8 Fun Facts about the BLE powered Beacon

Friday, December 30, 2016 TimeTec 9 Comments



Did you know that ……

 1. Before the days of the BLE Technology, Beacons were typically referred to Lighthouses, tall structures that guide ships to navigate at sea. The BLE Beacon, however, is no lighthouse. 

 2. The BLE Beacon is a small device that transmits signals. Designed on purpose to be low powered, and to emit short-range signals at set intervals. Its short transmission range makes it the perfect device for providing location-based information and services, such as marking time attendance.  

3. BLE actually stands for Bluetooth Low Energy, it is an enhanced and advanced version of the Classic Bluetooth designed by Nokia back in the days. BLE has come a long way from its predecessor, enabling a greater variety of functions and data exchange capability, including reporting Time Attendance. 

 4. BLE Beacons are easy to use, and apps such as TimeTec TA has made it so that users only need to Sign in, and with a single tap, you can mark your attendance in the office. It's technology, not magic!

5. Beacon is a widely accessible technology. Because BLE capability is found in most of our mobile devices today, Beacons are able to work on Android and iOS platforms on smartphones and tablets.

6. With BLE, Beacons maintains a very good battery life. Generally lasting from about 18 to 24 months, while some may even last over 5 years. Despite their reliability, Beacons don’t actually work that hard. They let Bluetooth do all the work, and Bluetooth is incredibly energy efficient. Even with a small sized battery, it packs a good punch.

7. Beacons are not just user-friendly, they are respectful. Because Beacon requires users to Opt-in for a successful pairing. It makes a secure, friendly and respectful device for Time Attendance.

 8. When BLE Beacons are implemented with TimeTec TA in your office, you can forget punch cards and access cards, all you need is your smartphone to clock in and/or out. 

Try your hand at Time Beacon for Attendance using TimeTec TA mobile app and watch this video to know how easy it is to get your attendance data sorted out. Stay tuned for more info about beacon on this blog. 

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Ingress Software Update (v3.0.8.12)

Tuesday, December 20, 2016 TimeTec 2 Comments



A new version of Ingress Software (v3.0.8.12) release is now available containing a total of 18 new features and 7 bug fixes. 2016 has been a roller coaster ride for many of us and we are hopeful that 2017 will offer us something better. Before we leave 2016 behind, we would take this opportunity to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 VERSION: v3.0.8.12 DATE: 09-12-2016

 1. Persian Language is Available!
Persian or Farsi is a language predominantly used in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and some parts of Iraq. And now Ingress is made available in Persian. If you want your language to be available in Ingress, let us know. Email at info@fingertec.com to request.

 2. Elapsed Time for Backup / Restore Database
Waiting without knowing its duration or time range could be frustrating to some. Now Ingress displays elapsed time for backup or restore database so you’ll know the estimated time to complete the process.


 3. Configure System Settings without any Activated Terminal
Previously, you must have at least a device connected to Ingress before you could configure System Settings. Not anymore! Now you can configure System Settings even without connecting any device to Ingress.

VERSION: v3.0.8.7    DATE: 01-12-2016

 1. Configure Alternate Restdays in Group Duty Roster
You can now configure alternative restdays in Group Duty Roster where any days of the week can be selected as restdays and can be applied on all weeks of the month.

 2. Edit Clocking Time in Clocking Schedule Configuration for Flexi Schedule
Previously, Flexi Clocking won’t accept time range definition because clocking times in flexi is supposed to be flexible, that a staff can clock at anytime he/she pleases. Based on the market feedback, some users want more control on the flexibility by applying a certain time range on flexi clocking schedule. For example, a staff is permitted to do flexi clocking between 9-5pm, and if the staff extends the clocking outside of the time range, the company will not accept the flexibility. Based on that requirement, clocking times can now be inserted in Flexi Clocking Schedule in the latest release of Ingress. However, it shouldn’t worry those who do not want to define times in Flexi Clocking Schedule; your way works too.


 3. Revamp Import User From File on User Module
The layout of the Import User from File module has been improved where you can directly match more information from the USB File such as Email, Phone, Address, etc.


 4. Revamp Database Backup Folder Selection UI
A newly-designed window will be prompted when selecting folder for database backup. This provides easier navigation on the folder path as compared to the previous Window.


 5. FingerTec Webster Migration Feature
The latest version of Ingress offers a new database migration option for Webster users. By logging in into Webster database server, users can migrate the database seamlessly into Ingress.


