How to Set Up Kiosk Mode and Login PIN
Secure shared clinic devices with a lock screen. Staff select their profile and enter a PIN to unlock. This guide covers enabling Login PIN, Kiosk Lock, and registering devices.
How to Set Up Kiosk Mode and Login PIN
Secure shared clinic devices with a lock screen. Staff select their profile and enter a PIN to unlock. This guide covers enabling Login PIN, Kiosk Lock, and registering devices.
In this article:
Why Use Kiosk Mode?
Dental clinics often share computers at the front desk or in treatment rooms. Without kiosk mode, anyone with physical access to an unlocked browser can view patient data, appointments, and financial information.
Key reasons to enable kiosk mode:
Protect patient data β Each staff member must enter their PIN to access the system, preventing unauthorized browsing of sensitive records.
Quick user switching β Doctors and staff can switch between accounts in seconds using a PIN, without logging out and back in.
Auto-lock on inactivity β If a staff member walks away, the screen locks automatically after a configurable timeout.
Progressive lockout β After repeated wrong PIN attempts, the account is temporarily locked with escalating durations (3 min β 5 min β 15 min β 1 hour β 24 hours).
Audit trail β Security events are logged when PIN attempts fail or lockouts occur.
Note: Kiosk mode requires Login PIN to be enabled first. The two features work together.
How It Works
Kiosk mode has three layers, enabled in order:
Login PIN β After logging in with email and password, users must also enter a 4β6 digit PIN for full access. This applies to all users on the account.
Kiosk Lock β On registered kiosk devices, a lock screen appears after a period of inactivity. Staff select their profile and enter their PIN to unlock.
Device Registration β Only browsers explicitly registered as kiosk devices show the lock screen. Your personal laptop won't be affected.
Step 1 β Enable Login PIN
Log in to Dentare as an account admin
Go to Account Settings
Scroll down to the Kiosk Lock Screen section
Toggle on Step 1 β Enable PIN Requirement
Once enabled, all users will be asked for a PIN after logging in. Users who haven't set a personal PIN yet will use the default PIN.
Step 2 β Set a Default PIN
The default PIN is used by new team members who haven't set their own PIN yet.
Go to Edit Account Settings
In the PIN Settings section, find Default PIN
Enter a 4β6 digit PIN (the default is
1234)Click Save
Important: Share the default PIN with your team and remind them to set their own personal PIN as soon as possible.
Step 3 β Enable Kiosk Lock
Go to Account Settings
In the Kiosk Lock Screen section, toggle on Step 2 β Enable Kiosk Lock
This activates the lock screen feature, but it will only appear on devices you register as kiosks (Step 5).
Step 4 β Set the Inactivity Timeout
The inactivity timeout controls how long the system waits before locking the screen after no activity.
Go to Edit Account Settings
In the Kiosk Lock Settings section, find Inactivity Timeout
Set the number of seconds (minimum 30, default 180 = 3 minutes)
Click Save
Note: Every page load or action resets the timer. The lock screen only appears after the full timeout passes with no activity.
Step 5 β Register a Device as a Kiosk
Only registered devices will show the lock screen. To register the browser you're currently using:
Go to Account Settings
In the Kiosk Lock Screen section, find Step 3 β Register This Device
Click Enable Kiosk Mode
The device status will change to "This browser is registered as a kiosk device"
Repeat this step on each shared clinic device (front desk computer, treatment room tablet, etc.).
Disabling a Kiosk Device
To remove a device from kiosk mode:
Open the registered device's browser
Go to Account Settings
Click Disable Kiosk Mode and confirm
How the Lock Screen Works
When the lock screen appears on a kiosk device:
All team members are shown as profile cards with their name, photo, and role
Tap or click on your profile
A PIN keypad appears β enter your 4β6 digit PIN
Click Unlock
You're back in the system, right where you left off
The lock screen also shows:
A live clock with the current date
Your clinic's name and logo
Trust indicators (Encrypted, Cloud Secured, GDPR Compliant)
Advanced Settings
For fine-tuned control, go to Edit Account Settings and scroll to Kiosk Lock Settings:
Inactivity Timeout β Seconds of inactivity before the lock screen appears (default: 180 seconds / 3 minutes)
Max FaceID Failures β Number of biometric failures before PIN is required (default: 3)
Progressive Lockout Durations β Duration of each lockout stage in seconds after repeated wrong PINs. 5 stages, default: 180s (3 min), 300s (5 min), 900s (15 min), 3600s (1 hour), 86400s (24 hours)
Send Email at Stage β Which lockout stage triggers an email alert to the clinic owner
How Staff Set Their Own PIN
Each team member should set their own personal PIN:
Log in to Dentare
Go to your profile settings
Set a 4β6 digit PIN
Click Save
Until a personal PIN is set, the account's default PIN is used.
Important: Remind all staff to choose a unique PIN and not share it. The PIN is personal β like a password.
Troubleshooting
The lock screen doesn't appear Make sure all three steps are completed: Login PIN enabled, Kiosk Lock enabled, and the current device registered as a kiosk. All three are required.
I forgot my PIN Ask your clinic admin. They can reset PINs or provide the default PIN. If the admin is locked out, contact the Dentare team.
"Account locked" message appears After too many wrong PIN attempts, the account is temporarily locked. Wait for the lockout period to expire (shown on screen), or ask an admin for help.
The lock screen appears too quickly Increase the inactivity timeout in Edit Account Settings under Kiosk Lock Settings. The minimum is 30 seconds.
The lock screen appears on my personal device Your personal device was registered as a kiosk. Go to Account Settings and click "Disable Kiosk Mode" on that device.
Staff members can't unlock Make sure they have either set a personal PIN or know the default PIN. The default PIN can be found in Edit Account Settings under PIN Settings.
Need help? Contact Support.