Kiosk Time Clock with QR Clock-In & Camera Preview
Time clock kiosk software: let employees clock in and out with a QR code badge at a shared tablet, no smartphone required. Camera preview stops buddy punching. Free trial.
Let every employee clock in and out by scanning a QR badge at a shared tablet — even if they don't own a smartphone. Camera preview and device checks stop buddy punching at the entrance.
What Is a Time Clock Kiosk?
A time clock kiosk is a shared tablet (or fixed terminal) mounted at a work site entrance. Employees walk up, scan a personal QR code badge, and the kiosk clocks them in or out instantly — no smartphone, no app, no password to remember.
It's the best of both worlds: the convenience of a QR phone scan for employees who have a smartphone, and a reliable, always-on terminal for everyone else. Construction workers with hard hats, warehouse staff with gloves, and new temporary hires can all clock in within seconds.
Why businesses are adding kiosks
No smartphone? No problem
Many valuable workers don't carry phones or have unreliable data. A physical kiosk removes the barrier.
Impossible to forget
A kiosk at the gate is harder to miss than a phone app. It becomes part of the entry routine.
High turnover friendly
Onboarding a temporary worker takes seconds: issue a QR badge, scan, done.
Stops buddy punching
A camera preview shows exactly who is scanning, and device checks flag anomalies.
How the QR Badge Kiosk Works
Setting up a kiosk takes minutes, not days. Here's the real flow as shipped:
- 1Create the kiosk in your dashboard
Go to Kiosk → New Kiosk, pick the site (kiosk must be enabled for that site), name it (e.g. "Gate tablet"), choose allowed methods (
QR) and idle timeout (10–3600s, default 30s). The kiosk is created asactiveand appears on the Live Dashboard. - 2Pair the tablet by scanning the site QR
Open https://app.chegatta.com/kiosk/scan on any tablet. The first screen asks for the site QR — find it on the Site details page. Point the tablet camera at it; the device registers (
POST /api/kiosk/registerwithsite_token+device_fingerprint) and the pairing is saved in the tablet browser (localStorage). You pair once — no re-pairing needed. - 3Mount the tablet at the entrance
Put the paired tablet on a stand or wall mount with the camera facing the door. Any recent iPad or Android tablet works — no proprietary hardware.
- 4Employees scan to clock in or out
Hold the personal HMAC-QR badge toward the camera. The kiosk calls
POST /api/kiosk/employee-statusthenPOST /api/kiosk/clock(with optional photo if the site requires it) and instantly confirms "Clocked in at 08:00" with name and time. The camera preview stays live so a supervisor sees who is scanning. - 5Attendance flows to your dashboard and payroll
Every scan is logged with site, time, device fingerprint, and optional photo — same shift record as a mobile clock-in. Flagged scans surface under attendance anomaly review before payroll.
For employees who prefer a phone, they can keep using the Chegatta mobile app — both routes write to the same shift record. PIN / employee-list entry is on the roadmap; today the kiosk is QR-only.
Why Use a Kiosk Instead of a Mobile App?
| Situation | Mobile app only | With a time clock kiosk |
|---|---|---|
| Employee without a smartphone | Cannot clock in | Scans a printed QR badge |
| Phone battery died / no signal | Missed clock-in | Kiosk always powered and online |
| New temp hire, first day | Download + verify + login | Badge issue + scan = done |
| Shared devices or clean-room rules | Restricted | Dedicated kiosk at the gate |
| Forgot to clock in/out | Happens often | Kiosk at the entrance = hard to miss |
The kiosk doesn't replace your mobile app — it adds a reliable physical clocking option for the moments a phone isn't enough.
Who It's For: Industries & Work Sites
Any business with a shared entrance or a workforce that isn't always online benefits. Common scenarios:
Construction & job sites
Workers often have no personal phone or no reliable signal on site; a gate kiosk fits hard hats and high turnover.
Warehouses & manufacturing
Staff move fast; scanning a badge on a wall-mounted terminal at the door is the quickest possible clock-in.
Hospitals & clinics
Nurses and allied staff switch shifts with gloves on; a kiosk per entrance keeps flow moving.
Retail & restaurants
Small teams, high turnover; printed badges make onboarding a new hire trivial.
Facilities with strict hygiene
No shared fingerprint or face scanner; a contactless QR tap respects hygiene rules.
Buddy Punching Prevention at the Gate
Buddy punching — one employee clocking another in — is estimated to cost up to 5% of payroll annually. A kiosk stops it several ways:
Camera preview
The kiosk shows live who is scanning, discouraging casual fraud. The Live Dashboard mirrors last ping and last activity per device.
Device fingerprint + site binding + photo
Every scan stores a SHA-256 device fingerprint, is bound to one site (no cross-site clocking), and can require a photo. Anomalies flag for review.
Admin anomaly dashboard
Flagged scans appear under "Needs Review" so managers can approve or correct before payroll. Supervisor approval can be toggled per kiosk.
Combined with the attendance dashboard, you get an audit trail of exactly who clocked in and out, where, and from what device.
Setup & Costs
A time clock kiosk is budget-friendly and transparent:
Hardware
Use any tablet you own — reuse an iPad or Android tablet, wall-mount at the entrance. No proprietary device purchase required.
Software
Kiosk mode is included in your Chegatta plan (1 kiosk on Starter, 3 on Growth — see pricing) — no per-scan or per-employee kiosk fees. Idle timeout and allowed methods are configurable per device.
Onboarding
Create the kiosk, pair by scanning the site QR at /kiosk/scan, print QR badges, and you're live in under an hour. Pair once, stays paired in the browser.
Live status (ping, last activity, online/offline) is visible on Kiosk → Live Dashboard (auto-refresh every 30s). Open the kiosk anytime at https://app.chegatta.com/kiosk/scan.
Start free for up to 3 employees and add more as you grow. See pricing for full plan details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the employee need to install anything?
No. The QR badge works on any paired tablet — employees just scan. Employees with a smartphone can also use the mobile app, but it's optional. No PIN or password to remember today (PIN entry is on the roadmap).
Can an employee use the same QR code on multiple sites?
Yes, but each kiosk is bound to one site at a time. The scan records the correct site automatically, so employees can't cross-clock to the wrong location.
What about privacy / GDPR?
Chegatta is GDPR-aligned: location & IP data are deleted after 90 days, anomalies are anonymized after a year, and employee device tracking requires consent. See the privacy policy for details.
Can we try it before committing hardware?
Yes — start a free trial and open https://app.chegatta.com/kiosk/scan on a spare tablet today. Scan the site QR to pair, then scan a badge.
Is the kiosk offline-capable?
Pairing is persisted locally so the kiosk returns to ready after a refresh; idle timeout (10–3600s) resets the screen automatically. Full offline punch queue with background sync is on the roadmap — today the kiosk retries the clock request and shows the error if the network is down.
Related Guides
- Attendance Tracking Software — GPS clock-in, geofencing, and choosing the right system
- Buddy Punching Prevention — Device fingerprinting and smart verification
- GPS vs Geofencing — How location verification works
- Employee Clock-In App — Mobile clock-in for your team
Start free — no credit card
GPS + QR kiosk clock-in, geofencing & SEPA payroll in one place. Setup in 2 minutes.