At a glance
- Pick the make and model and fill in what the form asks for — there is nothing to install on a PC.
- Readers connect over the network. The simplest way is for the reader to send its punches to Filantis.
- Every person has an Attendance ID — a unique number Filantis gives them. Enrol them on the reader under it.
- Unknown badges are kept, never discarded, until you match them.
- No reader? No problem. Punches can be added by hand or uploaded from a file.
On this page:
1How a punch reaches Filantis
There are five ways for the punches to arrive. The form offers the ones your model supports, best first:
| How it connects | What happens | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Push — “Cloud Server” / ADMS | The reader sends each punch to Filantis by itself. | The recommended way everywhere, and the one that works with a cloud workspace. |
| Direct connection | Filantis connects to the reader and collects its log on a timer. | A Filantis server in the same office as the reader. |
| The maker’s own server or API | Filantis reads punches from the reader’s management software or cloud. | Hikvision, Suprema and readers managed by a vendor system. |
| A file, uploaded by hand | Export the log from the reader’s software and upload it. | A reader that cannot reach the network. |
| Recorded by hand | Add punches yourself on the day sheet. | No reader at all. |
Makes on the list: ZKTeco, eSSL, BioMax, Realtime Biometrics, Secureye, Star Link, TimeWatch, Hikvision, Suprema, Anviz, Matrix COSEC, Mantra, Dahua — and Something else for any other network reader.
2Each person’s Attendance ID
A reader identifies people by the number they were enrolled under. Filantis gives every person a number of their own — their Attendance ID — the moment they are added. It is unique, it never changes, and there is nothing for you to type or keep in step.
- Open Office → Employees. Each person’s Attendance ID is shown under their name.
- On the reader, enrol their fingerprint or face under that number as the user ID, following the reader’s own manual.
- That is all. Their punches are matched to them from the first one.
Already have people enrolled on a reader? Re-enrol each of them under their Attendance ID. Punches reported under any other number wait on the Unmatched tab — they are kept, but they are not counted for anyone.
People do not need an extension or a sign-in to be on attendance. A housekeeper with no phone is recorded exactly like everyone else — see Add your staff and departments.
3Add a reader
- Open Office → Attendance and choose the Readers tab.
- Click Add a reader.
- In What is it for, type a name people will recognise — “Staff entrance” — and say Where it is.
- Choose the Make and the Model.
- Choose How it connects. The form then asks only for what that way needs.
- Set Reports punches as: leave it on Not stated — work it out from the order for one reader at one door, or Always an arrival / Always a departure for separate in and out readers.
- Click Add reader.
Where a reader supports it, Filantis shows the reader’s token once after you add it. Most readers have nowhere to put it — it matters only for firmware that lets you set a path. If it is lost, issue a new one.
4Set up the reader itself
Push — the reader reports by itself
The form shows the two values to type into the reader. On the reader’s own menu:
- Go to Menu → Comm → Cloud Server (some models call it ADMS).
- Enter the Server address and Server port exactly as the form gives them.
- Leave the other settings alone and save. The reader starts reporting within a minute.
If it will not connect, try port 80. The form shows the secure port because that is how you are reading the page — but many of these readers cannot use a secure connection at all. Also check the address if you are setting up from outside the office: the reader may need a different one from the one in your browser.
Direct connection — Filantis collects
Enter the reader’s Address, Port and, if one is set on the reader, its Communication key. Choose how often to Collect — every 2, 5 or 15 minutes, or every 6 hours.
A direct connection needs Filantis to be able to reach the reader. That is natural when Filantis runs on a server in your own office, and usually impossible from a cloud workspace — where a private office address is refused outright. On the cloud, use Push.
The maker’s own server
For Hikvision, give the reader’s address with its username and password. For Suprema, give your BioStar 2 server with a login id and password. Other vendor systems can be read through A JSON endpoint, where you say where the punches are and which keys hold the person’s id and the time.
5Check it is reporting
The Readers tab lists each reader with its connection, where it is, how many punches it has sent and when it was Last heard.
Test
Tries the connection now and tells you what it found.
Collect
Fetches the punches from one reader straight away. Collect now does every reader.
Upload a file
A CSV or text export from the reader’s software. Uploading the same file twice records nothing the second time.
Ask a colleague to punch, wait a minute, and watch Last heard change. That one line is how you know a push reader is working.
For a file upload, the reader’s settings say which column holds the person’s id, which holds the date and time, and how dates are written — day first or month first. Filantis asks rather than guesses, because 05/08 read the wrong way round is a wrong day’s attendance.
6Match unknown badges
When a reader reports a number that belongs to nobody Filantis knows, the punches go to the Unmatched tab. They are kept, not discarded.
- Open Unmatched. Each row shows the Reader id, what the reader calls the person, how many punches, and when they were first and last seen.
- If the number is the Attendance ID of someone you have only just added, click Match them now — their earlier punches join their record.
- If it is a number from an old enrolment, re-enrol that person on the reader under their Attendance ID.
7The day and the year
The day
One row per person: First in, Last out, hours Worked, the number of punches and a Status you can set.
For today’s roll call
The year
Each person across the financial year, quarter by quarter: days Present, Half days, Leave and Absent.
For the register
- Add a punch records one by hand — who, when, in or out, and where — for a forgotten badge or a day worked off site.
- Work the day out again recalculates a day after late punches arrive or a correction is made.
- In the year view, a full day counts for present or on duty and half a day for a half day. Leave, absence, holidays and weekly offs are counted separately.
8Questions
My reader’s make is not on the list.
Choose Something else. If it can send punches to a “cloud server” or ADMS address it will usually work with Push; otherwise export its log and use A file, uploaded by hand.
Do I need a PC running the reader’s software?
No. The reader talks to Filantis over the network. Nothing is installed on a PC.
“Last heard” is not changing.
Check the server address and port on the reader, try port 80, and make sure the reader has a working network connection. A reader on an office network must be able to reach the address you gave it.
We have one reader for arriving and another for leaving.
Add both, and set Reports punches as to Always an arrival on one and Always a departure on the other.
Does attendance change anyone’s pay automatically?
No. Attendance is the record; salaries are recorded on Payroll — see Set up salaries and record payments.
The reader you already own, the register you never have to write
Filantis reads the attendance readers most offices already have on the wall — and puts the result beside the same people’s phones, payroll and shifts. No attendance PC, no monthly export.
- Common makesPick make and model from a list.
- No PC softwareThe reader reports over the network.
- Nothing lostUnknown badges are kept to match.
What to do next
With attendance recorded, set what each person is paid: Set up salaries and record payments.
Still stuck?
Write to support@filantis.com with your workspace name and what you were trying to do.