Before You Begin

Step 1: Connect to the PMS

Click the gear icon in the lower left of the screen to open
Settings
.
Click the
PMS Integrations
tab.
Click
Connect
on the RealPage or Yardi integration card, matching the PMS provider.
Enter the credentials for the PMS provider:
If the RealPage integration card was selected:
PMC ID
and
Site ID
If the Yardi integration card was selected:
Property ID
,
Username
,
Password
,
URL
,
Server Name
, and
Database
For the
URL
, click the help icon for the expected format, for example https://www.yardipcv.com/e35ce116d27f
Click
Connect
.
The system validates the connection to the PMS, which may take a few seconds. When validation succeeds, a “Connected” message appears and the wizard automatically proceeds to Unit Matching.
The API credentials are stored securely and encrypted. Only users with the TenantSettingsModify permission can view or modify these credentials.
Once connected, the system retrieves the unit list from the PMS. This data is used in the next step to match units to Zentra Devices.

Step 2: Match the units to Devices

On the Unit Matching screen, review the list of units from the PMS (left column). Each unit has one of these statuses:
Matched: The names matched exactly, and the unit connects automatically. No further action is needed.
Unmatched: Action is needed. Zentra can be told which unit the device should match to, or the unit can be skipped.
Suggested: Zentra matched device names that are very similar. For example, a unit called 109 in the PMS and unit 109 in Zentra.
For each unmatched unit, use the dropdown (right column) to make a selection:
Select the corresponding Zentra Device.
Select
Skip
if the unit is not a device actively in Zentra and should not be matched at all (such as elevators, amenities, or common areas in the PMS data).
Unit matching is strictly one-to-one: each PMS unit matches to exactly one Zentra Device, and each Device can only be matched to one PMS unit. There is no built-in way to match a single PMS unit to multiple Devices (for example, a unit with a front door and a separate patio door). For multi-door units, match the unit to one Device here, then use a User Group to grant residents access to the additional door(s) – see the Modifying Unit Matches section of Sync queue & Lifecycle for details. To change a match, first unmatch the Device from its current unit.
For each suggested unit, approve the suggestion to tell Zentra it was correct in matching the units together.
Click
Continue
when all units are matched.
The button is not active until every PMS unit has either a Zentra Device selected or the
Skip
option selected, which ensures no units are accidentally left unmatched.
Once all units are matched, the system stores the matches permanently. When residents are synced, the unit assignment in the PMS determines which Device each resident receives access to.

Step 3: Assign the default access

Select
Grant all residents access to
and choose the User Groups that all residents should receive:
Common areas (lobbies, mailrooms)
Amenities (gym, pool, clubhouse)
Perimeter access (gates, parking)
These User Groups apply to every resident, even when access is customized by unit.
If different units have different access privileges (for example, different buildings have access to different amenities), check the “Customize access by unit” checkbox to reveal the per-unit table. This is best for properties with multiple buildings, tiered amenity access, or unit-specific restrictions.
For each unit, select any additional User Groups that the unit’s residents should receive, on top of the groups selected above.
To apply the same additional groups to several units at once, select their checkboxes in the table, choose the groups from the
Select groups
dropdown that appears, and click
Apply
.
If all residents receive the same perimeter, amenity, and common area access regardless of unit, no further selection is needed. This is best for properties where amenities are available to all residents equally.
Click
Continue
.
All new residents synced from the PMS are automatically assigned to the selected User Groups. In the resident’s profile, these User Groups display a badge indicating “Assigned from unit”, and the tooltip helps identify which groups were auto-assigned.
The User Groups of individual residents can still be modified after import: additional User Groups can be added, and User Groups can be removed if access should be restricted. The default access configuration only applies to new imports.
If no User Groups are selected during setup, residents are created but have no access until User Groups are assigned manually. A warning message displays when continuing without selecting access. Residents without User Groups cannot access any doors.

