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Device Communication

SyncID communicates with ZKTeco devices over your local network to manage employees, collect attendance records, and monitor device health. This page describes the operations SyncID can perform and how connectivity works.

SyncID connects to each device over TCP on port 4370 (configurable per device). The connection is always initiated by SyncID — devices do not need to reach the SyncID server.

When you add a device in SyncID, it immediately attempts to establish a connection. If the device is reachable and responds, it is marked as Online.

OperationDescription
Read employeesRetrieves the list of employees currently enrolled on a device
Enroll employeePushes an employee (name, ID, card number, biometric data) to a device
Update employeeModifies an existing employee’s data on the device
Remove employeeDeletes an employee from the device
OperationDescription
Collect recordsDownloads attendance punch records from a device
Clear recordsRemoves collected records from the device to free storage
Real-time monitoringReceives punch events as they happen via a live connection
OperationDescription
Fingerprint enrollmentInitiates fingerprint capture directly on the device
Transfer templatesCopies fingerprint and face templates between SyncID and devices
OperationDescription
Read device infoRetrieves serial number, firmware version, and capacity details
Sync timeCorrects the device clock to match the server time
Restart deviceSends a remote restart command
Power off deviceSends a remote shutdown command

Devices record each attendance event with a verify method and a direction:

MethodDescription
FingerprintEmployee verified via fingerprint sensor
FaceEmployee verified via infrared face recognition
RFID CardEmployee verified via proximity card
PINEmployee verified via numeric code
DirectionMeaning
Check-InStart of work
Check-OutEnd of work
Break-OutStart of break
Break-InEnd of break
OT-InStart of overtime
OT-OutEnd of overtime

SyncID supports two methods for collecting attendance records:

  • Real-time monitoring — SyncID maintains a persistent connection to the device and receives events instantly as employees punch in or out. Best for environments with stable network connectivity.
  • Polling — SyncID periodically connects to the device, downloads new records, and disconnects. More tolerant of intermittent network issues.

Both methods can be used simultaneously for different devices.