ID Scanning lets front-desk staff check visitors in by scanning a QR code, a driver's license, or a passport. Licenses and passports are matched against the visitors expected today, so you can check in the right person without typing their name.
ID Scanning requires a compatible barcode scanner that supports driver's license parsing.
Only the first and last name are used. Cove does not display or store the date of birth, document number, or any other field from a scanned license or passport.
- Turning ID Scanning on or off
- What happens for each credential type
- Checking in a matched visitor
- When there is no match
- When a document cannot be read
- Setting up the scanner
Turning ID Scanning on or off
An ID Scanning toggle appears in the header of the Visitors page, with an info button beside it.
- The toggle is on by default.
- It applies to all credential types at once. There are no separate controls for QR codes, licenses, or passports.
- It is session-scoped. It stays as you set it while you are on the Visitors page, and resets to on the next time you open the page.
- When ID Scanning is off, scans are ignored entirely. Nothing is read and no message appears.
Select the info button to open a drawer on the right side of the page explaining what happens for each credential type.
What happens for each credential type
With ID Scanning on:
- QR code or barcode - behavior is unchanged. A match opens the check-in form directly. If there is no match, a red Couldn't find a match for this QR code message appears.
- Driver's license - the first and last name are read from the barcode and matched against the visitors expected today.
- Passport - the first and last name are read and matched the same way.
License and passport matching is fuzzy, so close spellings and small differences in how a name was entered still return results.
Checking in a matched visitor
When a scanned license or passport matches one or more visitors expected today, a modal opens listing every candidate. Each row shows:
- Visitor name
- Tenant or vendor
- Host
- Expected time
Candidates are not ranked or scored, so review the details and select Check In on the correct row.
If none of the candidates is the person in front of you, select None of these - Add as New Visitor. The New Visitor form opens with the scanned first and last name already filled in.
When there is no match
If nobody expected today has a similar name, the modal says so and offers a single option: Add as New Visitor. The New Visitor form opens with the scanned first and last name already filled in. Add the tenant, host, and any other required details, then complete the registration.
To register several walk-ins, repeat the scan for each visitor.
When a document cannot be read
If a license or passport is picked up by the scanner but cannot be read, an error modal appears with a Scan Again option. Reposition the document and scan it again.
Setting up the scanner
- Connect the scanner to the computer running the dashboard.
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions to install and configure the scanner.
- Ensure the scanner is configured for driver's license parsing.
Once connected, the scanner works like a keyboard input device and sends the scanned data to the page. Driver's licenses contain a 2D barcode that stores structured identity information, and compatible scanners read this barcode and pass it to Cove, which takes only the first and last name from it.
Note: The ID Scanning toggle does not detect whether a scanner is connected, so it will show as on even if no device is attached. If scans are not registering, check the scanner's connection and configuration.