WFM UK: Time & Attendance: Device Troubleshooting – Fourth & HotSchedules Customer Success Portal

Overview

This article provides troubleshooting guidance for each of the device types that Fourth provide for integration into your solution.

Depending on the device being used, please jump to:

Synergy A Biometric Fingerprint Reader
SY910 Facial Recognition Device
Synergy 5 & 10 Data Capture Terminal

Synergy/A Biometric Fingerprint Reader

Error Messages

Below is a list of common errors that can be encountered on T&A (Time and Attendance) devices, and what action is required to resolve them.

To resolve certain issues, it may be necessary to request an engineer call-out. This article contains instructions for how to arrange this, including a checklist to be completed beforehand.

There is also information on the use of swipe cards with T&A Devices at the end of this article.

Table.1 - Error messages solutions and notes

Problem	Solution/Notes
Error 7	Employee fingerprint not recognised - Usually means that the fingerprint quality is low. Employees getting this error need to be re-enrolled with higher quality finger templates. Synel (manufacturers of the biometric devices) recommend that individual employees are re-enrolled using an alternative finger. Delete the employee from device and enrol as normal.
Badge Read Error	This error means that the employee’s finger is not recognised as being in the template list. Ensure that the employee is using the correct finger. Re-enrol the employee if the error persists.
Unknown Code	If the reading is not above the minimum requirement of 85% this means it is not accurate. Re-enrol the employee to resolve.
MEM Crash	This error requires an engineer call-out to resolve
PSU	Power Supply Unit, not for PoE (Power over Ethernet) clocks. If the PSU has a fault, the clock may not stay on and needs to be switched on constantly for employees to clock in/clock out. Send and complete the checklist. An engineer call-out may be required.
Error No.9 FPU	This error means that the memory is full An engineer call-out will need to be arranged to 'load the Fourth project’ on the clock as FPU is not communicating with the main board.

General T&A FAQs

Table.2 - General FAQ solutions and notes

Problem	Solution/Notes
Clock is online but not sending T&A data	The clock is online, employees are clocking in/out as normal, but no data is appearing on the portal. Consult the internal IT team as network issues are a common reason for this issue. If the IT team confirm there are no network issues then an engineer call-out will need to be arranged
T&A Installation Requirements	These can be found in the T&A guide for the device - WFM - Time and Attendance Biometric Clock. Go through the requirements on the guide and complete the order form to confirm all requirements are in place so the T&A team can proceed with ordering the device. The order form must be completed in full
Transfer employees from one location to a new location	Delete the employee from the T&A Device at the former location. Enrol the employee on the T&A device at the new location. This will ensure that the employee's T&A data is recorded against the correct location on the rotas
Syncomm Queries	Contact Fourth, who will liaise with the appropriate 3rd parties to get the issue(s) resolved
Where is the T&A Data stored and who is this shared with?	The employee's fingerprint is only stored as a template on the device itself. This is not the physical fingerprint but the binary code that is produced from it The only data that gets through to the Fourth portal is the employee's clock in/clock out time. Further information can be found here: GDPR Readiness - Briefing Note WFM - Time & Attendance FAQs
The cost of PoE Adaptor/PoE Injector?	PoE Adaptors and PoE Injectors are £20.00 each, plus delivery charge. Contact Fourth to request.
How many Fingerprints can you register an employee with?	On the SY785, an employee can only be registered with 1 fingerprint at a time. If their fingerprint is not working, they will need to be deleted and re-enrolled on the device with a different finger. On the Syngery devices it is possible to register employees with more than 1 fingerprint template. Synel do not recommend registering more than 2 fingerprint templates per employee
An employee unable to clock in due to fingerprint quality being low	Delete the employee from the T&A device and re-enrol using a different finger. If this does not work, they will need to be enrolled using the fingerprint bypass code. Steps for this can be found on the T&A Guide - WFM - Time and Attendance Biometric Clock
Why do we need to give confirmation of patched RJ45 Network Point within 1m of the clock?	To avoid call-out charges, a network point within one meter from the T&A device must exist/be installed prior to ordering the device It is not the engineer's responsibility to run cables for customers, and Fourth needs to assure this has been done before installation. For example, the router in the comms room is on the 1st floor, and the T&A device is to be installed on the ground floor. So, a data point must be installed within 1 meter of the T&A device installation point.
Does the time in the T&A Device update automatically when the clocks change for summer/winter?	Yes this is updated automatically - the time is taken from the Fourth Server.
SY785 Clock Dimensions	Height – 17.5 cm Width – 25.25 cm Depth – 9.6 cm
Is there a way to monitor T&A data daily without having to go in each individual rota?	Use the weekly T&A Report, filter by date and run for each location. This displays what time employees clocked in and clocked out and prevents having to go into each physical rota. Go to HR Module > Reports > Weekly T&A Report > select Location > Filter Date > Search This will return the clock-in/clock-out times for all employees within each location.
How can you search for an employee number on the T&A device?	There is no option to search for an employee number on the clock. It is only possible to enrol and delete employee numbers.
In the event of T&A devices losing connection to the network/internet, are employees still able to clock in/out? If so, how much data is held on the T&A devices about the planned shifts and is there a limitation on how long a T&A device can be offline before the employees cannot clock in/out?	The T&A Devices will store approximately 100,000 swipes. They do not store employee shifts, just their clock-in and clock-out data. Devices switch offline immediately until reconnected to a network, at which point the data is then pushed from the device into the Fourth server and uploaded on to the customer’s portal.
Can T&A devices be pinged on a network to see if they are online?	Yes that is correct - they have fixed IP addresses.
Is the fingerprint sensor made of glass or plastic?	The fingerprint sensor is made of glass.

