What is the difference between a badge reader and a biometric time clock?
A badge reader recognizes a card; a biometric time clock recognizes the person, by face or fingerprint, and stops a colleague from clocking in for someone who is absent.
Many time clocks combine methods, like the Hikvision DS-K1T342MFWX (face, fingerprint, badge) or the ZKTeco K40 (fingerprint, PIN, optional badge).
Face, fingerprint or badge: the comparison
| Criterion | Face | Fingerprint | Badge (RFID card) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buddy punching | Very hard | Very hard | Easy: badges get lent |
| Speed at the clock | Fastest, contact-free | Fast, the finger must be placed | Fast |
| Hygiene | Contact-free | Contact with the sensor | Contact-free |
| Dirty, damaged or gloved hands | No effect | Hard to read | No effect |
| Hardware cost | Highest | Lowest | Low, plus the cost of badges |
| Biometric data (law 09-08) | Yes | Yes | No |
Buddy punching
- Face
- Very hard
- Fingerprint
- Very hard
- Badge (RFID card)
- Easy: badges get lent
Speed at the clock
- Face
- Fastest, contact-free
- Fingerprint
- Fast, the finger must be placed
- Badge (RFID card)
- Fast
Hygiene
- Face
- Contact-free
- Fingerprint
- Contact with the sensor
- Badge (RFID card)
- Contact-free
Dirty, damaged or gloved hands
- Face
- No effect
- Fingerprint
- Hard to read
- Badge (RFID card)
- No effect
Hardware cost
- Face
- Highest
- Fingerprint
- Lowest
- Badge (RFID card)
- Low, plus the cost of badges
Biometric data (law 09-08)
- Face
- Yes
- Fingerprint
- Yes
- Badge (RFID card)
- No
General comparison of the three identification methods; exact speeds and capacities are on each time clock’s datasheet.
When should you choose a facial recognition time clock?
For frequent shift changes, jobs where hygiene matters and the damaged hands of construction or industry. With a Hikvision, TEMPO sends the photo from the employee record to the time clock: nobody has to stand in front of it to enroll.
When should you choose a fingerprint time clock?
For a clean office, shop or workshop on a tight budget. The ZKTeco K40 states 3,000 fingerprints on its datasheet; the ZKTeco MA300 suits an outdoor entrance.
Enroll two fingers per person. See fingerprint time clock.
When is a badge reader enough?
When the fraud risk is low, without biometrics, or as a backup method. Choose badges that match the reader’s technology: EM 125 kHz or Mifare 13.56 MHz. See badge time clock.
What does law 09-08 say about biometric time clocks?
Face and fingerprint are personal data protected by law 09-08, under the supervision of the CNDP. Plan the CNDP filing and inform employees: see the guide biometric time and attendance and the CNDP.
Without biometrics, a badge or clocking in from a phone works.
How do you choose the identification method site by site?
- 1
Count the punches
Many people at the same time: go for the face.
- 2
Look at hands and location
Damaged hands: rule out fingerprint. Outdoors: an IP65 model.
- 3
Assess the fraud risk
If buddy punching happens, a badge alone is not enough.
- 4
Prepare the CNDP filing
For a biometric method, complete the formalities and keep a badge or PIN as a backup.
Facial recognition time clocks
ZKTeco
MB560-VL
Visible-light face, fingerprint and keypad time clock, successor to the MB160 and MB360 for office and retail sites.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
ZKTeco
SpeedFace-V5L
Touchless face terminal, 5-inch screen, fingerprint depending on version and optional palm, for a site of several hundred people.
- Visage
- Paume
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
ZKTeco
ProFace X
High-end face terminal, 8-inch screen, IP68, -30 to 60 °C, for an outdoor entrance or a site of several thousand people.
- Visage
- Paume
- Badge
- Code
ZKTeco
Horus E1
Android face terminal in a phone format, with Wi-Fi, 4G and Bluetooth, for a site with no wired network or a worksite base.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
ZKTeco
SenseFace 2A
Compact face, fingerprint, card and keypad time clock, for an SME or a branch replacing a fingerprint time clock.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
Hikvision
DS-K1T642MFW
Square facial recognition terminal (up to 3 m) with fingerprint, Mifare card and Wi-Fi: for receptions, offices and shops.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- QR code
Hikvision
DS-K1T342MFWX
Vertical wall terminal: face (masks included), fingerprint and Mifare card, over Ethernet or Wi-Fi, from -30 °C to 60 °C.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
Hikvision
DS-K1T343MFWX
Compact square terminal: face, fingerprint and Mifare card, Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The Hikvision model we have actually connected.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
Hikvision
DS-K1T344MX-E1
IP65 PoE-powered face terminal with Mifare card, PIN code and QR code: for exposed entrances, from -30 °C to 60 °C.
