How it works
- A biometric machine that supports ADMS push sends each punch to ZeniaHR as it happens. The machine's serial number ties it to your company.
- Where a machine cannot push, HR uploads its Excel attendance file, and companies on eTimeOffice can sync from it. Both give each person's first in and last out for the day.
- Each punch is written to the punch stream with the source biometric or import, next to web, app, kiosk and HR punches.
- A punch within 60 seconds of an existing punch for the same person, from any source, is skipped as a duplicate.
- If a later file or sync moves a day's first in or last out, the earlier imported punch for that day is replaced. Punches from web, app, kiosk or HR are never touched.
- The day is then graded like any other, with the same shift, grace, breaks, late marks and payable days.
What you can set
- Punch sources recorded: web, mobile, biometric, manual, import and kiosk.
- ADMS push machines: each punch arrives as it happens; the machine's in or out code is taken as a hint, and the direction follows the day's state when the code does not fit.
- Excel attendance import and eTimeOffice sync: one first in and one last out per person per day.
- Duplicate window: 60 seconds for the same person, across all sources.
- Capture controls do not apply to machine punches; network, location and phone rules cover self-service punches only.
- Machine punches appear on the live board, in the day log with CSV download and in attendance analytics.
Why one punch stream matters
When a machine keeps its own records and the HR software keeps another, somebody reconciles the two every month, usually in Excel. ZeniaHR avoids that by treating the machine as one more source of punches. A plant worker who taps in at the gate machine and later punches a break on the app has one day, not two. Because everything is graded against the same shift and rules, a late mark from a machine punch costs exactly what a late mark from the app costs.
Worked example: a Nashik plant with two machines and the app
A Nashik auto components plant has 240 workers. The gate machine supports ADMS push; the older machine at the canteen block does not, so HR uploads its Excel file every evening. Supervisors punch on the app. On Monday, fitter Sachin More taps his finger at 7:58:10 am and again at 7:58:40 am because the machine was slow to beep. The second tap is within 60 seconds, so it is skipped and his day starts at 7:58 am.
Monday's canteen file shows cook Lata Jadhav in at 6:02 am and out at 2:10 pm. On Tuesday her supervisor points out that she left at 2:40 pm after a late delivery, and a corrected file is uploaded. ZeniaHR replaces Monday's imported out punch with 2:40 pm and leaves every other punch alone. By 9 am on Tuesday the live board shows everyone from both machines and the app together.
Before you connect a machine
A clean first month depends on a few checks made before the first punch arrives. Most problems with machine attendance come from mismatched IDs and wrong clocks, not from the sync itself. An hour spent on these before going live saves many corrections in the first payroll on machine data.
- Check that each person's ID on the machine matches their employee record in ZeniaHR.
- Set the machine's clock correctly, because a machine running ten minutes fast creates late marks that are not real.
- Decide which staff use which channel and tell them, so nobody punches on two channels out of habit.
- Compare a few days of the day log against the machine's own report during the first month.
See biometric attendance sync in a demo
We show it on a video call with your own shifts, leave types and rules. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
Which biometric machines can send punches to ZeniaHR?
Machines that support ADMS push, also known as the iclock protocol, can send each punch to ZeniaHR as it happens. If your machine does not support it, export its attendance to Excel and HR can import the file. Companies already on eTimeOffice can sync from it. All three routes feed the same punch stream.
What happens if an employee punches twice on the machine?
If the second punch is within 60 seconds of the first, ZeniaHR skips it as a duplicate. This works across sources, so a machine punch followed by an app punch in the same minute also counts once. Punches further apart are kept, and the day is rebuilt from them in time order.
Can biometric and mobile app attendance be used together?
Yes. You can put plant staff on the gate machine and field or office staff on the app or the web. Every punch goes into one stream with its source, and each person's day is built from all their punches, so mixing channels does not create duplicate days or double pay.
Do biometric punches follow our late mark rules?
Yes. Once a machine punch is in the stream, it is graded exactly like an app or web punch: against the person's shift and grace time, with your late steps, late marks, early-outs and monthly cap. Only the capture controls, which check networks, location and phones, do not apply to machine punches.