Kiosks

A kiosk lets visitors and students check themselves in and out at a check-in point. They walk up, follow the steps on screen, and finish on their own. Staff step in only when a check-in needs review, such as confirming the students a guardian is picking up or reviewing a screening alert. Check-ins go faster, and front office staff complete fewer of them by hand. Kiosks are optional. GoGuardian Visitor works entirely from the Front Desk without them. A kiosk needs a badge printer only if its forms print badges. You need the Site Admin role at the site to create and manage kiosks.

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Before You Begin

• A check-in point. Every kiosk belongs to 1 check-in point. See Check-In Points.
• The forms the kiosk will offer. See Create and Manage Forms.
• A Site Admin with a PIN. Kiosk settings unlock only with a Site Admin’s PIN. See Set Your PIN.
• A supported device. Kiosks run on Chromebooks, iPads, and Windows computers. See Compatibility and Requirements.
• A badge printer, if the kiosk’s forms print badges. iPad kiosks need a network printer. See Badge Printers.

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Create a Kiosk

Create a kiosk for each device you plan to use. A kiosk runs on 1 device at a time, and a check-in point can have as many kiosks as you need. At a busy entrance, you can add multiple kiosks so more visitors and students can check in at once.

1. In Visitor, go to Check-In Points and open the check-in point.
2. Under Kiosks, click Create Kiosk.
3. In Kiosk Name, keep the suggested name or enter your own. Visitor suggests the check-in point’s name followed by “Kiosk.” If the check-in point has more than 1 kiosk, give each a name that tells it apart, such as where it stands.
4. In Forms, select 1 or more forms. See Choose Forms for Each Kiosk.
5. Click Submit.
6. Verify the result: The kiosk’s page opens and shows its Kiosk Login. Next, set up the device and sign in. See Set Up the Kiosk Device.

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Choose Forms for Each Kiosk

A kiosk offers only the forms you select for it. The forms set the options people see when they check in or out, and the steps for each. Because each kiosk has its own forms, you can fit each kiosk to where it stands and who uses it. For example:

• A lobby kiosk with forms made from the Visitor and Parent/Guardian Pickup templates, for visitors and guardians who come through the main entrance.
• A kiosk at the student entrance with only a form made from the Student Check-In template, so late students check themselves in without stopping at the front office.

You can offer site forms and District-Wide forms on the same kiosk. To change a kiosk’s forms later, see Change Kiosk Settings.

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Set Up the Kiosk Device

Set up each kiosk device once so it opens straight to the kiosk, stays on, and runs nothing else. If a kiosk goes to sleep or a visitor leaves the kiosk screen, front office staff check visitors and students in by hand until it’s fixed. Use your device management tools for the steps below, so every device in the group is set up the same way and stays that way. For the versions each platform needs, see Compatibility and Requirements. Kiosks keep themselves up to date on every platform. When there’s a new version of the kiosk, it loads after the kiosk sits unused for 2 minutes, so it never interrupts a check-in. On iPad and Windows, the GoGuardian Campus app that runs the kiosk also gets its own occasional updates, described under each platform below.

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Set Up a Chromebook Kiosk

1. In the Google Admin console, go to Devices → Chrome → Apps & extensions → Kiosks.
2. Select the organizational unit with your kiosk Chromebooks.
3. Click +, then select Add by URL.
4. Enter https://campus.goguardian.com/kiosk and save.
5. Set the app to Auto-launch, so the Chromebook opens straight to the kiosk when it starts.
6. If the kiosk prints badges, allow it to use USB printers. Go to Devices → Chrome → Settings → Users & browsers, find WebUSB API allowed devices, and add the URL https://campus.goguardian.com with *:* as the VID:PID. Without this setting, badges can’t print until a staff member approves a USB prompt on the kiosk.
7. Keep the screen on. Go to Devices → Chrome → Settings → Device settings, and under Kiosk settings, open Kiosk power settings. In AC kiosk power settings, set Action on idle to Do nothing, and enter 0 for Screen dim timeout in minutes and Screen off timeout in minutes. If the Chromebook runs on battery, do the same in Battery kiosk power settings.
8. Verify the result: Restart a Chromebook in the organizational unit. It opens to the Kiosk Login screen.

