Kiosk Manager — Complete Guide

ChurchCRM's Kiosk Manager lets you run self-service check-in on tablets or kiosks for events, Sunday School, and other activities. This guide covers setup, daily use, notifications, and troubleshooting.

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Table of contents

• At a glance
• Quick start (4 steps)
• How it works
• Features overview
• Prerequisites
• Registering and assigning a kiosk
• Sunday School check-in view
• Parent alerts (notifications)
• Managing kiosks
• Device setup and best practices
• Troubleshooting
• API reference
• Related docs

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At a glance

What	Details
URL (device)	https://your-churchcrm-url/kiosk/
URL (admin)	Admin → Kiosk Manager or https://your-churchcrm-url/kiosk/admin
Registration window	30 seconds (enable in Kiosk Manager)
Who can manage	Administrators only
Assignment	One event per kiosk; event must have a group linked
Heartbeat	Device polls server periodically for commands (reload, identify)

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Quick start (4 steps)

1. Create an event with a group
   Events → Add Church Event → set Group to the class/roster. Save.
   (Only future events appear for kiosk assignment.)

2. Enable registration
   Admin → Kiosk Manager → turn Enable New Kiosk Registration On. You have 30 seconds.

3. Register the device
   On the tablet/kiosk, open a browser and go to https://your-churchcrm-url/kiosk/. The device registers and shows "Awaiting Acceptance."

4. Accept and assign
   In Kiosk Manager, find the new kiosk, click Accept, then in Assignment choose your event. The kiosk will show the check-in screen for that event’s group.

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How it works

1. Registration — A device visits the kiosk URL while registration is enabled and gets a unique Kiosk Name and a cookie. No login is required on the device.
2. Acceptance — An admin accepts the device in Kiosk Manager so it can receive an assignment.
3. Assignment — The admin assigns the kiosk to one event. The event must have a group; the kiosk shows that group’s members for check-in.
4. Check-in — On the kiosk, teachers (or volunteers) tap to check in/out students. Attendance is stored for the event.
5. Parent alerts — For checked-in students, teachers can trigger a notification (email, SMS, or OpenLP) to parents.

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Features overview

Feature	Description
Two-column layout	"Waiting to Check In" (left) and "Checked In" (right); tablet-optimized.
Student cards	Photo (or gender icon), name, age, check-in button; optional birthday icon.
Birthday recognition	Highlights today’s birthdays, upcoming (14 days), and recent (14 days).
Parent Alert	One-tap notification to parents (email, SMS, and/or OpenLP) for pickup/alert.
Checkout All	One tap to check out everyone in the class.
No login on device	Kiosk uses a cookie; no ChurchCRM user login on the tablet.
Reload / Identify	Admin can force reload or show an ID message on the kiosk screen.
Heartbeat	Device polls the server so it can receive reload/identify commands.

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Prerequisites

Before setting up kiosks:

1. Administrator access to ChurchCRM.
2. At least one future event (start date ≥ today).
3. A group linked to that event — the kiosk roster is the event’s group. Without a group, the kiosk shows "No class members found."

Creating an event for kiosk check-in

1. Events → Add Church Event (or List Event Types first if you need a type).
2. Set Title, Start/End date and time (must be in the future for assignment).
3. In Group, select the group that is the class roster (e.g. "3rd Grade Sunday School").
4. Save.

Group is required

The kiosk displays group members as the check-in list. If the event has no group, the kiosk cannot show anyone to check in.

Future events only

Only events with a future start date appear in the Kiosk Manager assignment dropdown. Past events are hidden.

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Registering and assigning a kiosk

Step 1: Enable registration

1. Go to Admin → Kiosk Manager.
2. Turn Enable New Kiosk Registration On.
3. A 30-second countdown starts. New devices must open the kiosk URL in this window to register.

Step 2: Open the kiosk URL on the device

On the tablet or kiosk:

1. Open a browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari).
2. Go to: https://your-churchcrm-url/kiosk/.
3. The device registers and gets a unique name (e.g. ipheec).
4. The screen shows "Awaiting Acceptance" and instructions for the admin.

Step 3: Accept the kiosk

1. In Kiosk Manager, find the new row (match Kiosk Name to the device).
2. Click Accept (green checkmark).
3. The kiosk screen updates and the Assignment dropdown becomes available.

Step 4: Assign to an event

1. In the Assignment column, open the dropdown.
2. Choose the event (and group) for this kiosk.
3. The kiosk loads that event’s group and shows the check-in interface.

If the dropdown is empty, create a future event with a group and refresh Kiosk Manager.

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Sunday School check-in view

Layout

• Header — Event title, group name, start/end time, counts (Here / Expected), Checkout All button.
• Birthday banner — Optional; shows students with birthdays in the next or past 14 days.
• Left column — "Waiting to Check In" (yellow); tap to check in.
• Right column — "Checked In" (green); tap Parent Alert or use Checkout All.

Student cards

Each person has:

• Photo (if set) or gender icon.
• Name; optional birthday cake icon.
• Age (if birth year is set).
• Check-in (green arrow) when waiting; Parent Alert (bell) when checked in.

Birthday states

State	Appearance
Today	Gold card, "Today!" badge.
Upcoming	Green card, "Turning [age]" (next 14 days).
Recent	Gray card (past 14 days).

Checkout All

• In the header, Checkout All moves every checked-in person back to "Waiting to Check In" and updates attendance with checkout time.
• Use it at the end of class.

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Parent alerts (notifications)

The Parent Alert button (bell) sends a message to parents that the teacher has requested attention (e.g. pickup, illness, behavior).

Requirements

• The student must be checked in (button only shows for checked-in students).
• At least one notification method must be configured: Email, SMS (Nexmo/Vonage), or OpenLP.

