How geofences work

A geofence is an area you draw on the map around a site: a circle, or a shape you trace yourself. When someone clocks in, Clocknet checks whether their phone is inside it, so you know the time entries you approve started where they should.

What a geofence checks

When someone clocks in, the app reads the phone's position once and the server checks it against the geofences that apply to that person. Inside one, the clock-in goes through and the time entry records the site. Outside all of them, what happens next depends on your workspace settings.

• Geofence required: the clock-in is refused and no time entry is created. The app shows how far away the nearest site is. If your workspace allows exceptions, the person can ask for one, and once a manager approves it they have 2 hours to clock in again.
• Geofence not required: the clock-in goes through, the time entry is flagged as outside the geofence, and managers get a notification.

Setting the right radius

With a tight radius, GPS drift can put someone outside the geofence while they stand at the door. With a wide one, almost nobody is refused and the check tells you little.

• 50-100 m: small sites with clear edges, like a shop or a clinic.
• 100-250 m: most workplaces. This covers normal GPS drift.
• 250-500 m: large yards, campuses and construction sites.

Add a geofence in 4 steps

1. In the web admin, open Sites, then Geofences, and click New geofence. You can also add your first site during setup.
2. Search for the address, or click the map to put the center pin on the site.
3. Drag the edge of the circle, or use the radius slider, until it covers the area where people work.
4. Choose who it applies to (everyone, some teams or some people) and save. Clock-ins are checked against it from then on.

Geofences when offline

GPS doesn't need a data connection, so the app can read the phone's position with no signal. It saves the position with the clock-in and sends both when the phone is back online. The server then checks the position with the same rules as an online clock-in. If the clock-in turns out to be outside a required geofence, it's refused at that point and the app explains why.

Privacy and fairness

Clocknet reads a person's location when they clock in. Location during a shift is off by default. If your workspace turns it on, each person still decides on their phone whether to share it, and it stops when they clock out. You can turn a geofence off at any time, or apply it only to some teams or people.