Step 4: Match the residents

Review the list of PMS residents and their suggested matches. Each PMS resident has one of these statuses:
Create new: The resident is in the PMS but is not yet in Zentra.
Auto-matched (green): The resident is in both systems and matches exactly (typically an email match). No action is needed, and the wizard automatically links these residents when proceeding.
Review
can still be clicked to verify or change the match.
Needs review (orange): Zentra believes there is a match (name only), but the match should be double checked first. For example, a resident has the same name in both systems but was not assigned any access or additional information in Zentra.
Resolved (green): The match has been confirmed or rejected.
Use the filter tabs (
All
,
Auto-matched
, and
Needs review
) to focus on specific match types.
For each resident marked “Needs review”, click
Review
or
Resolve
.
A modal displays the PMS resident details (name, email, unit) on the left and the suggested Zentra resident details on the right.
Select whether the PMS resident is the same person as the suggested Zentra user:
Yes, this is the same resident
: Select this to confirm the match. The suggestion may not always be correct, so verify before confirming.
No, this is not the same resident
: Select this when the PMS resident is not the same person as the suggested Zentra user.
If
No, this is not the same resident
was selected, choose an action:
Match to existing resident
: Link the PMS resident to a different Zentra user. Use the search dropdown to find and select the correct Zentra user.
Create as new resident
: Select this when the PMS resident is not the same as any existing Zentra user. A new resident profile is created and the existing Zentra user remains unchanged. If the PMS resident has the same email as an existing Zentra user, a new resident cannot be created; the resident must be matched to the existing user, skipped, or skipped permanently.
Skip this resident
: Select this to skip the resident for now. The resident is not imported during setup, and the record may reappear in the Sync queue on a future sync.
Skip permanently
: Select this when the resident is not someone who should ever be in Zentra. The resident is excluded from the initial import and every future sync, moves to the Permanently Skipped Residents list, and does not reappear in the Sync queue on later syncs. A permanently skipped resident can be un-skipped later – see Sync queue.
Click
Resolve
to confirm the choice.
Click
Continue
.
The
Continue
button becomes active once all “Needs review” items are resolved. Auto-matched items do not require action.

Step 5: Configure the integration settings

Set the toggles for the integration settings. All are enabled by default:
Auto-Update Existing Residents
: Zentra automatically pulls in any updates for current residents based on what is changed in the PMS, such as changing units, a new email address, or anything else.
Create New Residents
: Zentra creates new users based on users that were created in the PMS. Zentra calculates when to add new users based on the move-in date that is set in the PMS.
Deactivate Former Residents
: When a move-out date is set in the PMS, Zentra collects that information and deactivates the user on that day, which keeps staff efficient and increases the security of the property.
Mobile Credentials
: Controls whether Zentra automatically sends residents an invite on their move-in date to download the Zentra mobile credential. Residents do not receive the invite until their move-in date, so there is no early or late access. When this is enabled, new residents receive a welcome email with instructions to set up mobile access. When it is disabled, residents are created without mobile credentials (can be added later).
When one of the first three settings is disabled, the corresponding changes are routed to the Sync queue for manual review. They remain in the Sync queue until a property manager reviews and applies them, or until automatic processing is re-enabled.
These settings are enabled by default for smooth operations. During initial setup, options can be disabled to review all PMS data manually before residents are created. Once the data is confirmed to be correct, keep these enabled for ongoing operations.
Select the daily sync time from the dropdown on the right side.
The daily sync time is the time Zentra connects to the PMS each day and updates all information based on which settings are enabled. The time can be edited to whatever is preferred, and it is based on the property’s local timezone. It is recommended that the daily sync time be based on the preference for when access should be made available to the incoming resident.
If mobile credentials are enabled, select a daily sync time when new residents should be able to access the property.
If initial rent will always be collected ahead of time, open business hours can make sense.
To guarantee money changes hands prior to access, end of business hours could make more sense, especially because the invitation can be sent on-demand once the account is current.
Click
Continue
to proceed to the Finish import step.

Step 6: Review the configuration and start the import

Review the summary of the configuration:
Residents to import
: Number of residents that will be imported
Units matched
: Number of PMS units matched to Zentra Devices
Credential types
: Mobile credentials enabled/disabled
Integration settings
: Data synchronization and auto-update preferences
Access provisioning
: User groups assigned to all residents
Automatic sync scheduled
: Daily sync time
Click
Start import
to complete setup and begin the initial sync.
Do not navigate away during the initial import. Depending on the number of residents and units, the initial sync may take a significant amount of time. Subsequent syncs will be much quicker.
During the first sync, the system:
Retrieves all active residents from the PMS
Applies resident matching decisions from the setup wizard
Creates new resident profiles for unmatched entries
Routes duplicates and validation errors to the Sync queue
Assigns default access to all new residents based on the configuration
Issues mobile and NFC credentials to eligible residents once their lease is active, the same as residents added manually
After the import completes, the sync results are displayed, showing:
Number of residents imported
Number of residents updated
Items routed to the Sync queue
Any errors encountered
Click
View All Residents
to see the imported users on the People page. Residents synced from the PMS display:
Read-only core fields (name, email, phone, unit)
A PMS indicator showing they are synced
Assigned User Groups with PMS tooltips