Operations

What to do if the internet goes down at your event door in Argentina

By SOMOS DER · October 30, 2026 · 6 min read

A QR access control system that validates on a server needs internet at the door, and PASE is no exception. If you are running an event in Argentina from abroad, you will probably see the venue for the first time a few days before opening, which makes this easy to overlook. The backup plan is not improvised in front of the queue. It is built in advance: at least two connections that do not fail for the same reason, a rehearsal at the exact spot of each door, and a written instruction for what the operator does when the screen says there is no connection.

Why the door needs a network

Every time an operator scans a QR code in PASE, the system checks at that moment whether the code is valid, whether it has already been used and whether it has permission for that check-in point. That central check is what makes the atomic anti double entry possible (if two scanners read the same code at the same time, only one entry goes through) and keeps every door in sync. Without a connection, there is no way to know whether that QR code went through another door a minute earlier.

When the network fails, the screen shows that there is no connection and lets the operator retry. There is no mode that validates without internet. So connectivity is an event resource, like power or sound, and it gets planned the same way.

Step 1: never depend on a single network

The technology recovery guidance on Ready.gov, the US government preparedness portal, lists "connectivity to a service provider (fiber, cable, wireless, etc.)" among the components a recovery plan has to cover. At an event door, that means two paths that do not fail for the same reason:

• Main network: the venue network, if it exists and the venue commits to it, or better, a router dedicated only to the door.
• Backup: mobile data on the door devices, or a mobile hotspot, on a different carrier from the main connection. If both depend on the same antenna, they are not two networks.
• A spare device, charged and already logged in, in case the problem is the phone and not the network.

For a crew coming from abroad, roaming plans are the weak point: they may work at the airport and still be slow or capped at the venue. Get local prepaid SIM cards or eSIMs for the devices that will scan, ideally through your local production partner. And remember power: a router with no socket is useless. Bring power banks for the phones and confirm where the router plugs in.

Step 2: ask the venue for a separate network for the door

Open venue Wi-Fi is used by attendees and suppliers. It can saturate at the busiest moment of arrivals, which is exactly when you need the door the most. The CISA Public Venue Credentialing Guide recommends network segmentation, with options such as "guest access or an unrestricted, but separate, public access network", limited time access with a username and password that expire at the end of the event, or individual accounts.

Put the request in writing in your venue checklist: a network only for accreditation, with a password that is not shared with the public, and a contact from the venue IT team who will be on site at opening time. If the venue cannot guarantee it, bring your own router and treat the venue Wi-Fi as a third option, not the first.

Step 3: rehearse at the venue, not at the office

The same Ready.gov guidance says something that applies to any plan: "Test the plan periodically to make sure that it works." At an event, that is a concrete rehearsal:

• At the exact spot of each door. The signal in the lobby can be good and poor on the sidewalk, where the queue will be.
• With the same devices and SIM cards you will use on the event day.
• Scanning test QR codes and checking that they respond fast, not only that the phone shows bars.
• Cutting the main network on purpose to see how long the team takes to switch to the backup.
• At a time close to the opening, if possible. An empty stadium and a full one do not have the same mobile signal.

Write down the result. If a door has poor signal on both networks, it is better to know a week before and move the door or the router. If you cannot travel for the rehearsal, ask your local team to run it and send you the results.

Step 4: what the operator does when there is no connection

This has to be written down and explained before doors open, because nobody reads a manual at the door. A simple protocol:

1. Retry once. Many outages last a few seconds.
2. Switch to the backup network. The operator knows which one it is and how to change.
3. Tell the person in charge. If it is one door, the problem is local; if it is every door, it is general.
4. Apply what was decided beforehand. Do not decide on the spot.

That last point matters most. What happens if no network works is a decision for the organizer, not the operator: pause entry for a few minutes, send people to another door that does have signal, or let people through with an alternative control (your own list, a stamp) and register them later in the dashboard where needed. Each option has a cost: pausing builds a queue, letting people in without control opens the door to double entry. Pick the one that fits your event and write it down. When the crew is local and the decision maker is from abroad, make sure the written version exists in Spanish too.

Step 5: on the day, arrive early

Networks behave differently with people in the room. Arrive with enough time to connect the router, log in the devices, scan a test QR code at each door and confirm the live report shows those entries. If the report shows them, the door is connected. If not, there is still time to switch to the backup before the public arrives.

If you hire on-site operators from SOMOS DER, go over it with them at the pre-event meeting: which network is used, which one is the backup and what the decision is if neither works. For the rest of the door, see the event door plan checklist.

Two networks that do not fail for the same reason, a rehearsal at the venue and a written decision for when neither works.

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