 6. Import Attendance Photo from USB in Attendance Module
With this option added into Attendance Module, photos captured during verification can now be imported from USB file into the software.


 7. Import Remark/Workcode on Attendance Module
New Remark or Workcode can be imported into Ingress directly from the transactions downloaded into the Data Audit List.


 8. Add Current Report Option with Selected Options to Report Scheduler
This feature offers a convenient way to set up report to be used in Report Scheduler. After selecting the desired report type and format, users can directly add it into the report list in Report Scheduler.


 9. Enhancement on the Order of Device Assigned to Door
The add devices to door under Doors Module, you can now select devices from the pop up Window. The assigned device will be displayed below the list.


 10. Enhancement on Add New Schedule in Attendance Module
There is now a ‘wizard’ to configure the clocking schedule in Attendance Module. By clicking ‘More’ at the bottom left corner when adding a new schedule, users can directly construct a complete clocking schedule with the settings on clocking time, rounding, break, and overtime, just by answering a few questions to  match your company’s attendance and clocking policy.



11. Enhancement on Print Multiple Weeks in Weekly Wages Report & Weekly Staff Duty Roster in Report Module
Weekly reports such as Weekly Wages Reports and Weekly Staff Duty Roster can now be printed in a new format where information is arranged in a more orderly manner.



 12. Enhanced Export User info Fields at Export User in User Module
The latest Ingress provides more flexibility with more User Info fields to be selected and exported to file in User Module.


 13. Display Device Last Connection Status on Devices Module
Devices’ connection statuses can now be seen in Devices Module, whereby Green is connected, Red is disconnected, and Grey indicates Not Applicable (for devices of USB connection)


 14. Display Face Template Count on User Module
Other than fingerprint count, face template count is also available in the user overview in User Module. 


 15. Display remark field on User Module
User could do Remark for employee which can be found under Event Tab in the User Module.

Fixed Errors:
16. Fixed Rounding in Clocking Schedule unable to save
17. Fixed Leave Type will not show when using Open Schedule
18. Fixed Sage UBS payroll not exported on Attendance Module
19. Fixed users not imported on User Module
20. Fixed wrong calculations of Work Hour when using HH.HH format on Report Module
21. Fixed attendance data not exported when not select User ID on Attendance Module
22. Fixed first and last rounding rules displaying incorrect results when generating attendance

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Learn Troubleshooting for Missing Attendance in Ingress & TCMS v3

Friday, December 16, 2016 TimeTec 48 Comments



Introduction 
New users always encounter problem with missing attendance data and transaction data. Fret not! There are steps to troubleshoot these errors. Data enters the Attendance Listing & Attendance Analysis Reports based on the attendance sheet generated in the software. Therefore, in case of any data missing from the reports, the first step to do is to check the data and information in the Attendance sheet.

Benefits
Now, you can troubleshoot the missing data on your own!

Process
First of all, you  need to download all the transactions from device by going to the Attendance tab > Download > select device > OK.

The transactions downloaded from the devices into Ingress will be listed in the Data Audit List. You could also check your transaction data from the Attendance tab > Data Audit List. Please make sure to select the correct date range when doing the troubleshooting. Check whether the data is already exist in the data audit list of the software.

If the data did not appear in the Data Audit List, try another possible solution, try download the transaction data using Automatic Download Time. To set the download run time, go to System Settings > System Parameter Setting > Attendance > Specify 2 Daily Download Intervals…> Set the times accordingly > save and let the Ingress server run within the set times.

It is important to check the Issuance Date of the user. The user attendance sheet will not appear if the issuance date is set before the current date.

The Attendance sheet is generated based on the data audit list and the clocking schedule setup. Hence, after you have confirmed that the Data Audit List contains the transaction data of the user, check the Group Duty Roster and the Clocking Schedule settings.
 
If there are any changes made in the Clocking Schedule or the Group Duty Roster for the user and to make sure that the data enters attendance sheet accordingly, you need to generate the attendance at the Ingress > Attendance > Attendance Sheet > Generate > Select User ID and Date range> Ok.

This tip will come handy when you have your attendance data missing. Give this tip to your technical personnel to practise on. They will catch up in no time at all.

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Report Scheduler for TCMS V3 is Now Ready!