Some issues with T&A devices may not require an engineer to resolve. The following checklists should be completed before considering a request for an engineer call-out.

Synergy A Machine Checklist

Check that the Network cable is plugged into the port labelled 'ETHERNET' underneath the clock
Check the other end is plugged into a live network point
Confirm if the Globe symbol appears in the top-right corner. If so, this means the clock is connected to the server
Rebooting the clocks could start to send data through. To do this, disconnect the PoE injector for 5 minutes and then plug back in
Can employees clock in and out on the clock or is the power completely off on the clock
Check that the power is live
Confirm if an error message appears on the screen. If so, what does the message say?
Confirm the firewall is configured to allow outbound traffic on TCP Port 443
Using the manager code (this will have been shared with you at installation - please speak to your system administrator if you do not know it), go to Info / UIN and confirm all IP Details (F1 > Manager Code > ENT > Select 3-Info / Pin Punch > Select 1-TCP/IP Configuration and F1 > Manager Code > ENT > Select 4-UIN / Version > Select 1-Show UIN/Firmware Version)
WFM Time & Attendance: Device Codes

SY910 Facial Recognition Device

Table.1 is a troubleshooting table that details the messages that can be encountered on this T&A device, and what action is required to resolve them.

'TLW' stands for TimeLogWeb, which is the middleware software for Synergy devices that manages the T&A data.

To resolve certain issues it may be necessary to request an engineer call-out. This article contains instructions for how to arrange this, including a checklist to be completed beforehand.

Table.1 - Troubleshooting the T&A Device

Device Status	Action	Device message	Message Colour	Notes
Online	Frist swipe (IN / OUT)	“Employee Name”	Green	Swipe recorded in TLW
	Double swipe within 2 minutes	Already Verified!	Orange	Swipe not recorded in TLW
	Swiping on the wrong device (not allocated)	Invalid Punch by Server	Red	Swipe not recorded in TLW
Offline	Frist swipe (IN / OUT)	“Employee Name” Offline Punch	Green	Swipe will be recorded in TLW as soon as the device syncs with the server
	Double swipe within 2 minutes	Already Verified!	Orange	Swipe will not be recorded in TLW after syncing with the server
	Swiping on the Wrong device (not allocated)	“Employee Name” Offline Punch	Green	Swipe will not be recorded in TLW after syncing with the server (this might be confusing, but when the clock is offline it recognizes the face template and captures it. Upon syncing, the server will decline the swipe and it won’t be registered on TLW)

SY-910 Checklist

Check that the cable is plugged into the socket accordingly
Check the other end is plugged into a live Network Point
Confirm that the icon of the network socket is white Online as apposed to Red Cross 'Offline'
Rebooting the clocks could start to send data through. To do this, unplug it at the 3 pin mains adapter or the jack on the back for 5 minutes and then reconnect
Can employees clock in and out on the clock or is the power completely off on the clock? Check the power is live
Confirm if an error message appears on the screen? If so, what does the message say?
Confirm the firewall is configured to allow outbound traffic on TCP Port 3636
Confirm all Ip Details:
Menu > Enter id for Manager enrolled and verify Face > 5 System Settings > 2 Communications > 1 Network 3 > set IP Address (or use DHCP)

Synergy 5 & 10 Data Capture Terminal

Problem	Caused by	Solution
The terminal reboots itself without any voice prompt when it starts	During a firmware upgrade, some files may not be properly copied over	Please contact your supplier for a new firmware update file
When a user is identifying themselves at the terminal it reboots itself	The photograph held on the database may be too large	Reduce the file size of the photograph
Terminal does not communicate to the network	Faulty cable or switch. Network parameters are incorrectly set. RJ45 component failure.	Check network cables and switches are OK then check the green and yellow lights are flashing on the RJ45 port. If the yellow light is flashing but not the green light then there should not be an issue with the terminal and it is likely a network setting issue. If neither light is flashing it may be a component failure and please contact your supplier.
Terminal crashes but recovers when restarted	The power cable is not inserted correctly, or the internal memory is full.	Ensure the power cable is plugged into the device correctly. If so, restore the terminal to the factory setting.
The terminal does not start, or it crashes on start-up.	The SD card has failed, or the data has corrupted	Format the SD card or replace it.

Troubleshooting & Diagnosis

Some issues with T&A devices may not require an engineer to resolve. The following checklists should be completed before considering a request for an engineer call-out.

Template for Call-Out

If the issue persists after completing the checklist, there may be a requirement for an engineer to visit the site to diagnose the issue.

Raise a case via the Customer Success Portal (formally known as the Community) directly to our T&A team
Please provide the following information:
- Customer/Company name
- The site location, site contact name and phone number, access times, with directions (if it is known to be difficult to find or there is more than one location on the same street or site)
- The specific location of the clock onsite (floor number, room name, etc)
- The nature of the problem as fully as possible with results of the relevant tests and checks from the checklist
- Any error messages

Please note: If we arrange a call-out and the issue is not related to the maintenance of the clock, then the call-out will be charged. Additional charges for parts may be applied to your invoice after the engineer has visited if replacements are required, which is not covered by warranty.

Information Required When Requesting a Callout