Like all technology, Wiscards and the card readers at your residence hall sometimes experience errors. If this ever happens to you, don’t worry. There are many solutions to the problem; you just have to figure out what that solution is!
Common Problems & Solutions
- An easy fix to a common error has to do with where you keep your Wiscard. Sometimes, card readers do not recognize Wiscard signals if you are storing your Wiscard in a phone case or inside a wallet while holding your phone or wallet up to the reader. Phone cases and wallets do not generally affect your Wiscard, but the extra material between the card and the reader can interfere with your access. Removing your Wiscard from your phone case or wallet and holding only the card up to the reader very likely will fix your problem.
- If the card reader beeps and the LED light flashes colors when you scan your card, your Wiscard is working, but your card’s access permissions may have changed in Housing’s security system. In this case, please submit a maintenance request to regain access.
- If one card reader functions properly with your Wiscard, but suddenly, another one doesn’t, the reader may be experiencing a temporary outage. These outages are usually very brief, and you should be able to retry scanning your Wiscard in a minute or less. If this is happening, please note the exact time and date that the reader isn’t working, where the reader is located (hint: all doors with card readers have a number on them), and submit a maintenance request so Housing’s access staff can investigate why the outage happened.
- If the card reader does nothing when you hold your Wiscard up to it, it’s likely that the access function of your Wiscard has failed and you will need to get a new Wiscard at Union South. There is no cost to get a replacement Wiscard if it is not damaged but has failed. In this case, you do not need to submit a maintenance request to regain access — it will transfer over to your new card within a few hours.
If you can, try scanning your Wiscard a few times or a few different ways when you’re running into errors. Try entering your residence hall through a different door, too. Your hall desk will also have an electronic fob you can temporarily check out if you need — just remember to return it!