Two-factor authentication

Setting up two-factor authentication via SMS or an app

Updated over a week ago

Two-factor authentication or 2FA is one of the best ways to keep your account and data secure. Even if someone guesses your Beacon password, they won't be able to access your account or view any supporter data.

We offer two different options for two-factor authentication: SMS, or an authenticator app (e.g. Google Authenticator, Authy).

At Beacon we take data security really seriously, so we ask all users to enable two-factor authentication.


Setting up two-factor authentication (via SMS)

  1. Go to Settings > My Preferences in your Beacon sidebar

  2. Scroll to the Two factor authentication section, and click Enable now.

  3. Enter your mobile phone number, and Beacon will send a test SMS to your phone:

  4. Enter the test code that was sent to your phone in an SMS message:

  5. Click Enable now. That's it!


Setting up two factor authentication (via app)

  1. Go to Settings > My Preferences in your Beacon sidebar

  2. Scroll to the Two factor authentication section, and click Enable now.

  3. Download an authenticator app - we recommend Google Authenticator (Android/Apple) or Authy (Android/Apple)

  4. With your authenticator app, scan the QR code from your Beacon settings. This will add Beacon to your app.

  5. Enter the code from your app into Beacon.

  6. Click Enable now. That's it!


Logging in with two factor authentication

When logging in to Beacon, you'll need to enter your email and password as normal.

You'll then be asked to enter a two-factor code from your authenticator app:

Screenshot 2018-12-19 at 14.04.23

To find this code will differ based on which two factor method you have chosen.

Finding two factor code with authentication app (Authy)

If you have opted to use an authentication app such as Authy to authenticate your Beacon account simply:

  1. Open up the app on your phone

  2. Find the time sensitive code in the authentication app

  3. Input the code into Beacon and that's it 😄

Finding two factor code using text message

If you have opted to receive your two factor code via text message, a message will be sent to your phone. Simply:

  1. Open the message from Beacon

  2. Copy the code from the text message.

  3. Input the code into Beacon and that's it!


Disabling two factor authentication

You can disable two-factor authentication in the Settings > My preferences page of your account:

Can't login? If you've changed your phone number or lost your phone, one of your account admins will be able to send you a link to login. Once you've logged in, you will need to disable your own Two-Factor Authentication and set it up again.

If you're the only admin, please chat to us at Beacon HQ and we can disable it on our end (We will need to verify that you are definitely you!).


Frequently asked questions

Why does Beacon require two-factor authentication?

We take our data security obligations very, very seriously. We don't want anyone to have a data breach - and one of the most effective ways to stop that is to enable two-factor authentication.

We have multiple people who all login to the same user account. Won't two-factor authentication stop them logging in?

Sharing login details between multiple people is a huge security risk and against Beacon's Terms & Conditions. If you're doing this - don't!

Why haven't I been asked to enter my two-factor authentication for a while?

Two-factor authentication is only needed in a couple of scenarios:

  1. It's been 30 days since you last input a two-factor authentication code.

  2. You've logged in on a new device.

We don't want to bombard you with 2FA requests but we like to occasionally make sure it's still you using your device. However, if you've logged in to a new device we do want to be sure that it's you and not an individual with malicious intent.

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