Running into issues with your door locks in Playground? This article walks through the most common door lock, Kiosk, and hardware problems, what causes them, and the exact steps to get things working again.
See the bottom of the FAQ section for an in-depth troubleshooting guide.
Before You Start
Before diving into a specific issue, it's worth running through a quick checklist:
Confirm your door has been connected to the Playground door lock integration. You can check by going to the Integrations tab and selecting Door locks.
Confirm the Playground mobile app is updated to the latest version on any device being used to unlock doors.
Find Your Issue
Where are you trying to open the door from? Use this to jump straight to the right section below.
The Door Access tab in the mobile app
If a door won't open from here, skip down to Door Access Button Is Missing or Grayed Out or Door Shows Up but Won't Unlock When You Tap It, depending on what you see on screen.
The check-in Kiosk
Before troubleshooting the Kiosk itself, test the same door from the Door Access tab in the mobile app first.
See image below to see where to find the Door Access tab
Does the door open from the Door Access Tab?
Yes --> The integration is working, and the issue is with the Kiosk. Head to Doors Don't Unlock When a PIN Is Entered at the Kiosk.
No --> This isn't a Kiosk problem. Start with Door Access Button Is Missing or Grayed Out instead.
💡 Using the Door Access Tab first to try and open the door helps narrow down the source of the issue.
Door Access Button Is Missing Or Grayed Out
If you or a staff member can't see the Door Access option in the Playground mobile app menu, it is usually a role, time-based, or geofencing restriction.
The same three causes also explain why a specific door might show up greyed out in the Door Access tab.
📱 The Door access tab is only available on the mobile app.
Role-Based Access
Follow the steps below to make sure that the staff member has the proper permissions added to their role.
From your Admin Dashboard, click into your Integrations tab and select Manage next to Door locks.
Check and make sure that the staff member's role has door access under the "Staff door access via roles" section.
If their role is visible here, move on to the next troubleshooting section below, Door Access Hours. If their role is not visible here, continue following the steps below.
From your Admin Dashboard, click into your Settings → Roles tab.
Locate the staff member's role, click the three dots, and select Edit.
Once the editing window is pulled up, scroll to the very bottom of the screen and make sure Door lock permissions are enabled. Editing access is needed for staff to be able to unlock doors using Door access on the mobile app.
Once this is turned on, click Save changes and see if the staff member can view the Door access tab. They may need to log out of their account and then back in.
If staff still can't see the Door access tab on their mobile app, follow the instructions in the next section.
Door Access Hours
Door locks can be set up to restrict staff and guardians from opening them at certain times. If a guardian or staff member can't view the Door access tab on their mobile app, check the following information.
From your Admin Dashboard, click into your Integrations tab and select the Manage button next to Door locks.
Select Edit access hours next to both Guardians and Teachers to view what level of access they have been granted.
If the Access level is set to Cannot unlock this door, they won't be able to unlock this door from the Door access tab on their app.
If the Access level is set to Can unlock this door at certain times, make sure the hours of access are set up properly.
If the Access level is set to Can always unlock this door, they should be able to unlock the door under the Door access tab. If they still are not able to view the Door access tab on their app, have them try logging out of their account and back in, force-quitting the app, or deleting the app.
Geofencing Issue
Door Access only works when you're physically inside your center's geofence, so if a door looks grayed out or unavailable even though the role and access hours above check out, this is worth checking next.
From your Admin Dashboard, click into your Integrations tab and select Manage next to Door locks.
Check the geofence radius set for the door. If it's set below 100 meters, that's very likely the cause — we recommend a minimum of 100 meters so the button reliably detects you're on-site.
Increase the radius if needed, then test the door again from the mobile app while standing inside your center.
Door Shows Up but Won't Unlock When You Tap It
First, ensure that the door access tab is not grayed out.
If the connected door looks like the below image, then go back to Door Access Button is Missing or Grayed Out, above.
Second, ensure that the Door Access Log recorded your recent attempt. If your unlock attempt was recorded in the Door Access Log as a "Success", but the door did not unlock, continue to the next troubleshooting step.
If you see an Error message for your recent door unlock attempt, please message the Playground support team.
Check the Manual Override Button
Not every center has a manual override button on the door itself. If yours does, press it before continuing.
No override button? Skip to Check the ZKTeco Control Panel below.
If the door opens with the override button -> your door, lock, and wiring are all fine — the unlock command from Playground isn't reaching your controller panel. Continue to Check the ZKTeco Controller; that check often fixes it.
Door still doesn't open with the override button -> this is a hardware failure at your building. Contact your installer directly rather than Playground support.
Check the ZKTeco Controller
Run this check if the override button opened the door, if you don't have an override button, or if your door unlocks late or only some of the time.
💡 Make sure you're looking at the right box. The panel we mean has ZKTeco printed on it. Centers often have several boxes on the wall for alarm, internet, and electrical systems, and only the one labeled ZKTeco controls your doors.
Unplug the ethernet cable running into the ZKTeco panel, then plug it back in.
Wait a full minute, then test the door. If it still doesn't open, wait one more minute and test again before moving on to the next step — the panel needs time to reconnect to your network and check back in with Playground.
🚨 Unplugging the Ethernet cable takes every door on the panel offline for a few minutes. Do this after hours if you can, or post someone at the door during drop-off or pickup if it can't wait.
Check whether the red power light on the panel is on.
If the red power light is not on, and something recently happened that could explain it - like a power outage, storm, or electrical work in the building - contact your installer
If the red power light is not on - and nothing like that happened - contact Playground support and let us know the panel is still dark after unplugging and replugging the Ethernet cable.
Light is on: continue to the next step.
3. Listen at the panel while someone else tries the door.
If you hear a click, but the door doesn't move, that means the problem is between the panel and the lock itself, which is usually a power issue in that stretch of wiring. Contact your installer to fix this issue.
If you hear nothing at all, this means the unlock command never reached your panel. Contact Playground support, and we can check whether the command went out on our end.
Doors Don't Unlock When a PIN Is Entered at the Kiosk
If students or staff can check in or out at the Kiosk but the door isn't unlocking, walk through the checks below in order.
Confirm the Kiosk is connected to a door
This is the most common reason why a door doesn't open after a PIN code is entered. You should see the name of the connected door in the top right hand corner, next to a lock icon.
If you don't see the name of the connected door next to the lock icon, or if you see a QR code on the kiosk, the kiosk is not connected to your door. The image below shows an example of a kiosk where a door has not been connected.
If you see a QR code, or do not see the connected door next to the lock icon in the top right corner, follow the steps in Unlock Doors with the Check-In Kiosk to connect your kiosk and connected door.
Unlock and Re-Connect your Check-In Kiosk
Tap the Lock Icon in the top right corner of your Kiosk.
2. The icon should now show an unlocked lock. Tap it again.
3. Tap the Tap to select a door connection for this kiosk button.
4. Select which door you'd like to unlock when students and staff are checked in or out.
5. You should see "[Your Door Name] connected to kiosk session" in blue. This confirms the door is connected to the kiosk device.
🚨Confirm the Kiosk is paired with the right door. If you have multiple doors, double-check the door name shown in the Kiosk connection message matches the door you expect to unlock.
6. Enter your center PIN to enter Kiosk mode. You'll get confirmation that the device is locked in Kiosk mode. Your PIN code can be found under your Settings tab on the web version of Playground.
Confirm the Kiosk's App Is Updated
Check the app store on the Kiosk device and install any pending Playground update. An out-of-date app is one of the most common causes of Kiosk problems, and it can make the checks above unreliable, so it's worth confirming here too.
Check the "Open Door Only" Setting
Most centers won't have this setting at all. Open door only is a rare setting that only Playground can turn on, so it won't appear on most Kiosks. If you don't see it on your Kiosk screen, don't worry. Nothing is wrong, and you can skip straight to the next section.
If you do see this setting, and it's switched on, turn it off and test the Kiosk again.
If Turning it off fixed the door: leave it off and message Playground support to let us know. This setting was turned on deliberately for your center, so we'll follow up and get your Kiosk set up the way you need it.
It was already off, or turning it off didn't change anything: continue to the next section.
Still Not Working? Sign Out and Sign Back In
🚨 Before you do this, make sure you know your Playground login for this device. Signing out is the last step for a reason — if you can't sign back in, the Kiosk will be unusable until you can.
Sign out of the Playground app on the Kiosk device, sign back in, then reconnect your door using the steps above and test again.
If the Kiosk still won't open the door after this, message Playground support in in-app chat with the details from Who to Contact & What to Send below — including a photo of the top of the Kiosk screen — and let us know you've completed every step in this section.
Who to Contact & What to Send
If you've worked through the sections above and your door still isn't working, here's how to get the fastest resolution.
Contact Playground Support If:
Reach out to Playground support if you're experiencing any of the following:
Grayed-out buttons, roles, geofencing, or access hours issues.
Anything to do with the check-in Kiosk.
Doors that won't open when the manual override button works fine.
Delays or on-and-off failures with a powered ZKTeco panel.
Contact Your Installer If:
Your installer is the company that installed your door hardware. Contact them directly when the issue points to something physical at your building — none of these can be fixed remotely:
Something at your building changed recently — a power outage, wiring or electrical work, your internet or network equipment was swapped out, construction near the door, or work on the door or lock itself.
You hear a clicking noise but the door won't open, on repeated attempts.
You press the manual override button and the door still won't open.
💡 Playground can see the software side of your system, but not inside your building. Your installer handles the hardware and wiring but can't see your Playground account. Going to the right team first is the fastest way to get your problem solved.
What to Send Playground Support
Include this information any time you reach out about a door issue. It makes it much easier for us to solve it quickly:
Which door is causing the issue. Inner door, outer door, or both?
The exact time you tried to unlock the door, down to the minute. This is the most important item on this list — it's how we find your attempt in the door access log.
Whether it was the check-in Kiosk or the Door Access tab. These are two different problems for us, and knowing which one you were using saves a round of questions.
A short video with sound, plus what you've already tried. Show the app or Kiosk and the door in the same shot, and leave the sound on. Let us know which steps from this article you've already completed.
FAQs
How do I know if my problem is the Kiosk or the door lock itself?
How do I know if my problem is the Kiosk or the door lock itself?
Open the same door from the Door Access tab in the mobile app.
If the door opens, your door lock is working and the Kiosk is what needs fixing.
If the door doesn't open either way, start with the Door Access tab sections above instead of the Kiosk section.
What's the difference between the School PIN and a check-in PIN at the Kiosk?
What's the difference between the School PIN and a check-in PIN at the Kiosk?
The School PIN locks and unlocks the Kiosk device itself and is shared across your center.
A check-in PIN is personal to a guardian or staff member and is only used to check students in or out.
Mixing the two up is one of the most common reasons a Kiosk looks broken when it isn't.
What geofence radius should I use for Door Access?
What geofence radius should I use for Door Access?
We recommend a minimum radius of 100 meters.
A radius set below that is a common reason a door button appears greyed out even when your role and access hours are set up correctly.
My center doesn't have a manual override button on the door. Is that normal?
My center doesn't have a manual override button on the door. Is that normal?
Yes, not every center has one.
If you don't have one, skip straight to the ZKTeco control panel checks.
Why does my door only unlock some of the time, or with a delay?
Why does my door only unlock some of the time, or with a delay?
This is usually a connectivity issue at your ZKTeco control panel rather than a one-time glitch.
Work through the Check the ZKTeco Control Panel steps above, starting with unplugging and replugging the ethernet cable.
I'm not sure if this is a Playground issue or a hardware issue. Who do I contact first?
I'm not sure if this is a Playground issue or a hardware issue. Who do I contact first?
Contact Playground support first.
We can check the software side of your system and help you narrow down the potential source of the issue.
Still stuck after trying everything above? Reach out to Playground support in in-app chat with the details from What to Send Playground Support above, and we'll help you sort it out.