The badge
The ZeroBadge time tracking badge for workers
The ZeroBadge badge is a company-issued time tracking badge with its own cellular connection. A worker powers it on to start the shift, wears it, and powers it off to end the shift. While on, it reports location about every 5 minutes using GPS outdoors and Wi-Fi positioning indoors, and ZeroBadge turns those readings into a timesheet split by jobsite. No phone, app or site hardware.
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Badge questions, answered in depth
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- The badgeGPS tracking badges and the lawState laws to check, notice and acknowledgment, shift-only tracking and data retention for employer-issued location badges.
- The badgeTracking without gatewaysHow RTLS, beacon and gateway systems differ from a standalone cellular badge in setup, cost and accuracy, and when RTLS wins.
- The badgeIndoor location without beaconsHow Wi-Fi positioning works indoors, how ZeroBadge learns a site over the first visits, and when confidence is lower.
- The badgeBattery and chargingBattery life, what drains it, a charging routine for a fleet, the low-battery alert, spares and a dead badge mid-shift.
What a worker does with the badge
A worker powers the badge on at the start of the shift, wears it through the day, and powers it off at the end. Power on starts the shift record and power off ends it. There is no login, no PIN, no app to open and no personal phone involved.
A plumbing journeyman's day, from the badge's side
- 6:12 AMPowers the badge on at the shop. The shift starts, and because the shop is drawn as a location, the first readings count as shop time.
- 6:40 AMSupply house run. Readings show the badge moving, so the time is classified as transit.
- 7:05 AMArrives at the TI job. The badge is inside the jobsite geofence the office drew, so time is allocated to that job.
- 11:30 AMWorks in a lower level with no signal. Readings are stored on the badge and uploaded with their original timestamps when it reconnects.
- 1:15 PMMoves to a second job for a punch list. The site change stays inside the same shift.
- 3:20 PMPowers the badge off. The shift ends and the day is ready for review on the weekly timesheet.
What the badge records, and how
The badge records a location reading about every 5 minutes, and every reading stores the method that produced it and a confidence level. The method depends on where the worker is standing.
| Where the worker is | Method | Confidence | What it answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoors, open sky | GPS | Usually the strongest reading | Which jobsite, and roughly where on a large site |
| Inside a building | Wi-Fi positioning (learns each site's Wi-Fi over the first visits) | Depends on how well the site's Wi-Fi is known | Which jobsite |
| Between fixes, or poor signal | Cellular continuity | Low, and labelled low | Roughly where the badge was, never used as precise position |
| No signal at all | Stored on the badge, uploaded on reconnect | Keeps the original timestamp | Fills the gap once the badge is back in coverage |
How many readings make up one shift
- Shift length
- 10 hours = 600 minutes
- Reporting interval
- about every 5 minutes
- Readings in the shift
- 600 / 5 = about 120
- What the office reviews
- One shift line per day, built from about 120 readings
Nobody reads 120 pings. ZeroBadge classifies every minute as on site, in transit or other, allocates it to a jobsite, and lists only the exceptions (missing clock-outs, late starts, early finishes, time outside approved sites).
Nothing is installed on the jobsite
Jobsites are geofences drawn in software from an address, so a new job needs no hardware delivery, no power drop and no setup visit. There are no beacons, gateways, kiosks or wall clocks. The badge has its own cellular connection and never uses a worker's phone, data plan or the site's Wi-Fi password.
- Starting a new job
- Type the address, adjust the geofence on the map, save. Badges are recognised there from the next reading.
- Closing out a job
- Archive the jobsite in software. There is nothing to pull off a wall or out of a trailer.
For how this compares with badges that depend on gateways, read the cellular badge tracker buyer's guide.
Battery life and the charging routine
The badge runs one month or more on a charge. Under qualifying operating conditions. Battery life varies with reporting frequency, signal conditions, usage, and configuration. Because the badge is off between shifts, the battery is only used during working hours.
- 1
Pick one charging day
Tie charging to something that already happens on a schedule, such as the day the foreman turns in the week. One day a month is a reasonable start.
- 2
Watch the low-battery alert
The office gets a low-battery alert when a badge drops to 25% (the default). That badge gets charged that night, whatever the schedule says.
- 3
Check the fleet list before the charging day
Battery level is shown per badge, so the office can see which badges need attention before a long week or a remote job.
How the office manages the badge fleet
Badges self-register the first time they are powered on, so the office does not type serial numbers into a spreadsheet. From there, every badge is managed from the office in software.
| Action | When you use it |
|---|---|
| Assign a badge to a worker | A new hire starts, or a crew grows for a job |
| Reassign a badge | A worker leaves and the badge goes to someone else. Earlier shifts stay with the earlier worker. |
| Mark a badge lost | A badge goes missing on a site. It is flagged in the fleet list so everyone knows it is out of service. |
| See battery and signal per badge | Before a charging day, or when a worker reports a problem |
| Ping a badge remotely | To get a fresh location reading now instead of waiting for the next report |
| Restart a badge remotely | When a badge looks stuck, before anyone drives out to it |
The office also sees each worker's shifts on the platform, where the week is reviewed, corrected with an audit trail and approved before hours go to payroll.
What the badge is not
The badge is not a phone and does not replace one. It does not run apps, it has nothing for the worker to log in to, and it does not need a worker's personal device or number.
- Not a personal tracker. It belongs to the company, is assigned for work, and is off between shifts.
- Not a precise indoor positioning system. It answers which jobsite, not which room.
- Not a payroll system. Approved hours are sent to your payroll provider; ZeroBadge does not run payroll.
- Not a fit for work far outside cellular coverage. Stored readings upload on reconnect, but a crew that is out of coverage for weeks will not get a usable record.
Frequently asked questions
Does a worker need a smartphone to use the badge?
How often does the badge report location?
What happens when a worker is in a basement or a dead zone?
How long does the battery last?
What if a worker forgets to power the badge off?
Can we move a badge from one worker to another?
How much does the badge cost?
Keep reading
- SolutionTime tracking without phonesA company-managed badge instead of an app on a worker's personal phone.
- SolutionTime tracking for field crewsAutomatic shifts, split by jobsite, reviewed and sent to payroll.
- PlatformThe platformA walkthrough of what the office sees: crews, jobsites, timesheets, analytics and payroll.
- The badgeCellular badge trackersA buyer's guide to LTE-M and NB-IoT badges versus badges that need gateways.
- The badgeGPS tracking badges and the lawNotice, consent and data retention for employers issuing location badges.
- IndustryConstructionGeneral and specialty contractors with crews across several jobsites, the shop and the supply house.