Friday, December 16, 2016 TimeTec 9 Comments



Introduction
Report Scheduler is an automated interface that gives you the option to email your selected reports on a periodic basis. This feature is now available in TCMS V3 and you can set the files to be sent in various formats using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

Benefits
With this feature, the report generation process has been made completely automated because you do not need to login to your account to generate the required reports. On top, instead of having to generate various reports individually, you can setup the Scheduler to generate and email the reports to you or other recipients with just one-click solution.

Process
1) Firstly, you will need to configure your email account at the TCMS V3 > System Settings > Email > Edit > Edit Email Configuration > Save > Test Account Setting.

*Remark : We strongly recommend you to use your own company mail server as SMTP domain rather than using Gmail service provider to avoid server blocking the software from sending the mail on behalf of the account owner.

 2) You will get an email similar to the below picture.


3) Go to the report tab > configure the report based on your requirements > click run. Here is one example:



4) TCMS V3 will send two reports for the first time. First report - when you click the run button. Second report – the times that you have configured in the report scheduler settings. TCMS V3  will generate the reports at the report folder before sending the email to you.
Report folder - C:\Program Files (x86)\FingerTec\FingerTec TCMS V3\TCMS V3\reports.

5) Also, you will receive the report in your email account.



Troubleshooting Tips
Report Scheduler is not working as per settings? Follow the steps below to troubleshoot.
a) Main configuration: It’s important to ensure that all services; database, attendance service, etc, are running smoothly. If the Report Scheduler is not working, it’s recommended that you restart all the services again to trigger the scheduler process properly.

Steps:
To restart TCMSv3 service: Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > restart TCMS v3 Service

b) Once restarted, click Run in the Report Scheduler settings to trigger the scheduling process again.

Related Post:
Auto Generate Report to a Specific Path using Report Scheduler in Ingress and TCMS V3

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Use Inactive User Tab to Contain Dormant Users

Friday, December 16, 2016 TimeTec 2 Comments



 NOTE:
Please note that the information and images below refer to TimeTec TA software. However, this particular module/ feature is also available in TimeTec Patrol and TimeTec Leave with the same rules and functionality, hence you can also use this as reference for all three abovementioned softwares.

Introduction
TimeTec TA offers Inactive User option to filter users who are no longer valid in your system due to termination, suspension or resignation. It doesn’t mean that you can’t delete users completely from the system. However, there are cautions to be aware of when you delete users.

Benefit
User deletion is easy but the risk is, you will be deleting everything about that particular user at the point of no return. Hence, this feature provides a better option for administrators to manage users in TimeTec TA because not all users left your organization for good. Some perhaps go for sabbatical, unpaid leave and etc. Therefore, if you decide to reactivate these users again, you are able to when the users are in the Inactive User list. Let’s learn how to do it.

Process
Moving users to Inactive User list
1) Login to your TimeTec TA account.
2) Go to User > Manage User > Manage User tab > Select your user > Click Edit > Go to General Information section > Click Edit > Click on the Employment Status drop down menu.
3) For the Employment Status > select the status for that user > Click Save.



4) Then, go to the Inactive User tab > View all Inactive users in this tab.


In case you want to reactivate the user, do the following steps:
1) For the relevant user > Click on Reactivate.

2) It will prompt a message to confirm user reactivation > Click Submit.


In extreme cases where you are really certain that these users will no longer be required in your organization, Delete them. 

1) Go to User > Manage User > Manage User tab > Tick which user ID that you want to delete from the system > Click Manage > Select Delete User > A message will be prompted to alert you of the risk when you delete a user.

2) Once confirmed, click OK to proceed.
Note: Data of deleted users will disappear from the system and it’s irretrievable.





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TimeTec TA App Detects Mock Location to Prevent Fraudulent Activities

Wednesday, December 14, 2016 TimeTec 0 Comments


Security settings in TimeTec TA App has been enhanced with the latest Mock Location detection function. How does it work? It’s simple. When the phone detects that mock location is enabled, TimeTec TA App will log out automatically. The only way to keep TimeTec TA App stays open is to not use any mock location program in the phone.

For example, when a user has a mock location in his mobile phone, setting a location in New Delhi, India when the actual user location is somewhere else, he will not be able to select clocking in TimeTec TA App as an error message will be shown and the system will automatically logout when the user presses an error message exit button.

This feature is available for Android phone only because for iOS phones, the system does not support mock location, by default.

This feature eliminates the possibility of fraudulent employee behavior such as faking GPS locations. Such program is available out there,  tricking Android into thinking that you’re at a location where you actually aren’t. With the new update for TimeTec TA App, users will only be allowed to use a real time location, for more accurate reporting.

