service Level Agreement (SLA)?
We strive to have 99% uptime for eVisitorPass.  (More info)


What is the eVisitor End User Licensing Agreement (EULA)?  (More info)




TECHNICAL

What are the system requirements?
eVisitor is a cloud-based solution with a very small local app.
MS supported versions of Windows (currently 7, 8 & 10).
2 or more GB RAM
High speed internet
USB port
Admin rights on your computer for the install
(more info)



www.join.me is not working
Join.me does not seem to be compatible with firefox.  Use Internet Explorer.


My corporate network is not allowing eVisitor to log on.  What do we need to unblock?
Your network and firewall must allow access to our servers.  (more info)


How fast is the printer? (more info)
  • Note: some sites experience a printer delay caused by the DYMO (more info).






















How do I load badges into the 450 Turbo printer?
Look on page 5 of the DYMO user's manual (Click here)



Can I make the photos lighter or darker?
You can change the printer darkness.
Go to Devices and Printers
Find the DYMO printer
Right-click and select "Printing Preferences"
Click "Advanced"
Under Printer Features, select "Print Density"




Can I share a printer with multiple terminals?
  • For simplicity, we recommend one printer per terminal.
  • One customer has successfully connected several terminals to a single DYMO printer using the LabelWriter Print Server (1750630).
  • You can sharing your printer on your network, but this is not a configuration that we can assist much with.
  • Reminder: each terminal that can print requires a software license.





My DYMO printer takes longer than expected to print a badge
Some DYMO printers unnecessarily delay the printing of a badge.  This can be addressed.   Click here for more information.


Why should I upgrade to a Zebra printer
The Zebra ZD410 printer is a prefered printer Click here for more information.




EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE
See Maintenance Page



QUESTIONS FROM CUSTOMERS

Does a reporting or pre-registration terminal cost extra?
Currently, a back-office reporting or pre-registration terminal does not count as another terminal.
Terminals that check-in or check-out visitors count as terminals and need to be licensed.


What is the eVisitor privacy policy?
We value your privacy.  We do not share your information with any outside organizations.  eVisitor privacy follows THRESHOLD's privacy policy. (more info)


How long does training take?
Installation and training is usually accomplished in 30 min to 1 hour.  We do this remotely.


How long does it take to install a system?
Installation and training is usually accomplished in 30 min to 1 hour.  We do this remotely.


If I don't have the computer hardware I need to run eVisitor, can you sell it to me?
No, we do not sell computers.  However, we can help recommend one to you.


A visitor is concerned about personal information from his license being stored in eVisitor.   What data is being read from the license?
We take security very seriously.  We store as little personal information from a drivers license as possible.  We only save the First Name, Last Name, Photo (with the deluxe reader), and an encrypted Drivers License Number.  The Drivers License Number is irreversibly encrypted.   We do not store any other information from the driver's license. 
If a visitor still does not want their license read by the system, you can type the name in manually.


Can I upload my list of visitors or parents into eVisitor?
Yes, we can pre-load a list of visitors or parents for you.  Contact us for assistance.



Is the driver’s license reader an OCR reader where it reads the info off the license or does it retrieve the information from the 1d or 2d bar code on the back of the license or state id? If it is an OCR how often would it need to be calibrated and cleaned?  
The Premium Drivers License Reader will read either the barcode on the back or OCR the front.  It will also grab the photo from the License.  The Standard Drivers License Reader will only read the barcode off the back, and will not grab the photo.  Both Readers need to be calibrated when they are first installed.  Other maintenance is that they can be cleaned with the enclosed cleaning card if they get dirty. 


Would the system allow us to be able to have students scan in and out since their id’s have bar codes on them? Additionally if we issued our substitutes temporary id’s with a bar code would they be able to scan in and out?  
The current version of eVisitor will not read Student IDs or substitute ID cards.  This is a feature we may add in the future.



What is the warranty on the Dymo LabelWriter, license reader and camera?   
See Equipment Warranty page



Is there a lite version by that I mean I may if the system can or would eventually be able to scan students and subs in and out have 2 more locations at the HS where the students come and go where I wouldn’t need the full program?  
There is not a lite version of the software.   All versions are fully functional.  Some features have additional costs.

The yearly fee only covers the licensing or does it cover maintenance and upgrades also?  
The yearly fee covers all upgrades and support.



I have looked into a few visitor management products.  We have used some of the sign in books you provide with stickers to identify visitors but have had issues with people sticking them all over the facility.  I was looking for a type in which visitors would swipe their DL or ID and a sticker badge with their personal information would print.  I think people would be less likely to leave their personal info on our walls and furniture but I could not get approval for the high cost of the system and the stickers.  We have an average of 25,000 visitors each month and three entry points to the facility that would need equipment.  
eVisitor supports reading a Drivers License and printing a badge.  It also supports multiple terminals.  Also, our tab-expiring badges have a handy built-in tab for easy removal from walls or furniture.


Another idea would be to have a software that we could manage from the three entry points that would be immediately updated and can be seen by the other stations.  We have a limit of visitors allowed in each patient room at any given time and want to be able to know if someone is already in a room that entered from another station.  We would hand out reusable badges to identify the visitors.  Do you have anything like that? 
eVisitor does support multiple terminals that all synchronize together.  While we have not specifically built a feature to track Visitors per room, that can be accomplished in eVisitorPass.  We may build a feature specifically for this in the future.  If you enter the room number being visited in the "Visiting" field, or in the "Notes" field, you can see the room being visited on the Visitors Log screen.





1. We like to have all the name badges printed before the meeting starts so we can hand them out as they arrive 
eVisitor supports this function with the "Preprint badges" button on the preregistered list.

2. If so could we import a list of attendees from an excel spreadsheet or something similar
At this point, we can load a list of visitors for you.  We have not polished the interface for customers to do this, but it would not be hard to finish up.  Also see answer to #9 below

3. Brother QL-720NW, do you know if this is compatible with the eVisitor software? Would this printer be compatible with the Self Expiring badges? Is there any limit to how 
Yes, we have expiring labels compatible wiht the Brother QL series printers.

4. Is there any limit to how much data or how far back the database of visitors can go? 
We will keep you data for one year.  There is no real limit to the number of visitors you can have.

5. Does it start clearing any historic data 
At the end of year two, you will need to purge data that is older than 1 year. You can export it to excel or PDF before purging.

6. What data is saved for us to report on? Can the data be searched for specific quests, dates or events? 
Standard reports filter on "Visitor Type" and "Date".  All reports can be exported to Excel for further analysis and reporting

7. Is there any option for a self sign in? Like a terminal for guests to use? 
We are considering creating a Kiosk Mode, but it is not available yet.

8. Is there any app that can go on a tablet or anything 
Yes, eVisitro runs on any Windows tablet including a Microsoft Surface.

9. Does the system integrate into any meeting management software? 
No, the eVisitor does not integrate with a meeting management system.  We may add support for "Meetings or Special Events" in the future.  When we do, we expect to support your Questions 1 and 2.



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Badge Printing Times
Note: Your results may vary
Printer / mode
Processing time (seconds)
Printing time (seconds)
Total time
(seconds)
Zebra ZD410
2-6
2
4-8
DYMO 450 printer
2-6
2 - 60
4-66
Epson C3500
2-6
4
6-10
Color 400 printer (Quality 2- good)
5 - 13
18
23 - 31
Color 400 printer (Quality 3- better)
5 - 13
31
23 - 44
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