You can connect a membership site to Kisi so that a paid, active member can unlock your door and a lapsed one cannot. Your site holds the member record. Kisi controls the lock. The API between them keeps the two in step, with no one handing out keys.
We build this kind of system for staffless venues. Below is how the pieces fit, what to decide early, and where owners get stuck.
TL;DR
- Sync members from your site to Kisi through the API. Active subscription means access. Cancelled means access removed.
- Members can unlock with the Kisi app, or with a QR code shown inside your own app or site.
- Guests can get time-limited access links with no account and no app download.
- Phones can still open the door when the building's internet drops.
- Ask Kisi for a sandbox account and a hardware devkit before you start building.
What a Kisi-connected membership site does
Most owners picture three tools: a booking page, a payment processor and a door system. Members then juggle three logins, and staff reconcile them by hand.
The better setup is one login. The member signs in, books a slot, pays, and the door opens at the right time. Kisi's own documentation describes bookings with automated access, payments and scheduling in one place, including a Stripe payment option. If you need more control than that, your own site can run the whole flow and talk to Kisi through the API.
This suits boutique gyms, private clubs, studios, coworking rooms and game venues. Anywhere a person pays to use a space and nobody is at the front desk.
Three ways to connect your site to Kisi
Kisi describes several integration methods. Three matter for a membership business.
| Method | Best for | What the member sees |
|---|---|---|
| User provisioning | Ongoing members | Their own Kisi credential, tied to their account |
| Optical credentials (QR or barcode) | A single-app experience | A code inside your app, scanned at the reader |
| Access links | Guests, trials, one-off visits | A link or QR that expires on its own |
User provisioning for paying members
Kisi calls user provisioning the most common API approach for managing a user's whole lifecycle. Your site creates the user, assigns them to a group, and removes them when they leave.
Two things follow from that.
First, access matches your billing records. A member whose payment fails or whose plan ends loses entry without anyone checking a list. That ties door access to real subscription status, which is the point of the whole build.
Second, every unlock belongs to a named person. That helps with security. It also shows you how people use the space: which hours are busy, which are dead, and when you are near capacity. Those facts guide decisions on opening hours and equipment.
QR codes inside your own app
If you do not want members downloading a second app, your site or app can show a QR code or barcode that they scan at the reader. Kisi's integration overview covers this under its integration methods. Your brand stays in front, onboarding is shorter, and the access history sits in your own database.
Access links for guests
Kisi's access links give temporary entry through a shareable QR code or web link. The visitor needs no Kisi account and no app. The link can go by email or text, or sit inside your own site, and it expires at the end of the window you set.
Use them for:
- Trial visits and day passes
- Members bringing a guest
- Cleaners, contractors and delivery staff
- One-time event bookings
How members actually unlock the door
Kisi supports tap-to-unlock, tapping in the app, and MotionSense, where you wave a hand near the reader. The mobile credentials page explains that tap-to-unlock uses Bluetooth and NFC, while in-app unlocking goes through the cloud. It also notes these methods can require the phone to be unlocked first, which adds a second factor.
Offline entry matters for staffless venues. The same page describes the phone talking to the controller directly over Bluetooth or NFC. A brief internet outage does not have to lock paying members out at 10 p.m. with nobody there to help.
Hardware still fails now and then. Decide your plan for a dead phone or a stuck reader before launch. Some owners keep a keypad or key backup for emergencies, and a guide on keypad lock troubleshooting is a good start for working out what can go wrong at the door itself.
A real example: Modern Cue Club
Modern Cue Club is a billiards club we are building as a staffless venue. The member platform handles booking, payment and Kisi door access from one login. Members let themselves in.
You can read the full Modern Cue Club case study and our write-up of the staffless venue build. If you want a site like this, our app development service covers the member platform, the booking logic and the Kisi connection.
Our view on staffless access
We see the same mistake often. An owner assumes access control is a separate project from the website. They buy hardware, then bolt a spreadsheet onto it.
That works for ten members. It breaks at fifty. Someone forgets to remove a cancelled member, a card goes missing, and nobody can say who was in the room on Friday night.
We treat the door as one more feature of the membership product. The member record is the single source of truth. Payment status drives access. The booking drives the time window. The logs feed back into how you run the business.
Two habits save projects:
- Talk to Kisi early. Their integration guide points developers to contact their team first. Ask for a sandbox account and a hardware devkit in the planning phase. You can then test your revoke and grant logic without touching a real door.
- Design for the odd case. Failed payments, paused plans, family accounts, guests, staff. Write the rules down before anyone writes code.
— Loic
What to decide before you build
Bring these answers to your first call with a developer.
- Who gets in, and when? Plan tiers, off-peak passes, booked slots only, or any hour.
- What triggers removal? Cancelled, failed payment, or end of a term. Decide whether there is a grace period.
- App or no app? Kisi's app, or a QR code in your own site.
- Guest policy. Paid guest passes, free trials, or members only.
- Doors and zones. Front door only, or also lockers, a back room or equipment cages.
- Backup plan. Who gets called when a door will not open?
Where we can help
We design and build custom websites, apps and platforms for business owners in Canada and the US, including membership and booking sites with door access. We scope each project to your needs and keep you involved from idea to launch. See our services, or tell us about your venue and we will talk through the options.
FAQ
Do members need the Kisi app?
No. You can show a QR code or barcode inside your own app or site, and members scan it at the reader. Many owners still offer the Kisi app as an option for tap-to-unlock.
Can a membership site remove access automatically?
Yes. With user provisioning through the API, your site tells Kisi when a member joins or leaves. When a plan is cancelled in your system, your system can trigger removal of that person's access.
What happens if the internet goes down?
Kisi documents that the phone can talk to the controller directly over Bluetooth or NFC, so access checks can continue during a short outage. Test this on site before you open.
How do I let a guest in without an account?
Use an access link. It is a shareable QR code or web link that expires at the end of the time you set. The guest does not need an account or an app.
Sources
- Bookings, Kisi Product Documentation
- Integration methods, Kisi Product Documentation
- User provisioning, Kisi Product Documentation
- Access links, Kisi Product Documentation
- Mobile credentials, Kisi Product Documentation
- How to integrate Kisi, Kisi Product Documentation