- Visage
- Badge
- Code
- QR code
Hikvision
DS-K1T320MFWX
Small entry-level face terminal, 2.4-inch screen, with fingerprint, Mifare card, PIN code and Wi-Fi: for small teams.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
Hikvision
DS-K1T671
Large face terminal with a 7-inch screen, IP65, fingerprint and card: for busy entrances and very cold or hot sites.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
Plus fabriquéeZKTeco
MB360
Face and fingerprint time clock with keypad and optional card, for an office or a store with up to 1,500 enrolled faces.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
Plus fabriquéeZKTeco
MB20
Small face and fingerprint time clock for a small team: a branch, a practice or a boutique, up to 200 faces.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
- Plus fabriquée
ZKTeco
uFace 402
Face and fingerprint time clock with a 4.3-inch touchscreen, for a head office, a factory or a store of several hundred people.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
- Plus fabriquée
ZKTeco
MB160
Face and fingerprint time clock with keypad, with the same capacities as the MB360, for an office or a shop.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
Fingerprint time clocks
ZKTeco
K40
Entry-level fingerprint time clock with keypad, 2.8-inch screen and built-in battery, for an office, a store or a small workshop.
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
ZKTeco
F18
Wall-mounted fingerprint terminal with keypad, Wiegand and anti-passback, to clock in and control an office or equipment room door.
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
ZKTeco
MA300
Fingerprint and card reader in an IP65 metal housing, no screen, to clock in at an exposed entrance, a gate or a loading dock.
- Empreinte
- Badge
ZKTeco
F22
Slim fingerprint terminal with built-in Wi-Fi, to clock in and control a door where running a network cable is difficult.
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
ZKTeco
MB560-VL
Visible-light face, fingerprint and keypad time clock, successor to the MB160 and MB360 for office and retail sites.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
ZKTeco
SpeedFace-V5L
Touchless face terminal, 5-inch screen, fingerprint depending on version and optional palm, for a site of several hundred people.
- Visage
- Paume
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
ZKTeco
Horus E1
Android face terminal in a phone format, with Wi-Fi, 4G and Bluetooth, for a site with no wired network or a worksite base.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
ZKTeco
SenseFace 2A
Compact face, fingerprint, card and keypad time clock, for an SME or a branch replacing a fingerprint time clock.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
Hikvision
DS-K1T642MFW
Square facial recognition terminal (up to 3 m) with fingerprint, Mifare card and Wi-Fi: for receptions, offices and shops.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- QR code
Hikvision
DS-K1T342MFWX
Vertical wall terminal: face (masks included), fingerprint and Mifare card, over Ethernet or Wi-Fi, from -30 °C to 60 °C.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
Hikvision
DS-K1T343MFWX
Compact square terminal: face, fingerprint and Mifare card, Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The Hikvision model we have actually connected.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
Hikvision
DS-K1T320MFWX
Small entry-level face terminal, 2.4-inch screen, with fingerprint, Mifare card, PIN code and Wi-Fi: for small teams.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
Hikvision
DS-K1T671
Large face terminal with a 7-inch screen, IP65, fingerprint and card: for busy entrances and very cold or hot sites.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
Hikvision
DS-K1T804AMF
Slim fingerprint and Mifare card reader, over Ethernet or Wi-Fi: for an office door or a restricted-access room.
- Empreinte
- Badge
Hikvision
DS-K1A8503EF
Entry-level fingerprint and card time clock built for attendance only: 1,000 employees, USB export, Ethernet network.
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Plus fabriquée
ZKTeco
MB360
Face and fingerprint time clock with keypad and optional card, for an office or a store with up to 1,500 enrolled faces.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
- Plus fabriquée
ZKTeco
MB20
Small face and fingerprint time clock for a small team: a branch, a practice or a boutique, up to 200 faces.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
- Plus fabriquée
ZKTeco
uFace 402
Face and fingerprint time clock with a 4.3-inch touchscreen, for a head office, a factory or a store of several hundred people.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
Plus fabriquéeZKTeco
IN01-A
Fingerprint time clock with 3-inch screen, built-in battery and Wiegand, for a site with frequent power cuts.
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
- Plus fabriquée
ZKTeco
MB160
Face and fingerprint time clock with keypad, with the same capacities as the MB360, for an office or a shop.
- Visage
- Empreinte
- Badge
- Code
Questions fréquentes
Face or fingerprint time clock: which is more reliable?
Both almost completely prevent clocking in for a colleague. The face is faster, contact-free and works with dirty or damaged hands; fingerprint costs less. In construction and industry, the face is often more reliable; in an office, fingerprint is enough.
Is a badge reader enough for an SME?
Yes, if the risk of clocking in for an absent colleague is low and you do not want biometric data. A badge is simple and cheap, but it can be lent. Many companies keep the badge as a backup method on a biometric time clock, for employees whose fingerprint reads poorly.
Do you need CNDP authorization for a biometric time clock?
Biometric data is protected by law 09-08 and its processing must go through a CNDP filing before go-live. Also inform employees and provide an alternative, such as a badge. Our guide on biometric time and attendance and the CNDP details the procedure.
Can you combine face, fingerprint and badge in TEMPO?
Yes. Each punch arrives in TEMPO with the time clock and the identification method used. An employee can have a badge on their record and fingerprints or a photo enrolled on the time clocks; all their punches count the same way in the hours calculation, whatever the method and brand.
Sources
Textes officiels d'où viennent les chiffres de cette page. Les valeurs proposées par le logiciel restent modifiables.