1. Hold your TigerCard in front of the numeric keypad approximately one inch away.

2. Hold your card still until the status light begins to flash from green to red. Enter your 4-digit PIN. (Forget your PIN?)

3. A small electronic motor will sound, and the door becomes unlocked when the status light turns to a solid green. Turn handle and enter. The door will automatically lock when door is closed

Your keyless lock PIN is a four-digit number that is randomly assigned. Your keyless lock will not open without the use of both your TigerCard and PIN. If you have forgotten your PIN, follow the steps below to retrieve it online.

1. Visit My Housing for Undergraduates or My Housing for Graduates .
2. Select "View Door Lock PIN" .
3. Your PIN will be revealed on the screen.

Your PIN may only be retrieved by following the steps outlined above. For security purposes, your PIN will never be emailed to you or shared with you over the phone. For your safety and the security of your belongings, keep your PIN confidential.

If you have lost your TigerCard, please see the Lost TigerCard section.

A Keyless Lock Hot Spot is a computer hardware device used to validate and update your TigerCard for use within the keyless lock system.

How to Validate/Update Your TigerCard (Hit the Hot Spot)

1. Find any installed Keyless Lock Hot Spot on campus. View the Hot Spot Map
2. Hold your TigerCard still in front of the Hot Spot. A blue light indicates that the update is in progress. 
3. TigerCard validation is complete when the light turns green.  

How Often Do I Need to Hit a Hot Spot?

The first validation occurs during Move-in. You will need to validate your TigerCard three additional times during the academic year after each of the following break periods. 

• After Fall Recess
• Beginning of Spring Term
• After Spring Recess

The validation period typically lasts 7 days. You must hit the Hot Spot by noon on the last day of the validation periods.

Why Do I Need to Hit the Hot Spot?

Hitting the Hot Spot, or validating process, is part of routine maintenance of the keyless lock system. Validating your card relays diagnostic information about your lock, such as battery health, in an effort to manage potential lock malfunctions before they happen.

The following FAQs indicate how to use your keyless lock and also detail procedures for lock outs and replacing lost TigerCards. Students can also contact Facilities Customer Service at (609)258-8000 if they have other questions not answered below.

Q. What is a keyless lock?

A. All dorms have been equipped with keyless door locks. The locks use the TigerCard (University ID) and a PIN to open the door. Each student will no longer use brass keys to open his or her dorm room.

Q. How does the keyless lock work?

A. To open a door with a keyless lock:

Hold your TigerCard in front of the numeric keypad approximately one inch away.
 
Hold your card still until the status light begins to flash from green to red. Enter your 4-digit PIN.
 
A small electronic motor will sound, and the door becomes unlocked when the status light turns to a solid green. Turn handle and enter. The door will automatically lock when door is closed.

Q. Will the door automatically lock when closed?

A. Yes. The NJ State Construction Code requires room entry doors to close and latch. The door is fire rated, therefore, the door is a smoke and heat barrier and is required to stay closed and latched. If a fire occurs, the door keeps the fire and smoke from spreading to the hall or from the hall into the room. The International Fire Code (NJ Edition) requires that the University maintain the doors as they were installed and intended for use under the NJ State Construction Code.

Q. What happens if I prop or circumvent the closing/latching mechanisms?

A. When a door is discovered to be propped open and/or the closing/latching mechanism is circumvented, an automatic $25 fine is issued to each occupant of the room for the initial offense. The fine increases for subsequent offenses as per the Undergraduate Housing Fire Safety Policies and Graduate Dormitory Housing Fire Safety Policies.

Q. What is a Hot Spot (Keyless Lock Hot Spot)?

A. A (Keyless Lock) Hot Spot is a computer hardware device used to validate and update your TigerCard in the keyless lock system.  

Q. How often do I need to hit a Hot Spot (validate my TigerCard)?

A.  Validation Schedule

The first validation occurs during Move-in. You will need to validate your TigerCard four additional times during the academic year. You must hit the Hot Spot by noon on the last day of each of the following validation periods:

• After Fall Recess
• Beginning of Spring Term
• After Spring Recess

Additionally, students must hit a Hot Spot whenever a room assignment is changed, and also at the start of the Academic Year.

Q. Where are the Hot Spots located?

A. View the Hot Spot Map. 

Q. What do I do if the lock won’t open and/or displays a red status light?

A. First, try validating your TigerCard on a Hot Spot and then try the lock again. During business hours, if the card still does not work, please call Facilities Customer Service at (609) 258-8000. After business hours, go to the Public Safety office to obtain a loaner card or call (609) 258-1000 to have a Public Safety officer dispatched to gain re-entry into the room. A $30 fee will be applied if a Public Safety officer is dispatched to assist in gaining re-entry.

Q. Why does my lock flash red 3 times before allowing me to open my door?

A. The lock’s batteries are low. In this situation please call Customer Service at (609) 258-8000 to request that the lock's batteries be replaced.

Q. What if I present my card to the lock and nothing happens?

A. Please call Customer Service at (609) 258-8000 during regular business hours. After business hours, you should contact Public Safety at (609) 258-1000 to have the lock issue reported to Facilities personnel.

Q. What if I forget my PIN?

A. If a student forgets his or her PIN, he or she can obtain it by doing the following:

1. Visit My Housing for Undergraduates or My Housing for Graduates .
2. Select "View Door Lock PIN" .
3. Your PIN will be revealed on the screen.

