Time & Attendance
Connect fingerprint devices and manage employees' phones
Connect fingerprint terminals so punches sync into attendance automatically, and control which phone each employee may clock in from in the mobile app.
3 min readLast updated
In this article
Punches reach the system in three ways: from fingerprint terminals, from employees' phones through the self-service app, and from files or manual entry. This article covers the first two. Fingerprint terminals are set up once and then sync on a schedule. Phones are bound one per employee, so a punch always comes from the person's own handset.
Connect a fingerprint device
Open People › Time & Attendance › Manage Fingerprint Devices and select New Device.
Enter the Name and the Device Code, and optionally the Manufacturer, Model and Location.
Choose the Integration Type, which is how the system reads the device's punches:
"API": the device or its software offers a web address. Enter the API URL.
"Database": the device software writes punches to a database. Enter "DB Host", "DB Name", "DB Username", "DB Password" and "DB Table".
"File Monitor": the device software exports files to a folder. Enter the Monitor Path.
Set the Sync Interval (min), between 1 and 1440 minutes. The default is 60.
Keep Active on, add Notes if useful and save.
Connection details are never shown again after you save. When you edit a device, leave a connection field blank to keep the stored value, or type a new value to replace it. Changing the integration type asks for the new connection details.
Check and sync a device
Test Connection checks that the system can reach the device with the stored details.
Sync Now starts a sync straight away instead of waiting for the interval.
Sync History lists the device's recent syncs, with how many punches were imported and how many failed.
The device's users are matched to employees by the user code enrolled on the terminal. Enrol each person with their employee number as the user code. Synced punches are graded against each employee's shift like any other punch.
Manage employees' phones
Employees who clock in from the self-service app are each bound to one phone.
Open People › Time & Attendance › Attendance Devices.
Each row shows the Employee, the Device, its status and when it was Last used. Search by employee or device.
Act on a row:
Approve a phone that is Waiting for approval.
Revoke a phone that must stop punching, for example a lost handset. Enter a Reason for revoking; it explains a missing day later.
Release the binding when an employee changes phone. The next phone they clock in from is bound to them. Their attendance history is not affected.
How phone binding works
The first phone an employee clocks in from is bound to them automatically.
A punch from any other phone is refused until you release the bound one.
A revoked phone can no longer punch. Its row stays in the list with the reason you gave.
Reinstalling the app counts as a new phone, so the employee may need a Release after a reinstall.
Common questions
A device shows a connection problem. Run Test Connection. If it fails, check the address, credentials or folder with your IT team, then edit the device.
An employee changed phone and cannot clock in. Find their old phone under Attendance Devices and select Release. They can clock in from the new phone right away.