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How to Review Call and Door Release History in the ButterflyMX OS

Context:

One of the benefits of having a ButterflyMX video intercom at your building is the added security. Every time a resident or visitor uses ButterflyMX to enter the building, the intercom takes a time-and date-stamped photo of the person entering. As a ButterflyMX Property Admin, you can review this call and door release history at any time. Read this post to learn how.

What to do:

To review call and door release history, start by logging into the ButterflyMX OS on a computer.

How to review call history:

  1. From the menu on the left side of the screen, click “Calls”

  2. You’ll see a page that looks like this:

  3. This is your building’s call log, meaning a history of every single call that a visitor makes from the intercom lives here. Each call is date-and-time stamped and tells you:
    • Which tenant did they called
    • The tenant’s unit number
    • The specific intercom they made the call from (which is helpful if you have multiple points of entry at your building)
    • The type of visitor (visitor, delivery, etc)
  4. On the right-hand side, you will also see a photo of the person who made the call.
  5. You can also request a PDF report, which will be emailed to anyone who is an admin on the account.

How to view door release history:

  1. Click on ‘Door Releases’ from the menu on the left side of the screen.

  2. You’ll see a page that looks like this:

  3. In this section, you will see a log of any time the video intercom released the door. That door release is date-and time-stamped. Within each release, you can see:
     
    • Which door (access point) was the door released from
    • The tenant’s unit number
    • The tenant’s name
    • A photo of the person who was at the intercom
    • ‘Release type’ tells you if the release was for a visitor, delivery, etc.
    • ‘Release method’ tells you how exactly the door was released for that person to gain access to the building.
       
  4. Within the Filters menu, you can narrow your results by selecting a specific Start Date and End Date, Release Status, Entry Method, or Device/Access Point. Because ButterflyMX offers a variety of ways to grant access, the Entry Method filter allows you to see exactly how a door was opened

    To find a specific activity, use the Filters tool to sort by the following criteria:
  • Date Range: Select a Start and End Date.

  • Release Status: Filter by successful or failed entries.

  • Entry Method: Choose from various options such as API, Door PIN, or Swipe to Open.

  • Device or Access Point: Narrow your search to a specific door or gate.

    Descriptions of Entry Methods
     

    • API: tells you the door was released via ButterflyMX's public API — meaning a third-party integration or external system triggered the door release programmatically.
    • App Call: tells you the door was released during a mobile app video call — the tenant answered the intercom call through the ButterflyMX app and pressed the open door button.
    • Apple Access: tells you the door was released using Apple Access (NFC-based) — the tenant used their iPhone or Apple Watch with a resident key stored in Apple Wallet to tap and unlock the door.
    • Button Open: tells you the door was released using a physical button on the intercom — typically used in gated communities with two gates to allow a vehicle to make a U-turn, opening one gate without a full access event.
    • Delivery Pickup PIN: tells you the door was released using a one-time Delivery Pickup PIN — this is a package room-specific PIN automatically sent to the resident when a package is delivered, valid for 72 hours and used to retrieve their package.
    • Delivery Pass: tells you the door was released using a Delivery Pass — a single-use PIN created by the resident and shared with a delivery driver, with a 15-minute grace period after first use.
    • Door PIN: tells you the door was released using a tenant's personal Door PIN — a numeric code assigned to a resident's account for their own regular access to the building.
    • Fire Alarm: tells you the door was released due to a fire alarm event — this release type exists on the CloudKeyz (CK/ACS) side of the system; it may not always appear in the ButterflyMX OS door release log.
    • Front Desk Button: tells you the door was released by a Front Desk Station attendant manually pressing the door release button — the attendant was at the Front Desk Station and actively clicked to grant access.
    • Front Desk Call: tells you the door was released during a call to the Front Desk Station — a visitor called the front desk from the intercom, and the attendant opened the door from within that call.
    • Key Fob & Card: tells you the door was released using a ButterflyMX-programmed key fob or key card — a resident or staff member tapped their assigned fob or card on an ACS keypad reader.
    • Landline: tells you the door was released by pressing 9 during an intercom voice call — this happens when a tenant receives the intercom call as a regular phone call (not video) and presses 9 on their keypad to unlock the door.
    • License Plate: tells you the door was released by a recognized vehicle license plate — the vehicle's plate was read by a license plate recognition reader and matched to an authorized user. (Note: this is considered a deprecated/legacy release type in the current ButterflyMX OS.)
    • Remote Doorman: tells you the door was released by a third-party remote doorman service (such as Delivery Concierge) — an off-site security/concierge operator remotely granted access on behalf of the property.
    • Request to Exit: tells you the door was released by a physical Request to Exit (REX) button or sensor — typically a push button or motion sensor on the inside of a door that allows someone to exit without a credential. This release type exists on the CloudKeyz (CK/ACS) side; it may not always appear in the ButterflyMX OS door release log.
    • Scheduler: tells you the door was released automatically by the Open Hours schedule — no person triggered this; the system unlocked the access point at the configured scheduled time (e.g., lobby doors unlocking at 9 AM).
    • Swipe to Open: tells you the door was released by a resident using the Swipe to Open feature in the ButterflyMX mobile app — the tenant swiped directly from the home screen of the app to unlock the door remotely.
    • Vendor Key Fob & Card: tells you the door was released using a vendor-supplied fob or card — these are third-party access credentials (e.g., dormakaba fobs) rather than ButterflyMX-programmed ones, used at smart lock integrations.
    • Visitor Pass (Swipe to Open): tells you the door was released by a visitor using a Visitor Pass at a QR Code intercom via the Swipe to Open method — the visitor swiped open the door directly through the QR Code intercom interface using their pass.
    • Visitor Pass (using PIN): tells you the door was released by a visitor entering the PIN associated with their Visitor Pass — instead of scanning a QR code, the visitor typed in the numeric PIN from their Visitor Pass at the intercom.
    • Visitor Pass (using QR code): tells you the door was released by a visitor scanning the QR code from their Visitor Pass at the intercom — the visitor held their QR code up to the intercom camera, which scanned and validated it to unlock the door.
    • Windshield Tag: tells you the door was released by a vehicle windshield tag being detected by the Vehicle Reader — the vehicle approached the gate or garage entry, and the UHF RFID reader automatically scanned the tag on the windshield, granting hands-free access.

View our property manager resources for additional training guides and videos that show you how to manage key ButterflyMX features (like managing admins, door PINs, and using the property management dashboard).

 

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