Administration
Biometric devices
One-line summary: how to add a Hikvision biometric terminal, connect it to Duwam through a single receiving link, then match each device employee number to a Duwam account — so a fingerprint becomes a check-in or check-out that is recorded automatically.
Plan: available on Professional, Advanced and Business. It may need to be enabled by the account owner.
Managing biometric devices is an admin screen, opened by the owner, a supervisor, or an employee granted the Manage attendance permission, from Biometric devices in the sidebar.
Overview
A biometric device is a Hikvision terminal (fingerprint or face) mounted at a door or reception gate. When an employee scans, the device sends the event to Duwam over a receiving link (webhook), which turns it into a check-in or check-out on that employee's record.
Each device in Duwam carries:
- A name that identifies it (Reception gate, Warehouse door…).
- A unique receiving link that is its only secret credential — you paste it into the device once.
- A connection status: Online if an event arrived from it within the last five minutes, otherwise Offline; it shows Disabled if you have turned it off.
Matching does not happen through the device alone: each company keeps a mapping table that links a device employee number to a Duwam account — that is what attributes every scan to the right person.
Tip: a device does not work the moment you add it — it needs two steps: paste the receiving link into the device, and map the employee numbers. A scan that arrives before mapping shows up tagged Unmatched number.
Add a device and connect it
- Open Biometric devices from the sidebar.
- Press Add device, type a device name (for example: Reception gate), then confirm.
- The device appears in the list with its receiving link (webhook) in the panel. Press Copy.
- On the device's web page, open: Settings → Network → Advanced settings → HTTP Listening.
- Paste the receiving link into the server address (URL) field and save it on the device.
- Register each employee on the device with an Employee No. — we will match it to Duwam in the next section.
- Ask an employee for a test scan; it should appear in Latest events within seconds.
Caution: the receiving link is the device's only key, and the secret token is part of the link itself. Anyone holding it can post fake scans to your company, so do not share it or expose it in a message or screenshot. If it leaks, press Rotate token to invalidate the old link immediately — then update it on the device.
Note: each company has a limit of 20 devices. To pause a device without deleting it, use Disable (it becomes Disabled); Delete device stops receiving its events for good.
Matching employees
Matching links the number registered on the device to a Duwam account, once per employee at the company level (not per device):
- In the Link employee numbers card at the bottom of the page, enter the device employee number exactly as you registered it on the terminal.
- Choose the corresponding employee from the Duwam employee list.
- Press Link. The row appears in the mapping table, and from now on scans from that number are attributed to them.
To unlink a number, press Unlink on its row.
Caution: the same number cannot be linked to two employees. If the number is already linked, Duwam refuses with This number is already linked — unlink the old mapping first, then map again.
Tip: if an event shows up tagged Unmatched number, the scan arrived but its number is not yet in the mapping table. Add the row, and the following scans will be attributed to the right person.
Watching events live
The device panel has a Latest events list that shows scans as they arrive and updates live while the page is open — it is your monitor while setting up and testing a device. Each row carries the time, the employee's name (or their number if not yet linked), and an event tag:
- Check-in / Check-out — an accepted scan recorded on attendance.
- Break / Overtime — a scan under the other attendance types.
- Unmatched number — the number is not in the mapping table.
- Duplicate scan — a repeated scan within a short window, so it is ignored.
- Stale event — arrived too late to count.
- Rejected / Outside plan — the record was not accepted.
Note: if the list says No events yet, nothing has arrived. Try a test scan on the device; if it stays empty, recheck the receiving link in the device's HTTP Listening settings and its network connection.
Tip: whatever is recorded here as a check-in or check-out shows up in the same attendance records as any manual entry.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is the receiving link like a password? A: Yes. The secret token is part of the link, and it is the device's only credential. Do not share it, and if it leaks, rotate the token immediately and update it on the device.
Q: I added the device and pasted the link but no events appear. A: Make sure you pasted the link into the server address field under HTTP Listening and saved it on the device, and that the device is connected to the network. Then ask for a test scan and watch Latest events.
Q: A scan shows up tagged Unmatched number. A: The device employee number is not matched yet. Add a row in Link employee numbers linking the number to the employee's account, and the following scans will be attributed to them.
Q: The device shows Offline. A: No event has arrived from it within the last five minutes. Check the network and the HTTP Listening setup, and try a test scan — it returns to Online when the first event arrives.
Q: I rotated the token and the device stopped. A: Rotating the token invalidates the old link immediately. Copy the new link from the panel and paste it over the old one on the device.
Q: Do device scans show in the attendance record? A: Yes. Check-in and Check-out feed the same attendance records as any other entry.
Quick reference
| Action | Path |
|---|---|
| Add a device | Biometric devices → Add device → type the name |
| Copy the receiving link | Device panel → Copy → paste into HTTP Listening on the device |
| Rotate the token (on a leak) | Device panel → Rotate token → update the link on the device |
| Pause a device | Device panel → Disable (it becomes Disabled) |
| Delete a device | Device panel → Delete device |
| Link an employee number | Link employee numbers → enter the number → pick the employee → Link |
| Unlink a number | Mapping table → Unlink on the number's row |
| Watch scans live | Device panel → Latest events |