BambooHR Time Clocks FAQ

What are the most frequently asked questions about BambooHR Time Clocks?
Purpose: This guide will include the frequently asked questions about the BambooHR Time Clock and the BambooHR Time Clocks Plus. This guide will also provide basic troubleshooting instructions.
Table of Contents
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What are the most frequently asked questions about BambooHR Time Clocks?
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Troubleshooting with your BambooHR Time Clock
- Why aren't any of my employees showing up on my time clock?
- Why does an employee receive the error message "Punch rejected" when they are clocking in?
- Why isn't my employee's facial recognition registering?
- What do I do if my employee's fingerprint isn't successfully scanning?
- My BambooHR Time Clock is not connecting to the internet, what should I do?
- How do I test my card reader?
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I edit my Admin PIN?
- How do I access the terminal setup?
- My clock says it's offline. Is it still tracking my employees' clocking actions?
- I added an employee to Time Tracking in BambooHR. Why aren't they showing up on my clock?
- When are time entries sent from the time clock to BambooHR?
- I have more than one time clock; do I need to register my employees to each clock?
- Can I require my employees to clock in using the time clock?
- Can I have some employees clock in via the web version and some on the time clock?
- Who can clock out for an employee who forgot to clock out?
- Does the time clock save data for employees who leave the company?
- If I'm rehiring an employee who has previously used the time clock, do I need to register them again?
- Can I add employees to projects and tasks from my time clock?
- Do the Time Clocks support DHCP or static IP addresses?
- Can I change my internet connection method after setup?
- What permission limitations are in place for the BambooHR Time Clock?
- How do I return my BambooHR Time Clock?
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Troubleshooting with your BambooHR Time Clock
Troubleshooting with your BambooHR Time Clock
Have you completed all steps in our setup guide?
If so, you may need to check your Time Tracking settings. Navigate to Settings > Time Tracking > Select a Time Tracking group > Settings, (or go to the Settings tab within Time Tracking settings if you haven't created multiple groups). Once you're viewing the group settings, you need to verify that the Enable Time Clock box is checked under the How do employees in this group log time? section.
This message appears when an employee attempts to clock in while currently clocked in. They simply need to clock out, to clock in again. If your employee has edit access to their timesheet, they can make any adjustments needed. If they do not have edit access to their timesheet, make sure an a manager with access or an admin makes an adjustment for them.
Facial recognition algorithm identifies over 70 minutiae points of the face, but if your BambooHR Time Clock does not register their face, an administrator can help the employee re-enroll.
If your employee has already registered their fingerprint with an administrator, make sure they are scanning the same finger they registered. Then, ask the employee to wash their hands. If the initial fingerprint enrollment was inadequate, an administrator may need to re-enroll the employee's fingerprint. If you have the BambooHR Time Clock model, refer to this section of our First Steps: BambooHR Time Clocks help guide. If you have the BambooHR Time Clock Plus model, refer to this section of our First Steps: BambooHR Time Clocks help guide.
If you're having trouble connecting to the internet, review the following:
- Is the ethernet cable fully secure?
- Is the local network port is active and working?
- Are the required URLs allowed through the firewall?
- If you are using a static IP address, is it a correct, valid address within the range?
- If you are using DHCP, does the clock have an IP address?
If you can answer yes to each of the questions above, contact our support team for additional help!
Absolutely!
Time Clock Model:
1. Navigate to the employee's profile
2. Select Edit Badge
3. Scan the card
If the device beeps and populates the field with a number, then you know the badge works.
Time Clock Plus Model:
1. Enter your Admin Pin
2. Select Manage Employees
3. Select the employee's name from the list
4. Select Edit next to Badge ID
5. Scan the card
If the field populates with a badge number, then you know your badge works.
Frequently Asked Questions
To edit your admin pin on the Time Clock model, you'll need to access the Terminal Setup > Firmware Menu. Follow the instructions, here.

Once your screen looks like the image above, select Firmware. Then select Change PIN.
To edit your Admin PIN on the Time Clock Plus model, you'll need to access the clock setup.
Please note: The Admin PIN grants you access to the device settings. Your Local Supervisor PIN grants you access to the Supervisor Portal, where you can exit or reboot the application, manage employee profiles (used to register employee information on the clock), view clocking actions, and more.
1. Exit the app by selecting Keypad and enter your current Local Supervisor PIN (by default, 19051905).
2. Click Exit Application.
3. Click the Admin app icon and enter your current Admin PIN (by default, 1905).
4. From the Apps menu, tap Settings.

5. Tap Launcher on the Setup menu.
6. Tap PIN used by administrator to access settings.
4. Enter new PIN and tap OK.
To edit your Local Supervisor PIN, you will need to access the Terminal Setup view.
Please note: The Admin PIN grants you access to the device settings. Your Local Supervisor PIN grants you access to the Supervisor Portal, where you can exit or reboot the application, manage employee profiles (used to register employee information on the clock), view clocking actions, and more.
1. Exit the app by selecting Keypad and enter your current Local Supervisor PIN (by default, 19051905).


2. Select the Setup GtEasyClock app icon from your main screen or the Apps menu.

3. Select App Settings to access the Application Settings.

4. Scroll down to the "Local Supervisor" section and select Local supervisor keypad ID.

5. Update your ID and click OK.
On the Time Clock model, the terminal setup is the same as the device setup.
On the Time Clock Plus model, the terminal setup is the same as the application setup.

