Features

  • Send friends, family, and guests virtual keys for managed access that you can revoke at any time.

 

Prerequisites

  • You must have a ButterflyMX account
  • You must have our mobile app on iOS or Android
  • Your property owner or managers must enable virtual keys for your use. If virtual keys are unavailable in your mobile app, please talk to your property owner or manager about turning them on. We cannot turn them on.

ButterflyMX virtual keys are the next step in access innovation. They take the form of QR & PIN codes that you send to your trusted visitors like friends, family, and service providers (think anyone you’d want to give a key to your building to). They free you from the burden of worrying about a physical key that needs to be passed along to someone. Instead, you can create them in the ButterflyMX mobile app and send them to guests as needed.

Virtual keys are designed with your security in mind. You get to approve when your guests can use the keys and you can always see who is using them. You can also delete them at any time.

 

How to issue and use virtual keys:

  1. Open the ButterflyMX mobile app
  2. Press ‘+ Virtual Key’
  3. Choose a type of key
  4. Name your key
  5. Select when your key will be active
  6. Choose an expiration date
  7. Click the “Create Key” button
  8. Share your key via text message or email
  9. Your guest receives the key via a text message or email
  10. Your key is received as a QR code with instructions
  11. To use the key, a visitor clicks “Virtual Key” on the ButterflyMX intercom
  12. The visitor lines up the key (QR Code) with the intercom

 

Step 1: Open up the ButterflyMX mobile app

Launch the ButterflyMX mobile app on your smartphone.

 

Step 2: Press the ‘+ Virtual Key’ button

Hit “+ Virtual Key”.

 

How virtual keys work with ButterflyMX

Step 3: Choose a type of virtual key

Choose your type of key.

You can create a key with a custom duration, recurring access, business hours, full-day use, or a one-time key.

 

Choose a type of virtual key

 

Step 4: Name your key

You’ll then need to name the key, In this example, we’ve named the it ‘dog walker’.

 

Name your virtual key

 

Step 5: Select when your key will be active

If you’ve chosen to create a key with custom duration or recurring access, you’ll need to select the days of the week and times of day that you want your key to be active.

If your dog walker comes on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 2:20 and 3:20, choose those options.

 

Select when your virtual key will be active

 

Step 6: Choose an expiration date

Lastly, you’ll need to determine when the key expires (note: once your virtual key is created, you cannot adjust these settings).

 

Choose an expiration date for your virtual key

 

Step 7: Click the “Create Key” button

Click the “Create Key” button. Once the key is created, hit “Share Key Now”.

 

Virtual key creation confirmation

 

Step 8: Share your key via text message or email

Enter the phone number or email address of the contact you’d like to send the key to and then hit “send”.

 

Share your virtual key

 

Step 9: Your guest receives the key via a text message or email

Your guest receives the key via a text message or email.

This is what they will receive:

 

Guest receives virtual key

 

Step 10: Your key is received as a QR code with instructions

Your recipient will receive some instructions about the key and the link to the key itself. When they click on the link, they’ll see more details about the key, including the ability to save it in their Apple Wallet and the QR code.

 

Virtual key QR code

 

Step 11: To use the key, a visitor clicks “Virtual Key” on the ButterflyMX intercom

Once your guest is at the door, they’ll click the ‘Virtual Key’ button on the video intercom.

Pro tip: you do not have to click the ‘Virtual Key’ button on the intercom. You can just show your virtual key to the intercom, and if it’s valid, the door will open.

 

Use a virtual key

 

Step 12: The visitor lines up the key (QR Code) with the intercom

They will then see a prompt to line up the key on their smartphone with the smart video intercom as shown below.

 

Virtual key

 

Once lined up correctly, they’ll hear a chime and see a notification that the door is open. For security purposes, our video intercom will take a time- and date-stamped photo of the person who used the virtual key, which will be stored for review in your mobile app for 365 days.

 

Author

Meredith Murray

My passion lies at the intersection of real estate & technology. Brooklynite always.