Virtual intercom and directory
Lobby visitors use phone-oriented signage (QR or NFC) to reach a resident. Residents speak and open access they control from the phone - without relying on a proprietary lobby touchscreen for the software flow.
Solutions
OpenApp for apartment buildings
Phone-first lobby visitors, parking and pedestrian doors under building policy, and apartment representatives who manage household members and guests without waiting on a single building admin for every change.
OpenApp is ingress-only software, not a listed fire or escape-door system. Occupants must be able to exit without a phone or the cloud. Compliance
A typical building stack is lobby visitors on the phone, parking and pedestrian doors under building rules, per-apartment guest invitations, and apartment representatives who manage residents without calling a single building admin for every change. Operators keep policies, schedules, monitoring, and audit for the whole site.
Who this affects
Property managers, building committees, and PropTech evaluators for multi-unit residential.
Hardware you do not need to replace
Lobby directory via phone-oriented signage (QR/NFC), parking openers such as PalGate, pedestrian doors on Shelly or similar - modular rather than proprietary lock-in.
Product capabilities
Time-bound access invitations
Residents or apartment delegates issue time-limited lobby and entrance access for visitors. Building policy can limit what each unit may grant.
No need to replace working hardware you already trust
Keep parking openers and pedestrian hardware you choose (for example PalGate, Shelly). Virtual lobby runs in software without locking you to one lobby panel vendor.
Delegation without losing control
Apartment representatives manage residents and guests for their unit inside building policy. Property operators keep site-wide rules and audit.
Open doors and gates from the phone
OpenApp is one app for parking, pedestrian, and shared entrances - instead of a separate app for each entrance type. Residents open only the entrances they are allowed to use.
Policies, roles, and schedules
Express building rules: which residents open parking or pedestrian doors, guest windows, and locked-out hours - instead of a flat key-fob list.
Monitoring and audit
See access activity as operations unfold, and keep a durable history for ops review, owner reporting, and investigations. Export and webhooks send that history to external systems when you need reporting, audits, or tools outside OpenApp.
Native mobile intercom app
Residents who want a normal phone UI for lobby visitors install the OpenApp Intercom app. Guest invite links still work from the phone when policy allows.
Operate multi-site and multi-building organizations
Operate several residential buildings under one property or portfolio org, with building-level roles for on-site teams.
Staff and contractor operations
On-site staff and service vendors get work roles with schedules and audit - separate from resident accounts and guest invitations.
Related
Technical deep dives
FAQ
- Can OpenApp replace a legacy lobby panel?
- Yes for phone-first flows. Lobby signage opens a directory; residents handle visitors from the phone and can open access they control.
- How do residents invite guests?
- With time-bound invitations. Residents or apartment representatives send a link for a visit window; building policy can limit what each apartment may issue.