Unlocking doors and turnstiles using the Attendance clock

The Attendance clock supplied by us can be ordered in the “including relay” variant, which means that it can send a signal to an electronic lock and thus unlock doors or turnstiles.

Please note that the door unlocking function is available only on the hardware we supply. Doors therefore cannot be unlocked, for example, using the Attendance clock application installed on your own tablet, mobile phone or PC.

The Attendance clock is intended for indoor use only. If you need to unlock an outdoor door or turnstile, you have the following options:

• Place a secondary chip reader (this one is outdoor-rated) on the outdoor door or turnstile and connect it to the Attendance clock. Then install the clock somewhere indoors.

• Place a secondary chip reader (this one is outdoor-rated) on the outdoor door or turnstile and connect it to the DA2 Unlocker.

• Place the DA2 Unlocker on the outdoor door or turnstile instead of the Attendance clock.

Connecting an electronic lock or turnstile to the Attendance clock

There is a terminal block with three relay contacts on the back of the Attendance clock if you have ordered the Attendance clock in the “including relay” variant. The middle contact is the so-called “middle”, which is permanently connected to one of the end contacts at rest. When a user is identified, the centre (middle contact) is switched to the opposite of the end contacts for a short time and then switched back to the original one.

Thus, the electromagnetic lock can be supplied directly through the relay in the clock so that one of the supply contacts of the electromagnetic lock will be connected directly to the lock. The other of supply contacts will then lead through the relay. The maximum load of the relay is 30V, 2A, DC or 30V, 0.5A, AC.

Diagram of Attendance clock with built-in relay:

Which door lock or turnstile to choose

For door unlocking, we recommend low-current DC locks, for example BEFO PROFI 11211. We do not install electronic door locks, but we can recommend a proven company that will supply and install them.

We do not sell barriers, turnstiles or full-height turnstiles (revolving doors, rotary gates, entrance cages), but we can recommend a proven company that will supply and install them.

Interference protection

Electric locks (both those in doors and those in turnstiles) generate strong electrical interference when they open. This has a negative effect on the durability of the relay and on the operation of the Attendance clock, which may in extreme cases freeze or restart when the door is unlocked. It is a good idea to protect the Attendance clock against interference as follows:

• For DC locks, we recommend connecting a flyback diode (for example type 1N5399) or a MOV varistor. Note that the diode must be connected in the correct direction.

• We recommend protecting AC locks with a MOV varistor; diodes cannot be used. Connect the diode or varistor in parallel directly to the contacts of the electric lock.

• The best protection, which replaces both the diode and the varistor and is universal for both DC and AC locks, is to connect an RC snubber, for example this one, between the relay contacts.

We recommend connecting a diode (for example type 1N5399) or a MOV varistor to the DC locks, which prolongs the life of the relay and protects the Attendance Clock device from electrical interference that could otherwise cause the device to restart when the lock is opened. AC locks can only be protected with MOV Varistor as diodes cannot be used on AC locks. Connect the diode or varistor in parallel directly to the contacts of the door-lock.

Activating the “door unlocking” function on the Attendance clock

1. On the Attendance clock, go to Menu - Settings - Multiple readers and door unlocking.

2. Set the option Unlock doors using to Relay 1, GPIO or RS485 Relay  (according to the particular device type). After saving changes, the relay closes when the Attendance is clocked in and the user is recognized.

3. You can set the length of time In the Duration article [ms] for which the relay will be closed when a person is identified. This is the time in milliseconds.

4. Leave the Invert Pulse Instructions option ON. Disabling this setting may be desirable only in special cases of inverted door locks.

Access zones 

It is also possible to set individual access zones. E.g. you can specify that Mr. Novák has access to the warehouse but no longer to the offices.

1. Click on any user in the web application in the Human resources agenda.

2. Click in the box for the new zone (next to the green + button) in tab 6 Attendance PINs, Chips, QR codes. Enter the name of the new zone, e.g. “zone-warehouse”. Save changes. This will create a new zone which will be then for selection under the + button.

3. Assign this zone to all users who should be able to access the zone.

4. You can set the zone, which is controlled by the Attendance clock. Go to the Menu - Settings - Multiple readers and unlock door using - Entrance to Zone. The Attendance clock will open the door only to users with permission to this zone.

"Unlock only" button

You can also add an Unlock only button to the buttons on the main screen (Arrival, Departure, Pause, …) on the Attendance clock that has the door unlock function activated. This is useful if you only need to walk through the door and you are not interested in entering your attendance. Go to the Menu - Settings - Multiple readers and door unlocking - Display “Unlock only” option among attendance activities to activate the button on the Attendance clock.

You may want to move the new button to a different position on the main screen than it is set up by default. You can do it in the Menu - Settings - Activity order on the main screen.

You can also set which button will be preselected after someone unlocks the door. You can adjust this setting in the Menu - Settings - Automatically select default activity. You can specify whether the same button should remain preselected (e.g. only unlock the door) or another predefined button (e.g. Arrival) should be selected. Alternatively, it is possible to set whether the button should be selected according to the current time (e.g. from 07:00 - 11:00 is Arrival, then Pause and from 16:00 the Departure button).

Permanently unlock doors at selected times

The attendance clock can be set to permanently switch on the relay on selected days and times, for example, to unlock the door permanently.

In the web application, in the Paired devices agenda, select the given clock. On the 2 Settings tab, you can see fields for individual days of the week and holidays, in which you can enter time intervals in the form of "7-11:30, 15:50-18", in which the door should be permanently unlocked. Also, it is necessary to select the clock relay that should be switched on at these intervals. After saving the changes, the settings will be written to the attendance clock within a few minutes. The clock will follow this schedule, even in case of an internet outage.

Do not unlock if...

You can set rules for individual Attendance clocks that adjust door unlocking for selected Attendance clocks, selected attendance activities, and selected user groups. You can add a new rule in the web application in the User Menu - Configuration - Terminal event interceptors.

In the Title field, name the rule, for example, Do not unlock during breaks.

Activate the Prevent unlock door option.

On the Valid only for card, you can select specific Attendance clocks to which the rule applies, e.g., Attendance clocks at the entrance. You can also select the action to which the rule applies, e.g., When inserting the Break activity. You can also restrict the user groups to which the rule applies, e.g., to all users from Department Branch A who have the DPP tag.

This rule will prevent users from Branch A with the DPP tag from unlocking the door when they clock out at the Attendance clocks at the entrance.

Locking the Attendance clock

The function of Application lockdown is also related to door unlocking. 

1. Select the checkboxes of those users who can lock the Attendance clock in the web application in the Human Resources agenda.

2. Type any tag down in the Tags box in the 1 Basic card. E.g. Can_lock_pins”.

3. Allow locking for people with tags to this new tag on the Attendance clock in the Menu - Settings - Application lockdown

A new Application lockdown option will be available on the Attendance clock in the menu under the + button from now on. You will be prompted to attach a chip when you select this option. If the chip is attached to a user who has the correct tag set in the Human Resources agenda, the Attendance clock will be locked and it will not be possible to enter attendance or walk through the door. This can be useful for example when a security guard needs to temporarily prohibit walking through a door. 

You can also set a text message which appears on the Attendance clock at that moment. It can be done in the Menu - Settings - Application lockdown -  Locked device message