Methods That Work Better Indoors

Satellite position is the worst-performing method for the exact situation attendance needs: someone standing inside a building. Four alternatives do it better.

Wifi network visibility

The phone checks whether it can see the workplace network, by name or by the router's hardware address.

Works indoors, which is the entire point.

Range is the building, roughly, which is the right size.

It does not require connecting, only seeing.

Weakness: a network visible from the car park or the flat upstairs, and a name that can be copied onto another router. Matching the hardware address rather than the name closes most of that.

Bluetooth beacons

A small battery-powered transmitter at the entrance.

Range of a few metres, configurable, which is far tighter than any geofence.

Works indoors and underground.

Weakness: batteries to replace, beacons that can be moved, and phones with bluetooth switched off.

NFC tags

A sticker on the wall; the worker taps their phone to it.

Physical presence required, at a specific point.

No power, no maintenance, costs pennies.

Weakness: a tag can be photographed or cloned by someone determined, and the person still needs their phone.

A code on a screen

A rotating code displayed inside the workplace, typed or scanned.

No location data collected at all, which makes it the lightest option legally.

Weakness: a code can be sent to a colleague, which is the buddy-punching problem returning.

Comparing them honestly

None is unbeatable. Each closes the common failure and leaves a determined workaround open.

All four work indoors, which satellite position does not.

Three of them collect no location data, which removes most of the legal analysis in these notes.

And they fail visibly rather than silently: a beacon with a flat battery is noticed, whereas a drifting position estimate is not.

The combination that usually wins

A primary method suited to the site — wifi or beacon for a fixed workplace.

Geofence as a secondary check for sites where the primary is impractical.

And a fallback that accepts with a flag, because everything fails sometimes.

Ask any vendor which of these they support. A product offering only satellite geofencing is offering the method that works worst where you need it.

Ask which methods a product supports

One procurement question that narrows the field fast.

Wifi visibility, bluetooth beacon, NFC tag, fixed terminal.

A product offering only satellite geofencing is offering the method that performs worst exactly where attendance happens.

Several products support two or three and let you choose per site.

Which is what you want, because your sites will not all suit the same method.

An implementation prompt

During configuration, the agency workflow can prompt questions about fields, ownership and output. Confirm current capabilities and document each plan, integration or policy assumption.

Independent reference

For an external point of reference, see the NFC Forum. This popular specialist source offers a useful reference beyond product documentation.