What parents receive

• Email/SMS: Message that a notification was triggered by the classroom teacher.
• OpenLP: Alert can be shown on a projector/screen if OpenLP is configured.

Configuring notification methods

Method	Where	What to set
Email	Admin → Edit General Settings → Email Settings	SMTP host, port, user, password. See Email Setup.
SMS	Admin → System Settings → Integration	Nexmo API Key, API Secret, From Number.
OpenLP	Admin → System Settings → Integration	OpenLP URL, username, password (if used).

When a teacher taps Parent Alert, all configured channels are used at once.

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Managing kiosks

Kiosk Manager table

Column	Meaning
Id	Internal kiosk ID.
Kiosk Name	Auto-generated name (e.g. ipheec); use it to match device to row.
Assignment	Current event (and group). Change via dropdown.
Last Heartbeat	Last time the device contacted the server.
Accepted	Whether the kiosk has been accepted.
Actions	Reload, Identify, Accept, Delete.

Actions

Action	Use
Reload	Force the kiosk to refresh (e.g. after changing assignment). Takes effect on next heartbeat.
Identify	Show an on-screen message on that kiosk so you can match it to the row.
Accept	Allow a newly registered kiosk (only for unaccepted devices).
Delete	Remove the kiosk. The device must be re-registered to use again.

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Device setup and best practices

Recommended browser settings

• Full screen (e.g. F11).
• Kiosk URL as homepage so the device opens the right page.
• Disable browser notifications to avoid popups.
• Auto-start browser on boot if the device is dedicated to the kiosk.

Chrome kiosk mode (optional)

chrome --kiosk https://your-churchcrm-url/kiosk/

Device and placement

• Tablet in landscape gives the best two-column layout.
• Place the device where teachers can reach it without leaving the room.
• Use a stand or wall mount so the screen is stable and visible.
• For shared tablets, consider a short timeout or lock so the browser doesn’t get closed.

Network and power

• Use stable Wi‑Fi (same network as the ChurchCRM server).
• Power the device so it doesn’t sleep during service (or disable sleep when the browser is open).

Security

• Put kiosks in supervised areas.
• Use a dedicated device account with limited OS permissions.
• Lock down the browser (e.g. no address bar, no settings) if possible.
• For expensive hardware, consider a locked enclosure.

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Troubleshooting

"This kiosk has not been accepted"

• In Kiosk Manager, find the kiosk and click Accept.

Kiosk won’t register

• Ensure Enable New Kiosk Registration is On and you’re within the 30-second window.
• Open the kiosk URL on the device during that window.
• Clear cookies for the site on the device and try again.
• Confirm the device can reach https://your-churchcrm-url.

"401 Unauthorized" on the device

• Registration has expired. Turn Enable New Kiosk Registration On again and reload the kiosk page quickly.

No events in the Assignment dropdown

• Create an event with a future start date and a group.
• Refresh Kiosk Manager; new events should appear.

"No class members found" on the kiosk

• Edit the event and set Group to the correct class/roster.
• Ensure the group has members.
• Reload the kiosk (Reload button in Kiosk Manager).

Student ages not showing

• Edit the person and set Birth Year (required for age). Month/day are optional.

Parent Alert button not visible

• Student must be checked in (not just in "Waiting to Check In").
• At least one of Email, SMS, or OpenLP must be configured under Admin → System Settings → Integration.

Kiosk not responding to Reload/Identify

• Check Last Heartbeat. If it’s old or "Never", the device may be off or offline.
• Confirm Wi‑Fi and that the kiosk tab is open and not sleeping.
• Manually refresh the browser on the device.

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API reference

For integrations and automation. All admin endpoints require an authenticated administrator.

Admin API

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/kiosk/api/devices	List all kiosk devices.
POST	/kiosk/api/allowRegistration	Open the 30-second registration window.
POST	/kiosk/api/devices/{id}/reload	Send reload command.
POST	/kiosk/api/devices/{id}/identify	Send identify command.
POST	/kiosk/api/devices/{id}/accept	Accept the kiosk.
POST	/kiosk/api/devices/{id}/assignment	Set assignment (body: assignmentType, eventId).
DELETE	/kiosk/api/devices/{id}	Delete the kiosk.

Device API (used by the kiosk browser)

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/kiosk/device/	Main kiosk page.
GET	/kiosk/device/heartbeat	Heartbeat; returns pending commands.
GET	/kiosk/device/activeClassMembers	List of group members and check-in status.
GET	/kiosk/device/activeClassMember/{id}/photo	Member photo.
POST	/kiosk/device/checkin	Check in (body: PersonId).
POST	/kiosk/device/checkout	Check out (body: PersonId).
POST	/kiosk/device/checkoutAll	Check out all.
POST	/kiosk/device/triggerNotification	Parent alert (body: PersonId).

Example: activeClassMembers response

{
  "People": [
    {
      "Id": 123,
      "FirstName": "John",
      "LastName": "Smith",
      "Gender": 1,
      "age": 8,
      "birthdayThisMonth": true,
      "birthdayUpcoming": true,
      "birthdayRecent": false,
      "birthdayToday": false,
      "birthDay": 15,
      "birthMonth": 2,
      "hasPhoto": true,
      "RoleName": "Student",
      "status": 0
    }
  ],
  "GroupName": "3rd Grade Sunday School",
  "notificationsEnabled": true
}

• status: 0 = not checked in, 1 = checked in.
• age: From birth year; can be null.
• birthdayUpcoming / birthdayRecent / birthdayToday: Used for birthday UI.
• notificationsEnabled: Whether any parent-alert channel is configured.

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Related documentation

• Events — Creating events and taking attendance
• Groups — Creating groups and adding members
• Email Setup — SMTP for parent alert email
• Your First Week — Day 6 covers email and reports