"Master key" is a feature that allows offline access to locks that are (temporarily) not connected to the IQ or when the IQ cannot connect to our database. This can happen for a number of reasons, including a power outage that causes the IQ to switch off temporarily. A Master key is by no means a skeleton key (A skeleton key is a type of Master key in which the serrated edge has been filed down so that it can open numerous locks, most commonly the warded lock): it does not give the ability to the holder of the tag to open doors that the user is not authorized for. In case the lock cannot validate the tag and its access rights in the database, the lock will fall back on the 'Master key' validation which means that if the presented tag is a Master key and is included in an access group that has access to the lock the tag is presented to, the lock will validate the tag and provide access to the holder of the tag. Due to the storage capacity of a lock, and depending on the firmware of the lock this feature can be assigned to a maximum of 39 Users / Tags. Please note that Master keys have 24/7 accesses to a door if the lock falls back on the Master key validation, even if in the access group the access of that Tag is limited to a specific time frame. In other words: access groups do not apply to Master keys when the IQ has no connection to the lock or to our database.

A Master key can be assigned to user by editing the user in 'People' and checking the box 'Master key'.