Tips and Tricks: How to deal with locked doors at ETH
The requirement to work from home means that anyone coming in to ETH at the moment may well find the doors locked. In this case, access is possible only with an ETH card and the right code. But don’t worry if you don’t happen to have one or the other: help is available.
On Monday, 20 December 2021, the requirement to work from home was reintroduced for ETH employees. This does not apply to people who for work-related reasons are unable to perform their job from home or to those who need to come in from time to time to perform specific tasks (more on that in this article).
But people coming on to campus may well find their entry barred: with people working from home, many buildings are now largely empty and are locked for security reasons. Access is restricted to members of the ETH community who have authorisation to enter that specific building and who are also in possession of a valid ETH card along with the corresponding PIN code.
But what to do if you’ve forgotten or mislaid either of these, or for some reason they don’t work?
What have I done with my ETH card?
Can’t find your ETH card? Then simply apply to the relevant issuing office for a new card. This will cost 25 Swiss francs. The old card will no longer be valid; if found, it should be destroyed.
How do I change my PIN code?
For many buildings, your ETH card will provide access only in combination with a six-digit PIN code, which must be keyed into the card reader at each entrance to the building.
Sadly, it is not unknown for people to forget their PIN code. Anyone needing to set a new PIN – or merely change the old one – can do so at the following link: adressen.ethz.ch. Thankfully, this works without having to enter your old PIN.
Which buildings are still open?
The only exceptions to the Covid-enforced closure are the Main Building, the MM building, the HIL building on the Hönggerberg campus, and any buildings that are used to hold exams or provide catering facilities. For information on which cafés and restaurants are currently open, see the catering website.
What else can the ETH card be used for?
The ETH card serves a host of purposes – as a user card for the library, as membership ID for ASVZ sport facilities, or to take advantage of special offers from the Mobility car-sharing service.
For more information, see functions of the ETH card.