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Punch Methods Guide

Admin · Employee 12 punch methods

MAttendance supports 12 punch methods. You can enable multiple methods simultaneously and let employees use whichever is available to them. Every punch method records the same data (In/Out time, location, method used) — the difference is only in how presence is verified.

How Punching Works

Regardless of method, every punch follows the same flow. The system automatically determines whether a punch is In, Out, Break Start, or Break End based on the employee's current state for the day.

Employee Punches Tap button in app or portal System Validates GPS / MAC / QR / Face… Punch Recorded In / Out / Break auto-detected Dashboard Updates Attendance marked ✓

1. GPS

What it does: The employee's phone sends their GPS coordinates. The system checks whether they are within the configured geofence radius of their assigned office.

Requires hardware: No hardware — mobile app only. | Accuracy: Medium — works outdoors, can drift indoors.

Admin Setup

  1. Go to Settings → Offices.
  2. For each office, set the Latitude, Longitude, and Geofence Radius (recommended: 50–200 meters).
  3. No other configuration needed.
💡

Test the radius by standing at the entrance of your office and checking if it falls within the circle on the map.

Employee Usage

  1. Open the MAttendance app.
  2. Allow location permission when prompted (required once).
  3. Tap Punch In and select GPS as the method.
  4. The app reads your location and submits the punch.
⚠️

Location (GPS) must be enabled on the phone. If GPS is off, the punch will fail with a "GPS punch requires latitude and longitude" message.

GPS Punch — Geofence Validation Geofence radius (e.g. 100m) Office ✓ Inside ✗ Outside ✗ too far Punch allowed Punch rejected

2. WiFi

What it does: The employee's phone detects the WiFi network they are connected to and sends the router's MAC address. The system checks whether that MAC matches a registered office router.

Requires hardware: Your existing office WiFi router (no special hardware — just register its MAC address). | Accuracy: High.

Admin Setup

  1. Find the MAC address of your office WiFi router (printed on a label on the router, or accessible via router admin panel). Format: E8:48:B8:C2:57:05
  2. Go to Settings → WiFi Routers → Add Router.
  3. Enter the Router Name, MAC Address, and optionally the SSID.
  4. Save. Register one entry per router.

Employee Usage

  1. Connect your phone to the office WiFi.
  2. Open the MAttendance app and tap Punch In → WiFi.
  3. The app reads the connected router's MAC address and submits.
⚠️

Phone must be connected to the registered office WiFi. Punching while on mobile data will fail.

WiFi Punch — MAC Address Verification WiFi Router MAC: E8:48:B8… Phone Connected ✓ MAC Match ✓ E8:48:B8:C2:57:05 Punch Allowed

3. QR Code

What it does: A time-limited QR code is displayed at the office. Employees scan it with the app to punch.

Requires hardware: A screen, tablet, or printed QR sheet at the office entrance. | Accuracy: High.

Admin Setup

  1. Go to Attendance → Generate QR Token.
  2. Select the Office for which you want to generate the QR.
  3. The system generates a time-bound QR token (refreshes periodically to prevent sharing screenshots).
  4. Display on a screen at your office entrance, or print it.
🔄

QR codes expire after a short period. Display them on a digital screen that refreshes automatically. Do not distribute the QR image via messaging apps — it will become invalid quickly.

Employee Usage

  1. Open the MAttendance app and tap Punch In → QR Code.
  2. Point the camera at the QR displayed at the office.
  3. The app scans and submits automatically. Camera permission required.
QR Code Punch — Time-Limited Token Office Screen ⏱ 5 min Phone Token Valid ✓ Not expired · Not reused Punch Recorded

4. Selfie

What it does: The employee takes a photo of themselves at punch time. The selfie is stored for HR/Admin review. This is visual proof, not automated recognition.

Requires hardware: None — mobile app only. | Accuracy: Manual review required.

Admin Setup

Enable Selfie punch in Settings → Attendance → Allowed Punch Methods. No hardware needed.

💡

Combine Selfie with GPS for field employees — you get location proof plus a photo at that location.

Employee Usage

  1. Open the app and tap Punch In → Selfie.
  2. The front camera opens automatically.
  3. Take a clear selfie (face fully visible) and confirm.
Selfie Punch — Visual Proof Front Camera 09:02 AM · GPS attached Selfie + Timestamp HR Review Visual verification Manual approval

5. Fingerprint (Biometric Machine)

What it does: A physical fingerprint terminal scans the employee's fingerprint and sends the log to MAttendance. Most tamper-proof punch method.

