Front desk

Setting up a visitor sign-in kiosk on an iPad or Android tablet

A sign-in kiosk is a tablet, a stand, a power cable and a few settings. Getting those settings right is what decides whether it runs for months untouched or needs someone to rescue it every morning. This guide covers the device, locking it down, where to put it, printing, accessibility and the tests to run before the first visitor arrives.

Quick answer. Use a tablet with a screen of 10 inches or more and a front camera. Lock it to the sign-in app with Guided Access on iPad, or app pinning or a kiosk browser such as Fully Kiosk Browser on Android. Mount it so the touch area sits 15 to 48 inches above the floor, keep it on mains power and a reliable network, connect a printer the tablet can already print to, and test sign-in, printing and sign-out before going live.

Reviewed 2026-10-21 against Apple, Google and Fully Kiosk Browser documentation and the US Access Board's guide to the ADA Standards. Menu names change between OS versions.

Choosing a tablet

A consumer tablet is fine. What matters:

Screen of 10 inches or more, so the form is comfortable to use standing up.
A front camera if visitors will scan a QR pass at the kiosk. They hold their phone up to the screen side of the tablet.
A supported operating system that still gets security updates. Old tablets pulled from a drawer often do not.
A bright screen if reception faces a window.

An iPad has a lock-down mode built in. An Android tablet has a basic one built in and more control through a kiosk browser or your device management tool. Both work.

Locking it to one app

A reception tablet should open the sign-in screen and nothing else. If you are using a web-based kiosk, first open its address in the browser and add it to the home screen so it starts full screen.

iPad: Guided Access

Apple's steps, applied to a kiosk:

Open Settings, tap Accessibility, then Guided Access, and turn it on.
Set a Guided Access passcode. You can also allow Face ID or Touch ID to end a session.
Set Display Auto-Lock for Guided Access sessions so the screen stays on at the desk.
Open the kiosk app, then triple-click the top button (or the Home button on iPads that have one).
In Options (Session Settings in some versions), leave Touch and Software Keyboards on, since visitors need to type. Turn off the top button and volume buttons if you want them blocked.
Tap Start. To end the session, triple-click again and enter the passcode.

Android: app pinning or a kiosk browser

App pinning is built in. Google's steps: open Settings, tap Security (or Security & location), then Advanced, then App pinning, and turn it on. Open the kiosk, open Overview, tap the app's icon at the top of its card, and tap Pin. With app pinning on, unpinning asks for the device PIN, pattern or password. Menu names vary between manufacturers.

Pinning suits a staffed desk. For an unattended tablet, a kiosk browser such as Fully Kiosk Browser gives you more: a Start URL set to your kiosk address, Keep Screen On, and Launch on Boot so the kiosk comes back after a power cut. Kiosk mode, camera access (Enable Webcam Access) and pop-ups (Enable Popups) are paid PLUS features. A device management tool with a dedicated-device mode does the same job if your IT team already uses one.

Stand and placement

Lockable stand. Use one that holds the tablet securely and covers the buttons, without blocking the front camera.
Height. The ADA reach range for operable parts is 15 to 48 inches (about 38 to 122 cm) above the floor, forward or side. Keep the whole touch area inside it, and leave clear floor space in front (30 by 48 inches minimum) for a wheelchair.
Angle. A slight tilt reduces glare and suits standing and seated users.
Position. Near the reception desk so staff can help, inside the entrance but out of the draft from the door.
Privacy. Turn the screen away from the queue and the waiting area, so the next person cannot read the visitor's email or phone number. A privacy filter narrows the viewing angle, which also makes the screen harder to read from a wheelchair, so try positioning first.

Power and Wi-Fi

Run the tablet on mains power all the time and route the cable through the stand. Check the manufacturer's advice on leaving it charging permanently.

Put the tablet on a staff or device network, not guest Wi-Fi with a sign-in page that times out. If the badge printer uses AirPrint, Apple says the printer and the iPad should be on the same network. Test the signal at the exact mounting spot, and if your firewall filters web traffic, allow the kiosk's address.