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Navigate Ingress Better | Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes

Sunday, December 04, 2016 TimeTec 1 Comments


Ingress is FingerTec’s bundled software with every purchase of FingerTec door access hardware. Over time, we have compiled common mistakes users made while using Ingress that have caused unnecessary frustration and wrong outcomes. Let’s watch out for those 5 errors and avoid them at any cost. 
One - On Setup and Software Installation
·         Please bare in mind that Ingress software and MySQL are two different platforms. Ingress is the application; MySQL is its database. Therefore, it is extremely important for you to run Ingress DBInstaller to confirm database successful connection and prevent any errors such as “Failed to Initialize Database”. All the 3 steps of DBInstaller have to be completed successfully for you to be able to run the software.  
·         Ingress Server and Client have to be installed using the exact same version of installer or chances are, you are going to get unsuccessful server-client connection.
·         And to form a successful connection between Ingress Server and Client, it is necessary to open the firewall port number 3306, 3000 in both server and client pc. Please refer to the following link for more information regarding the port setup: http://www.fingertectips.com/2013/12/step-to-setup-ingress-server-and.html

Two - On Missing Files
·         Please make sure that your PC’s antivirus has been disabled before you attempt to install Ingress software. Once the installation is complete, add Ingress software to your antivirus whitelist/exception list save and enable back the antivirus. This step is very important to guarantee that no antivirus could block Ingress files and would cause errors and software crashes.
·         Don’t freak out, Ingress installer files are neither virus nor Trojan files.  Therefore, installing Ingress while the antivirus is disabled will not cause any harm to your computer.
·         For more info regarding the antivirus and Ingress software refer to http://www.fingertectips.com/2016/05/fingertec-ingress-blocked-by-antivirus.html

Three - On Activation
·         Before adding your terminals to Ingress, please make sure that the terminal can communicate with the PC by pinging the IP address of your terminal. To check this, open the command prompt window> Ping the IP address of your terminal (e.g. “ping 192.168.1.201”)> Press Enter, to receive the response and check the stability of the connection between device and pc from the responses shown.
·         When adding a terminal into the software, please make sure that the Comm key, or the security key in both terminal and the software are set to 0 (or to the same value), for the terminal to be activated in the software. Caution: Many have done this error by setting the comm key and security keys differently. Set them with the same value please to avoid complications.
·         The FingerTec terminals by default are using UDP port number 4370.  Therefore, during Ingress activation you need to select the same port number in Ingress for a successful activation.
·         Online activation refers to retrieving the license of your FingerTec Terminals in Ingress using a PC with Internet connection. In case your PC is not connected, select Offline mode, enter the 12-digit product key provided for your terminal and press Activate.
·         If you need to use ‘port forwarding’ for terminal connection from a different location, while activating FingerTec terminal, you need to tick “Quick Connect” option. Caution: Port-forwarding setup has to be discussed with the network engineer available onsite. FingerTec support does not have this information.  

Four - On Upgrade and Migrate
·         Migration Wizard lets users migrate from TCMS V2 to Ingress effortlessly.
·         Migration of database can only be performed from TCMS V2 Version v2.2.027 onwards (Most recent version dated: 11/08/2016)
·         To migrate the database from TCMS V2, go to Ingress Icon> Migration Wizard> FingerTec TCMS V2> At Intro browse the Path of your TCMS v2 backup file (.zip file)> Upload> Select Upload > At select Users> select the user and the information you want to migrate> import selected database.
·         For those who migrated data structure in a different language e.g. Arabic from TCMS V2 to Ingress without any gibberish characters, you have to ensure that the Language Locale of your PC has to be set as English (USA) during the migration of the DB. To change the Language Locale of your pc, go to Control Panel> Clock, Language, Region> Region> Administrative> Change System Locale> Select English (USA)> save and restart your pc.
·         In case you are facing Migration Issues with Ingress, you need to update the version of your Ingress to the latest, i.e. dated Dec 2016 onwards. You can refer the release notes in Ingress to check the version of your software and the date of release, as well as the debugged remarks of each update. The Release Notes is provided at: Ingress Menu Icon> Release Notes
Five - On Missing transactions
·         All the transactions downloaded from the terminals into Ingress are listed in the data Audit List. This is how you get there. Attendance tab> Data Audit List.
·         The Attendance sheet is generated based on the data from the data audit list and the clocking schedule setup, hence in case any data is missing from the attendance tab;
o   Check whether the data already exists in the data audit list of the software
o   If the data is not downloaded, confirm whether the data originally exists inside your terminal by using the Device info tool. Download the tool at:  https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.fingertec.com/Arsalan.M/Tools/FTDevInfo.exe Once you have downloaded the device info tool, run the .exe file> enter the IP address> connect> Download transactions> to check if the transactions exist inside the terminals
o   If there is data in the terminal and has not been downloaded into Ingress, try downloading the data manually at the Attendance tab> Attendance sheet> Download> Select terminal and download.
o   If the data is not downloaded manually, for a possible solution, try downloading the data using Automatic Run Time. To set the download run time, go to System Setting> System Parameter Setting> Attendance> Specify 2 Daily Download Intervals…> Set the time accordingly> save and let the Ingress server run within the set time.
o   If there are any changes made in the Clocking Schedule, the Group Duty Roster or certain user IDs are changed in the Group Duty Roster, to make sure that the data enters attendance sheet accordingly, you need to generate the attendance at the Ingress software> Attendance> Attendance Sheet> Generate> Select User ID and Date range> Ok.
o   Data enters the Attendance Listing & Attendance Analysis Reports are based on the Attendance sheet generated in the software. Therefore, in case of any data missing from the reports, the first step to do is to check the data and information in the Attendance sheet.