Requires hardware: A fingerprint terminal (ZKTeco, Suprema, Anviz). See Hardware Guide. | Accuracy: Very High.

Admin Setup

Step 1 — Register the machine: Go to Settings → Biometric Machines → Add Machine. Enter the machine's Name, IP Address, Port, Username, Password, and select the Office.

Step 2 — Enroll employees: On the machine, add each employee and note their Machine User ID. In MAttendance, go to Settings → Biometric Machines → [Machine] → Enrollments → Add Enrollment and link the Machine User ID to the employee.

Step 3 — Sync attendance:

  • Automatic: If the machine is on your network, MAttendance polls it for logs.
  • Manual CSV import: Export logs from the machine, then go to Biometric Machines → [Machine] → Import CSV.
📋

CSV format expected: UserId, DateTime, Status, VerifyType

Employee Usage

Employees do not use the mobile app. They simply place their finger on the scanner. The terminal records the punch and the system syncs it.

  • Register the same finger each time (index or middle finger recommended).
  • Press firmly and hold for 1–2 seconds.
  • If the machine shows "Please try again", remove and re-place the finger.
  • Do not use wet or dirty hands.
Fingerprint — Biometric Terminal Flow SCAN FINGER ZKTeco Terminal Fingerprint Matched ✓ LAN / IP MAttendance Server Dashboard Present ✓

6. Web (Browser Punch)

What it does: Employees punch from the MAttendance web portal using their browser. Suitable for office workers who are always at their desks.

Requires hardware: Any computer with a browser. | Accuracy: Medium (IP logged).

Admin Setup

No configuration needed. Web punch is available by default for all employees who can log in to the portal.

ℹ️

Optionally restrict web punch to specific IP addresses (e.g., the office network) via Settings → Attendance → IP Restrictions.

Employee Usage

  1. Log in to https://portal.mattendance.com.
  2. On the Dashboard, click the Punch In button.
  3. Click Punch Out when leaving.
Web Punch — Browser Based portal.mattendance.com Dashboard Punch In Click to punch Punch Recorded IP: 192.168.1.105 Browser: Chrome 09:01 AM ✓

7. Bluetooth Beacon

What it does: A BLE beacon at the office detects the employee's phone when within range and triggers a punch. Range: 5–30 meters.

Requires hardware: BLE beacon (Estimote, Kontakt.io). See Hardware Guide. | Accuracy: High.

Admin Setup

  1. Power on the beacon and note its UUID, Major, and Minor values.
  2. Go to Settings → Bluetooth Beacons → Add Beacon.
  3. Enter the Name, UUID, Major, Minor, and Office. Place the beacon at your entrance.

Employee Usage

  1. Enable Bluetooth on your phone and grant Bluetooth permission to the app.
  2. When within range, tap Punch In → Bluetooth — the beacon is already detected.
Bluetooth Beacon — Proximity Detection BLE Beacon Estimote / Kontakt ~5–30m range In Range ✓ Beacon Detected ✓ UUID matched · Major/Minor confirmed Punch allowed

8. NFC Tag

What it does: An NFC tag sticker at the office entrance. Employees tap their phone to punch. Requires direct physical contact.

Requires hardware: NFC tag stickers (NTAG213/215/216). | Accuracy: Very High.

Admin Setup

  1. Purchase NFC tags. Use any NFC reader app on Android to read the Tag UID.
  2. Go to Settings → NFC Tags → Add Tag. Enter the Tag UID and Office.
  3. Place the tag at reception, door frame, or time-clock post.

Employee Usage

  1. Enable NFC on your phone (Settings → NFC).
  2. Tap Punch In → NFC.
  3. Hold the back of your phone close to the NFC tag (within 2–4 cm).
📌

NFC must be supported and enabled on the phone. Not all budget Android phones have NFC.

NFC Tap — Physical Contact Required NFC Tag 2–4 cm NFC enabled Tag UID Verified ✓ Registered to: Head Office Punch Recorded

9. Face Recognition

What it does: The employee's face is captured at punch time and matched against enrolled face data. Automated — no manual review needed.

Requires hardware: None (uses phone's front camera). | Accuracy: High (enrollment quality dependent).

Admin Setup

Go to Employees → [Select Employee] → Face Data → Enroll. Upload a clear frontal photo.

📸

Best practices: face fully visible, no hat/glasses/mask, neutral expression, good lighting, plain background, minimum 400×400 pixels.