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Set Up an iPad Kiosk

1. In Apple School Manager, click Apps and Books, search for “GoGuardian Campus,” and get licenses for your iPads. These steps are also on the iPadOS tab of Installation → Campus in GoGuardian Org Management.
2. Deploy the app to the iPads with your MDM.
3. Lock each iPad to the GoGuardian Campus app with Single App Mode.
4. In the same Single App Mode settings, turn off Auto-Lock, so the screen stays on.
5. Verify the result: Restart an iPad. It opens to the GoGuardian Campus app and shows Kiosk Login.

iPad kiosks print to network printers only. If Wi-Fi is unreliable where the kiosk stands, connect the iPad with an Ethernet adapter. Updates to the GoGuardian Campus app itself come from the App Store. Use your MDM to keep the app up to date.

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Set Up a Windows Kiosk

A Windows kiosk needs Windows 10 or 11 Enterprise or Education, the editions that include Shell Launcher. Don’t install The GoGuardian App on a kiosk computer. It runs GoGuardian Admin, Beacon, and Teacher on managed devices and is separate from the GoGuardian Campus app.

1. If the computer has other label printer software installed, such as Dymo Connect for Desktop, uninstall it. That software can take over the printer’s connection and stop badges from printing.
2. In GoGuardian Org Management, go to Installation → Campus. On the Windows tab, click Download MSI or Download Intune Package.
3. Install it on the computer, or deploy it with a tool such as Microsoft Intune. The installer includes Campus Kiosk Application and Campus Front Desk Print Service, both selected by default. A kiosk needs only Campus Kiosk Application, but leaving both selected does no harm.
4. Set up Shell Launcher, the Windows kiosk feature, so the computer runs only the GoGuardian Campus app.
5. In the computer’s power settings, set the screen and sleep to Never, so the kiosk stays on.
6. Verify the result: Restart the computer. It opens to the GoGuardian Campus app and shows Kiosk Login.

The GoGuardian Campus app for Windows updates itself. App updates install in the background without closing a kiosk that’s in use, and take effect the next time the app or the computer restarts. Schedule those restarts however suits your school. For example, restarts for your regular Windows updates also apply GoGuardian Campus updates.

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Run a Kiosk in a Web Browser

To try a kiosk or run one without device management, open https://campus.goguardian.com/kiosk in Chrome or Microsoft Edge, or install it from there as a web app. Nothing keeps the device on the kiosk screen or stops it from sleeping, so use a managed setup above for kiosks that visitors and students use every day.

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Sign In on the Kiosk Device

Each kiosk has its own login, created with the kiosk. Sign in once on the device, and it stays signed in to that kiosk.

1. In Visitor, go to Check-In Points, open the check-in point, and click the kiosk. Its Kiosk Login shows a Username, a Password, and a QR code.
2. On the kiosk device, open the kiosk. It shows Kiosk Login.
3. Enter the username and password in Kiosk Username and Kiosk Password, then tap Login to Kiosk. If you run the kiosk in a web browser, you can scan the QR code with the device’s camera instead. The QR code works for 1 hour. To get a new one, reload the kiosk’s page in Visitor.
4. If the kiosk doesn’t have a printer yet, it asks you to Choose a Printer. Select the printer and its Media Type, tap Print Sample to check it, and tap Continue. If the kiosk won’t print badges, tap Skip. For details, see Badge Printers.
5. Allow the permissions the device asks for:
   • iPad: Allow both Camera and Local Network access.
   • Windows: No permissions are needed.
6. Verify the result: The kiosk shows its welcome screen, and the kiosk’s page shows Online.

A kiosk runs on 1 device at a time. If you sign in on a second device, the kiosk asks whether to replace the device that’s signed in. Tap Replace Kiosk to sign the other device out and use the kiosk’s settings on this one. If a kiosk shows This Kiosk Isn’t Ready, it’s missing a printer or a permission it needs. See Troubleshoot Kiosks.

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Sign In Windows Kiosks with a Policy

On Windows, you can deploy each kiosk’s login as a policy instead of entering it on every computer. When the GoGuardian Campus app opens, it signs in to the kiosk on its own.

1. Copy the kiosk’s Username and Password from its Kiosk Login in Visitor.
2. Deploy them to the kiosk’s computer with the GoGuardian Campus ADMX templates, or set them directly in the registry. To get the templates, go to Installation → Campus in GoGuardian Org Management and click Download ADMX Templates on the Windows tab. In the registry, set them under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\GoGuardian\Campus:
   • KioskUserName (string): the kiosk’s Username
   • KioskPassword (string): the kiosk’s Password
3. Verify the result: Restart the computer. The kiosk opens to its welcome screen without showing Kiosk Login.

