How Employee GPS Punch Geo-Location Works

The OnTheClock mobile apps, and websites (mobile and desktop) receive geolocation data(latitude and longitude) from the device(phone, tablet or computer) which they run on. When an employee punches in or out of the time clock app, the device will attempt to choose the most accurate geolocation method. Accuracy is measured in meter radius, the smaller the meter radius number the more accurate the recorded location. There are basically 3 geolocation methods...

1) GPS Sensor (High Accuracy) - Most cell phones and tablets(and some computers) are equipped with a GPS sensor which gives excellent accuracy, generally down to 5 meter radius or less. While a GPS sensor is the most accurate, keep in mind that it will not work well indoors.

2) Cell Tower & Wi-Fi Triangulation (Medium Accuracy) - Cell tower triangulation works with mobile phones only. Wi-Fi triangulation works on any device with Wi-Fi enabled. If the phone does not have a GPS sensor, or the GPS sensor is providing a poor signal, the device will use cell tower or Wi-Fi triangulation. This method gives medium accuracy, somewhere between 10 and 50 meters radius. This method works when there is cell reception or when Wi-Fi is enabled and Wi-Fi hotspots are nearby.

3) IP Based (Low Accuracy) - If the computer, phone or tablet is connected to the local internet connection(cable modem,DSL, T1 etc) either wired or wirelessly, geolocation data may be obtained via the public IP address. IP based geolocation is the lowest accuracy method, accuracy can be as low as 50 - 10000 meter radius.

The recorded position is not and will never be 100% accurate, which in turn may effect the employee punch location. If the accuracy if high (1-5 meter radius) you can generally rely on the reported position. If the accuracy is medium to low (10 meters to 10000 meters) we recommend only using it a a guide.

Thank you, The OnTheClock Team:)
Learn more about GPS employee timeclock tracking