Understanding geofences

A geofence is a circular zone you draw around a work location. When someone clocks in, ClockNet checks that their device is inside the zone — so the time records you approve actually happened where they were supposed to.

What a geofence checks

At the moment of clock-in, the app reads the device's location once and compares it to your site's center point and radius. If it's inside, the entry is marked in zone. If it's outside — or location is unavailable — the entry is flagged for a manager to review rather than silently rejected.

Setting the right radius

Radius is the trade-off between strictness and convenience. Too tight and GPS drift causes false “outside zone” flags; too loose and the check stops being meaningful.

• 50–100 m — small, well-defined sites like a single shop or clinic.
• 100–250 m — most workplaces; absorbs normal GPS variance.
• 250–500 m — large yards, campuses or construction sites.

Add a geofence in four steps

1. Open Sites in the web admin, or add one during setup.
2. Search the address, or tap the map to drop a pin at the site center.
3. Drag the radius slider until the ring covers the work area.
4. Save. The geofence applies to every clock-in at that site immediately.

Geofences when offline

Location works without a data connection — GPS is independent of signal. ClockNet records the in-zone result on the device and includes it when the entry syncs later, so an offline clock-in is just as verifiable as an online one.

Privacy & fairness

ClockNet is designed to be checked, not creepy. Location is sampled only at clock-in and clock-out — never continuously, and never in the background. Employees see exactly when a location check happens, and you can disable geofencing per site or team.