Attendance clock in a place without WiFi or LAN internet
If it is necessary to operate the clock with a touch screen in a place without WiFi or Lan connection, it is possible, for example, to provide a SIM card with a data plan and secure the internet connection via a mobile provider. Please note this does not apply to IoT clocks which provide the connection themselves.
Use a router on the SIM card (internet via WiFi or LAN)
These are standard routers that usually allow you to connect multiple computers to the internet using a LAN cable or WiFi network that this router creates. The internet connection is then implemented via a SIM card inserted in this modem and the data tariff of the mobile provider.
This solution is suitable in cases where it may be desirable to create your own WiFi network (but this is not a condition and routers can often turn off the WiFi network completely), in cases where it is necessary to connect at least occasionally to the internet and other devices (they will use the same WiFi or one of the LAN connectors on the modem) or in case there is a very bad mobile signal in the place of the attendance clock and therefore is desirable to have a router with a SIM card elsewhere - in a place with a better signal and the internet is connected to the attendance clock by LAN cable or WiFi. This solution is more stable and resistant to internet outages than a USB SIM modem described below.
Use a SIM card modem which connects to the USB port of the attendance clock
Another option is to connect a SIM card modem to a free USB port of attendance clock. This modem, via a SIM card and data plan of a provider, provides an internet connection as the router above. In this case, however, it only provides it for the attendance clock which is connected via the USB port. It must also be taken into account that this will occupy one USB slot. The attendance clocks we supply have two USB ports. It is not a problem for attendance clocks which read chips only (chip reader is connected via one of the USB ports). However, for attendance clocks that read fingerprints (fingerprint reader is connected via one USB port), in the case of a USB SIM modem, it is necessary to give up the possibility of using chips and leave a chip reader disconnected so that the USB SIM modem can be connected instead.
Supported USB SIM modems
For example, the “Huawei E3531” modem works most often and most stably on various Android devices. Insert a SIM card from the provider, before connecting a USB SIM modem to the USB port of a clock, on which the data tariff is in operation (a cover is removed from a modem and a SIM card is inserted into it.)
Android widget
Before connecting the USB SIM modem connection to the attendance clock, you need to instal the PPP widget 3 application from the Google Play Store with Android apps. You need to add the “PPP Widget 3” widget to the desktop between the icons after installation. If the connection of a USB SIM modem was already expected when ordering the attendance clock, this widget will already be pre-installed in the attendance clock. You can connect a USB SIM modem to the USB port after installing PPP Widget 3 on the attendance clock and adding this widget to your Android desktop. The system will ask you whether you want to allow the PPP Widget to work with a USB device - click “don’t ask next time” and confirm Yes.
APN configuration
PPP Widget 3 should recognize the modem connected to the USB slot and open the Settings section to set the details of the connection via a mobile provider. If not, click “Settings - Edit current SIM profile” button in the widget itself on your Android desktop.
Fill in, for example, “Connection via SIM O2 / Tmobile / …” in the Field “Profile name”. The field “APN of your provider” is important. If O2 mobile provider is used, write “internet” in the “APN of your provider” field. If the provider is T-mobile, type “internet.t-mobile.cz”. Type “internet” for Vodafone.
Then return to the desktop and click the “Connect” button in the PPP Widget 3. After verifying the successful connection, you can activate “Automatic connection” and “Automatic reconnection” in the widget settings to ensure uninterrupted internet access.