User's Manual

Onity HT24W / HT28 Smart Hardware • 119
Online Revalidator
The Onity Revalidator provides a way to securely manage staff cards following a
very simple philosophy. If each master card is encoded to expire in six months, the
risk associated with a lost master card is large. Each master card of that type,
Housekeeping masters for example, must be re-encoded with a new code to lock out
the lost card. This could involve many cardholders and could be very inconvenient.
However, if each master card expires at the end of each shift, the risk associated with
a lost master card is reduced, especially if the lost master card is reported at the end
of the day.
To easily manage cards that expire daily a system is needed to extend the expiration
date of master cards without inconveniencing security personnel or managers. This
is the beauty of the revalidation system. Each morning, master users simply
perform a quick operation at a revalidation device and the master cards are extended
for another day.
The revalidation system can be used for much more than just extending the
expiration date on the master cards. You can also change any master user parameter,
such as shift or authorizations, and office mode or privacy override attributes. You
can also use this system as a communications tool to get messages to your staff such
as weekly schedules, daily task lists, benefits updates or a simple birthday greeting.
If you are using smart cards with card activity reporting, the revalidation process can
be an extremely effective way of retrieving usage reports and information about lock
problems such as low batteries.
Revalidator Options
There are many options available when using the revalidation system. Most options
can be different for each master user and the options are enabled on the Revalidation
tab of the Master Users screen.
PIN – Personal Identification Number
Because the revalidation station may be in an unattended area and master cards can
have access to a large number of guest rooms and other secure areas, you may decide
that extra protection is required to be sure that the system is secure. To add some
extra security to the revalidation system, you can require that master users enter a 4-
digit personal identification number to ensure that the person revalidating the card is
actually the staff member assigned to that card.
Each master user can have a unique PIN that you assign, or you can allow the master
user to change the PIN whenever they revalidate. You could even require that a staff
member change their PIN the next time he or she revalidates the master card.
For detailed instructions on setting these features, please refer to the Master User
screen described earlier in this manual.
Revalidation Increment
The revalidation increment is the length of time the expiration date of the card can be
extended when it is revalidated. The highest level of security is achieved with the
shortest revalidation increment. However, this could be very inconvenient for your
staff, so the option is left for management to decide for each specific card holder.