Printers

Decide first whether you need printed badges. If visitors get a pass on their phone, a printed badge is about visibility on site, not about the sign-in working.

If you print, choose a printer the tablet can already print to. On iPad that means an AirPrint printer. On Android, printing is set up under Settings, Connected devices, Connection preferences, Printing, where you choose a print service (Google's Pixel steps; other makers differ). Check that a label printer supports your tablet's print system before you buy it. Then pick badge stock to match:

Size	Typical use
Label, 62 x 100 mm	Brother QL label printers with DK-11202 rolls
A7, 74 x 105 mm	Lanyard pouches, cut from A4 sheets on an office printer
Card (CR80), 54 x 86 mm	Rigid card holders
A6, 105 x 148 mm	Large event badges
Fill the page	Whatever paper is loaded, cut by hand

Accessibility

Beyond reach and floor space: use larger-text and high-contrast settings if the kiosk offers them, keep the form short, and make sure there is always another way to sign in. A receptionist can sign someone in, or a visitor can use their own phone, with the screen reader and zoom settings they already have.

Testing before the first visitor

Pair the tablet and confirm it shows the right site.
Sign in once as each visitor type and check the host gets the arrival message.
Print a badge on the real stock and check it fits.
Sign out by scanning the badge or pass.
Try sign-in from a phone, if you offer it.
Turn Wi-Fi off and see what the kiosk does, so staff know what to expect.
Restart the tablet and confirm it comes back locked to the kiosk.
Leave it idle and check the last visitor's details are cleared.

How BeckonDesk's kiosk works

The BeckonDesk kiosk is a web app (PWA) at kiosk.beckondesk.com. There is nothing to install from an app store; add it to the home screen to run it full screen, then lock it with Guided Access or Fully Kiosk Browser.

Pairing. An admin adds a kiosk in Settings → Kiosks and gets a single-use pairing code, valid for 15 minutes. Enter it on the tablet, or scan the QR code shown with it. The tablet is then tied to one site in one workspace.
Phone sign-in. The kiosk can show a QR code that changes every 60 seconds. Scanning it lets the visitor complete one walk-in sign-in on their own phone.
Scan your pass. The camera reads invitation passes, badge QR codes and staff passes. It tries the front camera first.
Connection. Sign-outs made on the kiosk's sign-out screen are queued if the connection drops (for up to 24 hours) and sent with their real times. Sign-ins need a connection, because every name is screened against the watchlist and sanctions lists at that moment.
Privacy and accessibility. After 50 seconds without a touch the kiosk asks "Are you still there?" and then clears the screen. Larger-text and high-contrast buttons are built in.
Printing. Staff or the visitor press Print badge, which opens the device's print dialog, so any printer the tablet can use will work. Sizes are set in the badge designer. See visitor badge printing.
Language. The kiosk is in English only.

The same tablet can run the staff sign-in screen (staff sign-in), and visitors invited in advance can scan their pass from pre-registration.

Frequently asked

Do I need to install an app on the tablet?

Not for BeckonDesk. The kiosk is a web app that runs in the tablet's browser. Add it to the home screen to run it full screen, and use Guided Access on iPad or app pinning or a kiosk browser on Android to keep visitors inside it.

Can the kiosk work without Wi-Fi?

Partly. BeckonDesk queues sign-outs made on the kiosk's sign-out screen for up to 24 hours and sends them when the connection returns. Sign-ins need a connection, because each name is screened at the moment of sign-in.

Can one tablet serve two sites or two companies?

No. A paired BeckonDesk kiosk belongs to one site in one workspace. Use a tablet per site, or per entrance if a site has more than one.

Sources

Pair a tablet with a one-time code.

The BeckonDesk kiosk runs in the browser on an iPad or Android tablet. Try it free for 30 days with every feature and no card, then $79 per location per month.

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