How to Add a User to Alarm.com: User Code vs App Login (App and Website Steps)
Somebody new needs to use your Alarm.com system: a spouse, a cleaner, a property manager, the kid who just got a phone. Alarm.com gives you two completely different ways to let them in, a user code for the keypad and a login for the app, and it is easy to set up the wrong one. This is the two-minute version of which they need, then the exact steps in the app and on the website, how to limit a code to certain doors and hours, and how to remove a former housekeeper or tenant cleanly. We are a Utah Alarm.com dealer and this is the question we answer most.
- A code works the keypad and locks. It lives on the panel and needs no phone. Cleaners, tenants, in-laws and dog walkers get a code.
- A login works the app. It sees cameras, history and notifications. A spouse or a property manager who wants the system on their phone gets a login.
- Family usually gets both. Give each person their own code and their own login so history shows who did what.
- Codes can be limited. By partition, by lock, and by schedule or temporary window, so Tuesday’s cleaner cannot get in on Saturday.
- Removing someone is two steps. Delete the user code and delete the login. People forget the second one.
A code and a login are different jobs
A user code is the number somebody types to arm and disarm at the panel, and to open any smart locks you assign it to. It is stored on the panel itself, so it works whether or not that person owns a phone or has the app.
A login is an account for the Alarm.com app and website: live cameras, event history, notifications, and depending on its permission level, the ability to arm, disarm and change settings remotely.
The rule of thumb: a cleaner who lets herself in on Tuesdays needs a code that opens the back door and disarms the panel, and nothing else. A spouse who wants the cameras on their phone needs a login. Family members usually end up with both, and giving each person their own means the notification that says “disarmed by Emma” actually means Emma.
1. Add a user code
For anyone who needs to operate the system in person. You can do this from the app or the website, and the menu paths below are the ones we use on customer systems as of October 2026.
Alarm.com’s mobile app walkthrough for adding a user code. The written steps below cover the app and the website. Video by Alarm.com.
In the app
- Open the Alarm.com app and tap the menu icon.
- Go to Users, then tap the add button.
- Enter their first and last name, then Create.
- Type the code you want in the Access Code field.
- Use the toggles to choose which partitions and locks the code works on.
- Tap Save.
On the website
- Sign in at your Alarm.com portal and click Users.
- Click Add User.
- Enter their name, then Create.
- Enter the code in the Access Code field.
- Toggle the devices the code should work on.
- Click Save.
Two things that catch people out. Codes cannot be changed while the system is armed, so disarm first. And a new code takes a few minutes to reach the panel, so do not test it the second you hit save. If you are adding a code because the old master code got shared around, change the master code at the same time.
2. Limit a code by door and by time
The toggles in step 5 decide where a code works: which partition (the main house vs. the shop, if you have two) and which smart locks. The user’s Access Period decides when. Open the user on the website, and instead of “always” choose a restricted schedule (for example weekdays 8am to 5pm) or a temporary window with a start and end date. A code outside its window is simply rejected at the keypad and the lock. This is how we set up:
- Housekeeper: back-door lock plus disarm, Tuesdays and Fridays, daytime only.
- Short-term renter or house sitter: temporary access with an end date, so you do not have to remember to delete it.
- Contractor during a remodel: garage lock only, weekdays, deleted the day the job closes.
3. Add an app login
For anyone who needs to see the system rather than work the keypad. As of October 2026 we still do this from the website; check Users in the app and if there is no login option on your account version, use the browser.
- Sign in at your Alarm.com portal and click Users.
- Click Manage Logins, then Add a Login.
- Enter their email address and a login name.
- Choose the language, then Save.
- Pick their permission level, then Save again.
They get an email to set a password, then they sign in to the same app you use. Each login can have its own notifications, so your spouse can get the doorbell and you can get the water sensor.
What the permission levels mean
- Master Control: everything, including creating more logins. Keep this to one or two adults.
- Full Control: everything except managing logins. The usual choice for a spouse.
- Read Only: can look, cannot change anything. Good for an older parent who wants to see the cameras.
- Limited Device Access: only the devices you name. A property manager who should see the front door and nothing else.
- Custom: build it feature by feature.
4. Remove a former housekeeper, tenant or ex
Do both halves, in this order:
- Delete the user code. Users, open the person, delete. Disarm first; wait a few minutes for the panel to sync, then confirm the old code fails at the keypad.
- Delete the login. Users, Manage Logins, remove them. This also kills their app notifications and camera access.
- Check the locks and the garage. If they had a separate lock code or a garage remote, remove those too.
- If they knew the master code, change it. Here is how.
Tenants are the case where people get burned: the lease ends, the code gets deleted, but the login they were given two years ago still shows the living room camera. Delete both.
Frequently asked
Can two people share one code? They can, but then history cannot tell them apart. Codes are free; give everyone their own.
Why does the new code not work yet? It takes a few minutes to push to the panel, and it will not push while the system is armed. Disarm, wait, try again.
Can a login arm and disarm without a code? Yes, with Full or Master control, from the app. That is why you pick the permission level deliberately.
Can I give someone the app but not the cameras? Yes. Use Limited Device Access or Custom and leave video out.
How many user codes can I have? It depends on the panel. A Qolsys IQ Panel supports far more than any household will use; if you hit a limit on an older panel, call us.
I do not see Users in my app. Your login is probably not Master Control. Ask whoever set up the account, or if we installed it, call us and we will sort it out.
Stuck on any of it? If we installed your system, walking you through this is part of the deal. Call (928) THE-PROS or Kyle direct at (801) 458-7747. If your current alarm company does not answer questions like this, that is fixable too: we take over existing Alarm.com and Qolsys systems across Utah County, Salt Lake County and Park City on month-to-month monitoring, same equipment, better help.
Shield Low Voltage is a licensed Utah alarm company and Alarm.com dealer. More walkthroughs in our Alarm.com tutorials. Menu paths are from Alarm.com’s app and website as of October 2026: How to Set Up an Alarm.com User Code (Mobile App) and How to Set Up an Alarm.com User Code (Web Dashboard).
