When creating/editing a location, if you enter a valid address, ExakTime Connect will try to associate a GPS coordinate (latitude/longitude coordinates) to the location based on information available from Bing maps. ExakTime will then create an imaginary circle radiating from the GPS coordinate called the GEOFence. The GEOFence is used to denote the overall size of the location to help indicate if an employee's mobile device was within the area of the location or not when clocking in/out.
With ExakTime Mobile 2.67+
With ExakTime Mobile 2.67, the GEOFence can also be used to:
- Help show employees nearby locations based on the GPS of their mobile device and the GEOFence of a location.
- Show warnings and/or restrictions to employees if they are outside the GEOFence based on the GPS of their mobile device and the GEOFence of a location.
Setting Up/Adjusting The GEOFence
- To set up/adjust the GEOFence for a location, go to Manage and click on Locations.
- If you are adding the location then A. click on Add Location from the top. If you are editing an existing location B. click the pencil icon to the left of a location name.
- Enter the address for the location. Once the address has been entered, ExakTime Connect will try to generate a GPS coordinate for the location based on information from Bing Maps.
- Click the GPS tab.
- The yellow pin is the central point that the GEOFence radiates from while the green circle is the GEOFence. The yellow pin will only appear if there are GPS coordinates entered. The coordinates and GEOFence radius can be entered/adjusted manually from the left-hand side.
- If the GEOFence has already been set up, but needs to be adjusted you can also:
- Click and drag the yellow point to move the location of the GEOFence.
- Click and drag the green circle to adjust the size of the GEOFence. The GEOFence must be between 0-4 miles.
GEOFence Considerations
When viewing the GEOFence and how best to cover a location, also take into account where the employees can be throughout their workday.
For example, you may have the GPS coordinate at the specific address, but the employees may need to park their vehicles at a designated area, clock in to start their day and walk to the location. In this case, the GEOFence should cover not just where the employees are working, but also when they start or end their day as appropriate.
You may also need to take into account environmental factors that can affect accurate GPS from an employee's phone. Mountains, large buildings, being underground, etc. can affect GPS accuracy. The employee may be in the correct location, but their phone may place them slightly outside the GEOFence.
Using the GEOFence
GEOFence Restrictions and Warnings
When a location has a GEOFence, you can restrict or warn an employee if they were to clock in/out to a location and they are outside of the GEOFence. To set this up, you can refer to Setting Up GEOFence Warnings and Restrictions.
Map View and GEOFence
As employees clock in with ExakTime Mobile, any location data associated with their clock in/out is compared to the GEOFence for their location. While the time card will show colored icons to quickly see if an employee was within the GEOFence of a location, you can also review where their mobile device was in relation to the GEOFence from the Map View.
Go to Tools and click on Map View.
Once there, you can review the employee's punches and associated location data.
- If they are within the GEOFence of their selected location, they will have a green icon.
- If they are outside of the GEOFence, their location will be shown with a red icon and a blue line connecting them to their selected location.
ExakTime Mobile Location List
Starting in ExakTime Mobile version 2.67, the location list will now show nearby locations based on the GPS from the mobile device and the GEOFence for your locations, in addition to the full list of available locations. This will help your employees make informed decisions, but allow them the flexibility of picking any location as needed.