If you encountered any other problems with Ingress, we are here to support you. Email us at support@fingertec.com for fast reply. 

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TCMS V3 Latest Release (v2.0.2.8) - Comes With More Flexibility

Friday, November 25, 2016 TimeTec 2 Comments



TCMS V3 is FingerTec’s latest time attendance software officially released in August this year has gone through a lot of improvements for user convenience. The latest release version v2.0.2.8 comes with more flexibility for users to choose from. The download link to the latest version is available here.


1. Define Your Time Range in Flexi Clocking Schedule 
Previously Flexi Clocking in Scheduling wouldn’t accept time range definition because the flexi clocking time is supposed to be flexible, meaning that a staff can clocking at anytime he/she pleases. Upon the feedback we gathered from the market, some wants more control on the flexibility by applying a certain time range. For example, a staff is allowed to do flexi clocking between 9-5pm, and if the staff extends the clocking outside of the time range, the company will not accept the flexibility. Based on that requirement, clocking times can now be inserted in Flexi Clocking Schedule in the latest release of TCMS V3. However, it shouldn’t worry those who do not want to define times in Flexi Clocking Schedule; your way works too. 



2. “Capture the first and last records for attendance” only in Flexi Clocking Schedule.

Again, when dealing with Flexi Clocking, TCMS V3 will record every clocking activity of the staff involved. And the latest release provides an option for customer to ignore clocking activities between the first and the last attendance records. When you tick this option, the software will only show the first and the last clocking times. For example, if a staff clocks in at 9:59am and then he goes out 11:55pm, the 11:55pm will not become his out time. When he comes back at 1:30pm, this new time will be recorded as his latest out time, and the cycle continues. If you don’t want to deal with cluttered attendance data, and you only want the In and Out time, you should consider to enable this option.


3. Device User Report is Now Available

The number of users in FingerTec devices changes from time to time, depending on a company’s activities and its staff strength. When a staff is transferred from branch A to branch B, the sets of devices he or she can access to will be changed accordingly. Therefore, the latest release of TCMS V3 presents a Device User Report, a report that lists down users stored in the selected device. You can also sort the list by User ID or User Name. From this Device User Report, you can see clearly the users available in each device and if remedy is required, you can do it accordingly.


4. OFIS Fingerprint User Enrollment Made Easy 

Previously, enrollment through OFIS TA required you to click on each user profile and perform fingerprint enrollment for that user only. If you need to enroll another user, you need to find his/her user profile and repeat the process. The latest improvement on OFIS TA allows admin to register fingerprints by selecting User ID from the list, as shown below. Once the enrolment for one user is done, admin just needs to choose another User ID and carry on from this one page to get things done. Isn’t that convenient?


 5. Option to “Enable/Disable Username & Password Authentication” is Now Available 

This option allows users to decide whether or not to perform login authentication when launching TCMS v3. FingerTec will not be held responsible for any unfortunate occurrences due to your choice to disable login authentication.


Fixed Errors:

1. Fixed Rounding in Clocking Schedule unable to save
2. Fixed Leave Type will not show when using Open Schedule

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