A kiosk runs on 1 device at a time, so deploy each kiosk’s login only to its own computer. If you revoke a kiosk’s login, deploy the new username and password. See Revoke a Kiosk Login.

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Brand Your Kiosks

Every Visitor kiosk at a site shows the site’s logo and colors.

1. Go to Settings → Site Information.
2. Click Edit.
3. Under Brand, upload a Logo (optional). Use a PNG file smaller than 10 MB.
4. Select a Background Color, Text Color, and Highlight Color. Check the Preview to make sure text and buttons are easy to read.
5. Click Submit.
6. Verify the result: Your kiosks show the new logo and colors within 5 minutes. A kiosk in use updates once it’s back at its welcome screen.

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Test the Kiosk Before Go-Live

Test each kiosk before visitors and students use it, so front office staff don’t find a problem during a busy morning.

1. On the check-in point’s page, confirm the kiosk shows Online.
2. If the kiosk prints badges, open the kiosk’s page and click Print Sample. A sample badge prints on the kiosk’s printer.
3. Open the Front Desk on another device.
4. On the kiosk, check in with each of its forms, the way a visitor or student would. On the Front Desk, under Kiosks, the kiosk shows Active and the Current Step as you move through the form.
5. Confirm each check-in appears under Currently Checked In right away, then check out the test check-ins.
6. Leave the kiosk unused overnight.
7. Verify the result: The next morning, the kiosk’s screen is still on and it still shows Online.

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Change Kiosk Settings

You can change a kiosk’s settings from Visitor or on the kiosk itself. The kiosk gets the change right away and applies it as soon as no one is using it, so no one is interrupted partway through checking in. From Visitor: Open the kiosk’s page, click Edit Kiosk, change the Kiosk Name or Forms, and click Submit. A kiosk can’t move to another check-in point. To use the device somewhere else, create a kiosk at that check-in point. On the kiosk: A PIN protects kiosk settings, so visitors and students can’t change them. Only a Site Admin’s PIN unlocks them. It’s the same PIN used for Hall Pass kiosks.

1. On the kiosk, tap More (⋮), then tap Edit Kiosk Settings.
2. In Your User, select your name, then enter your PIN in Your PIN.
3. Change the Kiosk Name, Forms, or Printer Settings.
4. Tap Save Changes.
5. Verify the result: The kiosk returns to its welcome screen with the new settings.

Change the printer on the kiosk itself, because the printer connects to the kiosk device. To sign a device out of its kiosk, tap More (⋮), tap Sign Out, then select your name and enter your PIN.

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Check Kiosk Status

A kiosk’s Status shows on the check-in point’s page and on the kiosk’s page. It changes as soon as the kiosk goes online or offline, without a page refresh.

• Online: The kiosk is signed in and connected.
• Offline: The kiosk is signed out, turned off, asleep, or not connected to the network. Visitors and students can’t check in there until it’s back online, but staff can still check them in from the Front Desk.

Staff also see kiosk status on the Front Desk. Under Kiosks, each kiosk at their check-in points shows Active while a visitor or student is using it, with their name and the Current Step, Inactive when it’s waiting for the next check-in, or Offline. For details, see Use the Front Desk. The kiosk’s page also shows its Device: the Device Name, Platform, Operating System, network details, and when it was Last Active. If no device is signed in, it shows “No device is signed in to this kiosk.”

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Archive a Kiosk

Archive a kiosk when you no longer use it, such as when you retire its device. Archiving revokes the kiosk’s login and signs it out as soon as no one is using it. Past check-ins at the kiosk stay in the Activity Log.

1. Open the kiosk’s page.
2. Click More actions (⋮), then select Archive.
3. Click Archive to confirm.
4. Verify the result: The kiosk no longer appears under Kiosks on the check-in point’s page.

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Revoke a Kiosk Login

If a kiosk’s username and password were shared, or its device is lost, revoke its login. The kiosk itself stays, with its forms and printer.

1. Open the kiosk’s page.
2. Under Kiosk Login, click revoking the credential, then click Revoke Login. Devices signed in to the kiosk return to Kiosk Login within about 5 minutes, once no one is using them.
3. Click Create Kiosk Login to create a new username and password.
4. Sign in on the kiosk device again. See Sign In on the Kiosk Device.
5. Verify the result: The kiosk’s page shows Online, and the old username and password no longer sign in.

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Troubleshoot Kiosks

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Resources

• Check-In Points
• Badge Printers
• The Kiosk Check-In Experience
• Troubleshoot Kiosks
• Compatibility and Requirements
• Set Your PIN