Employee Usage

  1. Tap Punch In → Face Recognition.
  2. Hold the phone at face level facing the camera.
  3. Camera captures your face and compares against enrolled data. If matched, punch is submitted.

Face data must be enrolled by an admin first. Camera permission required.

Face Recognition — AI Matching Phone Camera AI match Enrolled photo Face Matched ✓ Confidence: 98.4% Punch Recorded

10. Geofence Auto

What it does: The app runs in the background and automatically triggers a punch when the employee enters or exits the office geofence — no manual action required. 5-minute cooldown prevents duplicates.

Requires hardware: None — mobile app only. | Accuracy: Medium (GPS-dependent).

Admin Setup

Same office setup as GPS (Latitude, Longitude, Geofence Radius). Enable auto-punch at Settings → Attendance → Geofence Auto-Punch.

Employee Usage

  1. Install the app and grant Always allow location permission (background location required).
  2. No daily action needed — the app detects entry/exit and punches automatically.
  3. You receive a push notification for each automatic punch.
🔋

"Always allow location" is required. Battery saver mode can interfere — whitelist MAttendance in battery settings. A minimum of 5 minutes must pass between two Geofence Auto punches.

Geofence Auto Punch — No Action Required Office Geofence Zone Office Auto Punch IN ✓ Auto Punch — Clocked In Auto Punch OUT 5-min cooldown prevents duplicates

11. Voice

What it does: The employee speaks a voice command to record a punch. Suitable for hands-free environments (warehouses, kitchens).

Requires hardware: None — mobile app only (microphone required). | Accuracy: Medium.

Admin Setup

Enable Voice punch from Settings → Attendance → Allowed Punch Methods.

Employee Usage

  1. Tap Punch In → Voice.
  2. When prompted, speak clearly: "Punch In" (or "Punch Out").
  3. Microphone permission must be granted. Speak in a quiet environment for best results.
Voice Punch — Hands-Free Microphone active "Punch In" Voice command Processed ✓ Voice recognized Punch recorded

12. Client Site

What it does: For field employees/salespeople at customer locations. The employee selects a client site and submits a GPS-verified punch at that site's address.

Requires hardware: None — mobile app only. | Accuracy: High (GPS validation at client site).

Admin Setup

  1. Go to Settings → Client Sites → Add Site.
  2. Enter Site Name, Client Name, Address, Latitude/Longitude, and Geofence Radius.
  3. Add one entry per client location your employees visit.

Employee Usage

  1. Tap Punch In → Client Site.
  2. A list of registered client sites appears — select your current site.
  3. The app validates your GPS location against the site's geofence and submits.
Client Site Punch — GPS at Customer Location Client A ✓ Client B Select Client Site ● Client A — Tech Park ○ Client B — Industrial Zone ○ Client C — City Centre

Method Comparison at a Glance

12 Punch Methods — Quick Reference Method Hardware Action Anti-Spoofing Accuracy 📍 GPS None Manual tap + GPS Geofence validation Medium 📶 WiFi Office router Manual tap MAC address check High ⬛ QR Code Screen / printout Scan QR Time-expiring token High 🤳 Selfie None Manual photo Manual HR review Medium 🖐 Fingerprint Biometric terminal Finger on scanner Biometric match Very High 🌐 Web Computer only Click button IP logged Medium ⬡ Bluetooth BLE beacon Manual tap Beacon proximity High ⚡ NFC NFC tag sticker Tap phone to tag Tag UID match Very High 👤 Face Recognition None (or terminal) Face to camera AI face match High 🔄 Geofence Auto None Automatic Geofence + 5-min cooldown Medium 🎙 Voice None Speak command Voice processing Medium 📌 Client Site None Select site + GPS Geofence at client High High / Very High Medium

Training Your Staff

For Office Employees

  1. Hold a 15-minute group session showing the app punch flow.
  2. Have everyone do a test punch during the session.
  3. Remind them: one punch when arriving, one when leaving.
  4. Tell them what to do if a punch fails (retry, or use Web punch as backup).

For Field Employees

  1. Walk through Client Site selection and GPS punch.
  2. Emphasize "always allow" location permission.
  3. If using Geofence Auto, show the notification they will receive when auto-punched.

For Production / Warehouse (Fingerprint)

  1. Enroll all employees on the biometric machine before go-live day.
  2. Demonstrate correct finger placement technique.
  3. Enroll a backup finger (in case primary is unavailable).
  4. Designate a supervisor who can handle sync issues.