What this video covers
- Downloading the app on iPhone or Android
- The three permissions the app needs, and why a visitor call fails without them
- Logging in, and the Remember Me box worth checking
- Face ID or fingerprint login, time format, and password reset
- Finding your property, gates, and cameras
- Answering a video call from the gate
- Answering a voice call, and the keypad shortcut that opens the gate
Downloading The App
The CellGate app is free on both stores. Search CellGate on the iPhone App Store or the Android Play Store, then tap Get on iPhone or Install on Android. Open it from the store when it finishes, or find the icon on your home screen and open it there.
You can also reach both store links, and learn what the app does, on the CellGate mobile app page.
1) Grant the three permissions: this is what makes calls work
The first time you open the app it asks for three permissions. Enable all three. This screen is easy to dismiss and expensive to skip, because the permissions are what let a visitor at the gate actually reach you.
Notifications are the one that matters most: with them off, a visitor can call from the gate and your phone will never ring. If calls are not coming through later, this screen is the first place to check, in the app settings or your phone’s settings for the CellGate app.
Logging In
Enter the username and password from your welcome email. Check the box to agree to the privacy policy, and check Remember Me so you are not signing in every time. That second box is worth the tap: an app you have to log into is an app you answer the gate through less often.
2) Open Settings: the two toggles worth turning on now
Tap the three lines in the top left corner to open the menu, then tap Settings. Two options here are worth setting on day one:
- Face ID or fingerprint login. Turn it on and you open the app with a glance instead of a password, which for a call you have seconds to answer is the difference between catching it and missing it.
- Time format. Set 24-hour time if that is what you read, so Visitor Pass windows are never ambiguous.
Settings is also where Reset Password and Forgot Password live, and where you will find the App Logger if support ever asks you to check it.
3) Find your property: gates and cameras
The main dashboard lists the properties you have access to. Tap one to see its locations, then tap a location to see the gates and cameras you can control there. Tap any single device to open its controls.
If a gate or camera you expect is missing, that is a permissions question for whoever administers the property rather than an app problem. It means the device has not been shared to your account yet.
4) Answer a video call: see who is at the gate
When a visitor selects you from the gate directory, a call pops up on your phone, as long as you are logged in and notifications are on. Tap the blue check mark and you get live video of whoever is standing at the gate.
From there it is one tap: Open lets them in, the red X ends the call and denies access. You are seeing the gate before you decide, which is the whole point of the video option.
5) Answer a voice call: the keypad opens the gate
If you are set up for voice rather than video, a gate call arrives as an ordinary phone call. Answer it, then press 1 to hear the visitor at the gate.
To let them in, press the star key or press 9. To deny access, just hang up. There is no app screen to find in the moment, only the keypad already in front of you.
If something is not working
The two most common issues both trace back to setup rather than the app: calls that never ring usually mean notifications were skipped on the permissions screen, and a missing gate or camera usually means the device has not been shared to your account. If neither fits, CellGate Customer Care can walk through it with you at 855.694.2837 x.3.