Playground’s partnership with MellinTech allows programs to use supported door lock hardware alongside Playground. This article outlines what is required to purchase, install, and prepare hardware for use with Playground.
Purchasing hardware from MellinTech
To use MellinTech with Playground, you only need to purchase one piece of hardware from MellinTech.
Required hardware:
Line Item | Price | Quantity |
C3 Controller | $650 one-time hardware cost | One controller per location |
Hardware is purchased directly through MellinTech.
Software licensing
In addition to the hardware, a recurring software license is required through Playground.
Door access license: $30 per location, per month
This license is added to your Playground account at time of sale.
Integrating MellinTech with Playground
Once your hardware has been installed, the final step is to contact Playground so we can activate the integration on your account.
After installation is complete, email [email protected] to let the Playground team know your hardware is ready to be connected.
The Playground team will complete the setup and enable the integration on your account.
You will be notified once the integration is active and your doors are ready to be used with Playground.
Opening Doors Remotely
Playground allows you to open any of your MellinTech connected doors from anywhere using your Playground mobile app.
To open your doors with Playground:
In your mobile app home screen, open your menu by tapping the ☰ icon in the top left and select Door Access.
You will see a list of all of your doors – just tap a row for a door to unlock it.
When a door is unlocked, the corresponding door row in Playground will turn blue, the row will update with Unlocked status, and the icon will unlock for the duration of time the door is unlocked (typically 5 seconds).
The door will automatically lock and the row will become purple again with a Locked status and a locked icon.
Check-in Kiosk For Families and Staff
Playground's integration with MellinTech allows you to set up a kiosk tablet or mobile device for families that will automatically unlock the door for them after they check their kid(s) in / out via PIN code. This also works for staff clocking in / out for the day - no other configuration is needed
To make Kiosk mode unlock the door when checking a student/staff member in or out:
On an admin or staff mobile device, tap Kiosk on your home screen.
Tap Lock to initiate Kiosk mode.
Tap the Tap to select a door connection for this kiosk button.
This step connects the tablet to a specific door in your center and is critical for ensuring the correct door unlocks once someone enters their PIN.
Select which door you would like to unlock when students and staff are checked in or out.
You should see "
<Door name>connected to kiosk session" in blue. This indicates the door is connected to the device and will unlock upon check in or out.
Enter your center PIN to enter Kiosk mode. You'll get confirmation the device is locked in Kiosk mode.
To exit Kiosk mode, tap Unlock in the top right corner and enter your center PIN.
If you complete all of these steps, check ins and outs for staff and students will open the door once the check in or out is complete. An example of a successful device to door connection is below.
Manage Door Access Hours
By default, door access for staff is granted through their assigned role, and guardians can only unlock doors through the kiosk. However, you can also adjust MellinTech door permissions for staff and admins to make their access either more limited or more flexible. To edit door access hours, follow the steps below:
From your Admin Dashboard, click the Settings tab, on the General tab scroll down to the Door access hours section.
Turn the "Manage access for each door individually" toggle on.
Once this toggle has been turned on, you will see the option to adjust both Guardian and Teacher door access hours for each door that you have MellinTech hooked up to.
Click Edit access hours or + Add access hours, depending on which button is present.
After clicking Edit access hours or +Add access hours, you can select from three different access levels: Cannot unlock this door, Can unlock this door at certain times, and Can always unlock this door.
If Cannot unlock this door is selected, guardians or staff won't have the option to unlock the specified door whenever they want. They would need to unlock the door via the kiosk instead.
If Can unlock this door at certain times is selected, you will be able to set up specified times that guardians and staff can unlock the specified door. They won't have the option to unlock the door outside of the times you have inputted, unless they use the kiosk.
If Can always unlock this door is selected, guardians or staff will be able to unlock the specified door at any time. They won't need to use the kiosk to open the door.
Once the Access level has been selected, click the blue Save access hours button:
