User Guide
Everything residents and visitors need to use Castellan Smart Access — from opening your own gate to sending a secure QR access pass to a guest.
Set up your account
Both residents and visitors access Castellan Smart Access through a web link — there's nothing complex to install. Residents sign up once and join an estate; visitors never need an account.
- 1
Register or log in
Open the app and register with your email. You'll confirm a one-time code, then you're logged in. Existing users can simply log in.
- 2
Join your estate with a joining code
Tap Join estate and enter the joining code your estate administrator gives you. Repeat visitors never need this step.
- 3
Wait for approval
An administrator approves your membership. Until then you'll see a "membership pending" screen. Once approved, the full home screen unlocks.
Managing gates & visitor access
Open a gate yourself
When you're in Wi-Fi range of your estate's gate, tap Open Gate and choose a gate.
- Connect to the gate's local Wi-Fi (the network name your estate uses, often "Castellan Gate").
- Tap Verify Gate Wi-Fi — a quick local check confirms your phone is on the gate's network.
- Once verified, the green Open Gate button unlocks. Press and hold it, then confirm to open.
Tip: verification is valid for a short window (shown in seconds). If it expires, just verify again. Some estates also let admins and homeowners open a gate remotely — if so, you'll see a remote option instead.
Create a visitor access pass
Tap Create Visitor Access from the home screen to issue a pass for a guest.
- Pick an existing visitor or add a new one (name, mobile number, vehicle registration).
- Select which gates the visitor may use — include an exit or "both" gate so they can leave the complex.
- Choose Single use (one open, or one entry + one exit) or Multiple use up to a set number of uses.
- Set the start and expiry time — passes can last up to 7 days, per your estate's limit.
- Tap Create pass.
Share the pass link
Once created, you'll see the pass screen with a shareable link. Send it to your visitor via WhatsApp, SMS, your phone's Share sheet, or Copy link. The visitor just taps the link — no app, no login required.
You can review and manage all your passes under Passes, revisit saved visitors under My Visitors, and see a full record under Access History.
Using your access pass
As a visitor you don't need to register or download anything. A resident of the estate sends you a personal access link — that link is your digital ticket.
Open the access link
- Tap the link your host sent, or scan the QR code they shared with your phone's camera.
- The page verifies the pass and shows Access granted with your name, the gates you may use, and the expiry time.
- If it says the pass is expired, already used, or not active, contact your host.
Open the gate when you arrive
When you're at the gate:
- Connect to the gate's Wi-Fi network (e.g. Castellan Gate). You must be in range of the gate's local network.
- Tap Verify Gate Wi-Fi. A local verification page may open briefly — return to the app once it completes.
- When verified, the green Open Gate button unlocks. Press and hold it, then confirm to send the gate signal.
How the access pass & QR code work
Every visitor pass is a unique link that encodes a secure, hashed token. The plain token is never stored — only a one-way hash — so the link itself is the only proof of access.
Scan to open
Your host can turn the link into a QR code (or your phone's camera scans the shared link). Scanning opens the pass page instantly — no typing required.
Time-limited
Each pass has a start and expiry time (up to 7 days). Outside that window the link simply shows that access isn't available.
Personal & revocable
A pass is tied to a single visitor. Your host can revoke it at any time from Passes, and the link stops working immediately. Don't forward the link to anyone else.