A lot of Pakistani schools already own a ZKTeco fingerprint or face machine on the gate or in the staff room, bought years ago for exactly this purpose, and it still just sits there generating a log file nobody opens except at month end. The machine was never the problem — connecting it to something that turns a punch into actual attendance, on the day it happens, is. Most current ZKTeco machines can do this without new hardware, through a setting most schools never touch.
What "ADMS" Means on Your Machine
Somewhere in the machine's on-screen menu, usually under Comm or Communication, there is an option called Cloud Server or ADMS. This is the machine's built-in ability to push its data to a server over the internet by itself, instead of waiting for someone to plug in a USB drive. It is not a separate purchase or an add-on card — it has been sitting unused on most machines that have it.
Connecting the Machine — Step by Step
- Add the machine in Skoo first. In Attendance → Fingerprint Machines, enter the serial number printed on the sticker on the back of the unit, and give it a name (for example, "Main Gate").
- Open the Comm menu on the physical machine. Find Cloud Server or ADMS — the exact wording and menu depth vary slightly by model and firmware.
- Enter the server address and port Skoo shows you. This is a plain address, not a website link — type it exactly as shown, including the port number.
- Leave any HTTPS or SSL option off, if the machine asks. These machines speak plain, unencrypted HTTP to the attendance server by design; an HTTPS setting here will stop it connecting rather than make it safer.
- Save and wait. Most machines show online in Skoo within a minute of saving the setting — no restart needed on either side.
What Happens to Fingerprints Already Enrolled
Nobody has to enrol a class of students or a staff room's worth of fingerprints again. Once the machine is added, Skoo asks it for the list of users already stored on it and shows each one next to a suggested student or staff match, based on the name already saved on the machine. A school office member confirms or corrects each suggestion once; the fingerprint or face data itself never leaves the machine and is never re-captured.
What Skoo Receives — and What It Doesn't
Skoo receives a user number, a timestamp, and how the person verified — finger, face or card. It does not receive fingerprint images or face templates; those stay on the machine, the same as before it was ever connected to anything. The first punch of the day marks arrival — present, or late by the school's own cut-off — and the next punch from the same person marks departure. A second punch from the same person within three minutes is treated as a duplicate and does not create a second record, which matters on a busy gate where a student sometimes taps twice by habit.
What Happens When the Internet Drops
The machine keeps working as a standalone fingerprint reader regardless of connectivity — that part of it was never dependent on the internet. Punches taken while the connection is down are held on the machine itself and sent once it reconnects; Skoo recognises punches it has already recorded and will not count one twice, so a connection dropping for a few hours during the day does not create duplicate or missing attendance once it comes back.
Which Machines This Works On
This covers ZKTeco models with Cloud Server or ADMS in the Comm menu — in practice this includes most current iFace, SpeedFace, MB, K40/K50 and UFace models. Older units without this menu option need a firmware update from the dealer or ZKTeco's local distributor before they can connect this way; check the Comm menu on your specific unit before assuming either way, since firmware varies even within the same model line.
Do I need a new machine, or can I use the one already on the wall? In most cases the existing machine works as-is, provided it has Cloud Server or ADMS in its Comm menu — this is a setting change, not a hardware purchase.
Will this work for both students and staff on the same machine? Yes. One machine can be used for student gate attendance and staff check-in/check-out at the same time; Skoo separates the two automatically based on who each enrolled number belongs to.
Does Skoo store fingerprint images? No. Fingerprint and face templates never leave the machine. Skoo only ever receives a user number and a punch time.
Can parents be told the moment their child arrives? Yes. A recorded arrival punch triggers a free notification to the parent app, at the same time the day's attendance is marked.
What if the school has more than one gate or building? More than one machine can connect the same way — each one is added separately in Skoo and reports into the same attendance record for the school.
If the machine is already bought and mounted, the remaining work is a menu setting, not a project. See the full setup and connect a ZKTeco machine to Skoo, or pair it with Skoo's other attendance options for classes that don't use a fixed gate machine.