Your PIN may only be retrieved by following the steps outlined above. For security purposes, your PIN will never be emailed to you or shared with you over the phone. For your safety and the security of your belongings, keep your PIN confidential. 

Q. What do I do if I’ve left my TigerCard in my room and am locked out?

A. If you are locked out of your dorm and/or room, you may borrow a loaner card for one hour to gain re-entry. You are required to sign out the loaner card with the understanding that misuse of the loaner card is treated as a “Rights, Rules, Responsibilities” violation similar to misuse of the University TigerCard.

If you are unable to come to the Undergraduate Student Housing Office, you have may contact Public Safety at (609) 258-1000 to request re-entry. You will be asked to specify the circumstances preventing you from obtaining a loaner card from Undergraduate Student Housing Office.

There is no charge for the first three times a loaner card is issued, if the card is returned within 24 hours to one of the drop-off locations listed below. If the loaner card is not returned within 24 hours, a $75 non-returned card fee applies.

After three loaner cards are issued, a $30 fee applies for each card issued thereafter. There is also a $30 service fee when Public Safety is dispatched to assist with re-entry. A grace period without fees or tabulations is in place from August 15 to September 30 each year and during all scheduled fire drills.

To replace a lost TigerCard, see the TigerCard website for more information. The replacement fee is $15.

Q. What do I do if I’ve lost my TigerCard?

A. See Lost TigerCard for instructions.

Q. Are there fees for Lock Out Service and/or TigerCard Replacement?

A. The fee schedule for lockouts within the keyless lock system is as follows*:

Loaner Cards issued at Housing and Real Estate Services or Public Safety (first three requests)
$0 if returned within 24 hours

Repeated request fees (after third loaner card request)
$30 per incident

Non-returned loaner cards or cards returned after 24 hours
$75 per incident

Public Safety dispatched to assist in gaining re-entry 
$30 per incident

Replacement of a lost TigerCard
$15 per incident

*A grace period without fees or tabulations will be in place from August 15 to September 30 each year and during all scheduled fire drills.

At the discretion of Housing & Real Estate Services, any student who is repeatedly locked out of his or her room will be recommended to the dean for further action. Also, any student who is found misappropriating use of the loaner card will be referred to the dean for further action.

Replace Your TigerCard
 

If you lose your TigerCard, report it to TigerCard Services as soon as possible. Because your card allows building and dorm room access and has financial value, it is important to replace or suspend your TigerCard whenever lost.

Business Hours (Monday-Friday 8 am-5 pm)

Stop by The Service Point on the A Level of New South to get a new card or call 609.258.8300 to suspend your card until you can come to the office to get your new card.

After Business Hours

Student requests for a replacement TigerCard should be submitted online.

Once a request is submitted, students may visit the TigerCard, Transportation & Parking Services Office, New South, A Level between 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, to pick up their replacement cards.  

If requests are submitted after 5 pm on Fridays or on weekends, students will now be able to pick up a replacement TigerCard during limited hours at the Frist Campus Center.  For students requesting and picking up cards during weekends, a representative from the Frist Campus Center will contact students when the card is ready for pickup.

There is a $15 charge for replacing your TigerCard. Once a card has been replaced your old card cannot be reactivated. 

Loaner Card

Students awaiting a replacement TigerCard after business hours can go to Public Safety (200 Elm Drive) to obtain a loaner card. Please note that in the event of critical campus situations, delays in the administering of a loaner card may occur.

The loaner card will grant the student building and dorm room access until:
10 am the following business

There will be no charge if the loaner card is returned within 24 hours at one of the following drop-off locations. If the loaner card is not returned within 24 hours, a $75 non-returned card fee will apply. 

• The Service Point (New South A Level)
• Frist Campus Center Welcome Desk (100 Level)
• Public Safety (200 Elm Drive)

Why Keyless Locks?

Keyless lock systems provide a higher level of security because they provide better control of the card keys and an audit trail to detect for such things as attempted unauthorized entry, propped doors, etc. A lost card is automatically invalidated once a student uses his or her new card. Roommate(s) may continue to use their card(s) without any changes. Besides security, the new system offers the following benefits:

• Improved security through better key management.
• Reduces the maintenance effort and cost associated with re-coring locks when keys are lost.

In 1996, the University installed card key locksets in 1938 and Wilcox Halls to evaluate their effectiveness, reliability, and to understand the administrative needs of the system. Later, these locks were installed in Caldwell Field House for the Athletics Department, Frist Campus Center and CVCS offices. Athletics wanted the system to be able to easily manage their keys and the access rights of various groups to their spaces, while Frist wanted to reduce theft. Both groups succeeded in their goals and the keyless lock system for exterior doors and specialized doors is a part of everyday life.

In the fall of 2010, an interdepartmental working group consisting of representatives from Facilities, OIT, University Services, Public Safety, and other campus stakeholders was assembled in response to dormitory security concerns. The working group was also tasked with looking at the feasibility of utilizing a keyless lock system in the University’s dormitories. After a review of various keyless lock manufacturers, in early 2011 the working group recommended the selection of Salto Systems to provide the University with keyless locks for all undergraduate and graduate dormitories. These locks feature a dual validation for entry meaning that a valid TigerCard and PIN are required for entry into a dorm room entry door.