1. Select Options (F8).
2. Select Keypad (F8).
3. Enter Admin PIN to identify yourself, then press OK (F8).
4. Enter Admin PIN again then press OK (F8).
By default, your Admin PIN will be 1905. We recommend changing this PIN before your employees start using the device.

5. Select Exit Application (F5).

6. While the system is rebooting, quickly select the gear icon (F8).
If you miss the window to select the gear icon, no worries! You'll go back to the start screen. You can re-enter your pin and start again.
7. Enter Admin PIN again.

8. You are now in the device setup view (terminal setup).
The Terminal Setup for the Time Clock Plus model is also called the Application Setup.
1. Exit the app by selecting Keypad and enter your current Local Supervisor PIN (by default, 19051905).


2. Select the Setup GtEasyClock app icon from your main screen or the Apps menu.

3. You are now in the application setup (terminal setup) view.
Yes. If clocks go offline, they will continue to track the actions on the clock and store the data locally. However, those actions will not sync to BambooHR until the connection is restored.
While actions taken on the clock directly sync in real time, actions in BambooHR sync every four hours. If your employee still isn't showing up on the clock four hours after you've enabled time tracking, contact our support team.
Time clocks will try to send each time entry immediately. If the clock is offline, all time entries will be stored locally until the internet connection is restored, at which point they will be sent over immediately.
No, enrollment at one clock will sync to other time clocks registered to your BambooHR account.
Yes! If you want to disable the web and mobile time clock options, navigate to Settings > Time Tracking. Then, within each time tracking group, check the Disable clock-in and clock-out on web box under the How do employees in this group log time? section. After that, scroll down to verify you have not checked the Employees can log time with the BambooHR mobile app box under the Mobile section.
Yes. By setting up different Time Tracking groups, you can limit who can clock time online. Simply create one Time Tracking group for those who can clock in via the web app (or mobile) and another for those who need to clock in with the physical time clock.
The Account Owner, full admin users, and those with access to the employee's timesheet can clock out for another employee via the web app. To do so, navigate to the employee's profile, select the Timesheet tab, and click Clock Out.
As soon as an employee is removed from Time Tracking (this is automatically done if you end their employment), their biometric data is removed from the time clock. However, you will still be able to view their clock-in and clock-out data via the Timesheet tab on their BambooHR profile.
It depends. If the employee was removed from time tracking (which happens automatically when you end their employment), their biometric data is removed from the time clock. So, if the employee used their fingerprint or facial recognition to clock in, you will need to register them again. If they have a different clock-in ID or are using a different ID badge, you will also need to register them again.
However, if they used their clock-in ID to log in and you have chosen to have their employee number serve as their clock-in ID, you will not need to register them again as long as they have the same employee number as they did upon their original employment.
No. There is no way to assign projects or tasks from your clock. All project tracking assignments should be made from the BambooHR web app.
Both. Time Clocks default with DHCP, but device configuration can be changed to Wi-Fi with the Wi-Fi module installed.
Yes. Follow the directions for your time clock below.
To switch from WiFi to Ethernet: follow the steps in the WiFi section of this help article. When you get to Step 10: "Use the arrow keys to select Network > Interface > Wireless LAN," select "On-Board LAN" instead.
To switch from Ethernet to WiFi: follow the steps in the WiFi section of this help article. When you get to Step 10: "Use the arrow keys to select Network > Interface > Wireless LAN," your system should say "On-Board LAN," select Wireless LAN, and follow the remaining steps of the help article.
Switching between WiFi and Ethernet is as simple as unplugging or plugging in the Ethernet cord to the device. If you have previously set up WiFi on the device and want to ensure that it will never use WiFi, you can go into the device settings and turn off the WiFi toggle.
1. Select Keypad and enter the Local Supervisor PIN.
2. Click Exit Application.
3. Select the Admin app icon.
4. Enter your Admin PIN.
5. Click Settings.
6. Click Network & Internet.
7. Toggle WiFi to OFF.
Please note: The Admin PIN grants you access to the device settings. Your Local Supervisor PIN grants you access to the Supervisor Portal, where you can exit or reboot the application, manage employee profiles (used to register employee information on the clock), view clocking actions, and more.
Permissions on the BambooHR Time Clock directly correspond with a user's access level.
Account Owner:
- Can see and perform all actions on the Time Clock or Time Clock Plus
- Can request a Time Clocks discovery call
- Can remove time clocks from the account
Full Admin:
- Can see and perform all actions on the Time Clock or Time Clock Plus
- Can remove time clocks from the account
- If a user has been granted permission to Enable/Disable Time Tracking for all Employees, they can see and perform all actions on the Time Clock or Time Clock Plus.
Manager Access Level Usesr:
- If added to time tracking, they can only see and perform their own actions on the Time Clock or Time Clock Plus. However, if granted permission, they may have access to view their direct report's timesheet via the web app.
Employee Access Level Users:
- If added to time tracking, they can only see and perform their own actions on the Time Clock or Time Clock Plus.
All sales of Devices to Customer are final forty-five (45) days after purchase. Customers may request refunds within forty-five (45) days of purchase by emailing [email protected] and providing the reason for the return. Upon receipt of the request, BambooHR will provide return shipping instructions to be completed at Customer's expense. Customers will receive a credit on their next BambooHR invoice for 90% of the amount paid for Devices returned in new condition within forty-five (45) days of purchase.
Wondering how to set up your Time Clock? Take a look at our First Steps guide!