Written for people already running eTimeTrackLite on a PC in the office. Your eSSL terminals stay exactly where they are — this is a software change, not a hardware one.
Switching takes one settings change on the terminal. No re-enrolment, no new hardware, no local server.
eTimeTrackLite talks to your terminals over ADMS — eSSL's push protocol. So does ClockIt. That means the switch is one field on the device: change the server address from your local install to ClockIt's, and punches start arriving in the cloud instead.
Nobody re-enrols a fingerprint or a face. Biometric templates live on the terminal, not in eTimeTrackLite, and changing where it pushes does not touch them.
eTimeTrackLite is eSSL's own time and attendance software, bundled with its biometric terminals and distributed through its dealer network in India. You download it and install it on a Windows machine, where it keeps a local database and acts as the server your eSSL devices push their punches to. A web edition exists, but it is still an install on your own machine rather than a hosted service. A lite version ships free with the hardware, with paid editions and per-device licensing handled through resellers.
This guide covers:
The install, the database and the punch history all live on one Windows machine in the office. When that machine is off, reimaged, upgraded or simply retired by someone who did not know what was on it, the attendance system goes with it. This is by far the most common reason teams start looking.
Upgrades, licence keys and per-device activation typically run through whichever reseller supplied the hardware. That is fine until you change supplier, open a branch in another city, or need an answer on a Sunday before payroll closes.
The software is built around the terminal on the wall. Site staff, field engineers, drivers and anyone working across locations are not in it, so they live on a parallel spreadsheet that has to be merged by hand every month.
Multi-branch operators commonly end up with one install per branch and no single view. Consolidating for payroll means collecting reports from each site and reconciling them manually — the exact task that quietly consumes the last two days of every month.
Compared on structure — where the software runs, what it covers and how it is licensed. We do not quote eSSL prices or licence terms here, because those vary by reseller and edition and we cannot verify them for your account.
| eTimeTrackLite | ClockIt | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Downloaded and installed on a Windows PC | Cloud — nothing to install or keep running |
| Where your data lives | A local database on that machine | Hosted, backed up, reachable from anywhere |
| Your eSSL terminals | Push punches to your local install over ADMS | Push punches to ClockIt over the same ADMS protocol |
| Re-enrolment on switching | — | None — templates stay on the device |
| AI Face range support | Supported | Supported — all nine AI Face models |
| Access from outside the office | VPN, port forwarding or an exposed server | Any browser, plus iOS and Android apps |
| Staff without a terminal | Not covered by the device software | Mobile, GPS and web clock-in on the same account |
| Multi-branch | Commonly one install per branch, merged manually | Every branch in one account |
| Shift scheduling | Shift and roster assignment | Scheduling with publishing, swaps and coverage |
| Leave and time off | Leave module in the paid editions | Built in, with accruals and approvals |
| Timesheet approvals | Handled outside the attendance software | Built in, with an audit trail |
| Job or cost codes on the punch | — | Keyed at the terminal, costed to Projects and Tasks |
| Payroll exports | Attendance reports to re-key | Payroll-ready exports and API |
| Licence model | Free lite edition, paid editions via resellers | $2.99 per employee per month, free plan available |
| Access control (doors) | Available in the wider eSSL suite | Not offered — see below |
ClockIt is a workforce management product, not an access-control or facilities system. If your eSSL setup is also handling door access, visitor management or canteen deduction, ClockIt does not take those over. Many sites run both — the terminal keeps doing door control through eSSL's own software while ClockIt takes attendance, scheduling and payroll. Worth checking before you plan a cutover, because those modules are often licensed as one package.
Every one of these connects to ClockIt over ADMS. Pick your model for the exact menu path, or see the full eSSL device list.
Pull your attendance history out of the existing software as CSV or Excel before you change anything. The data lives in a database on your own PC or server, and the export is trivial while the system is running — much less so after a machine is retired or a licence lapses. Keep it regardless of whether you import it; payroll audits reach back years.
Free to start, no card. Add your employees, set your pay period, and rebuild your shift and overtime rules. If you are coming off a system that has been running for years, this is the moment to fix the rules that were always slightly wrong rather than port them across unchanged.
On the terminal, go to Menu → Comm → ADMS / Cloud Server and change the server address to ClockIt's. That is the entire switch. You are changing which server the device pushes to — you are not reflashing, resetting or re-enrolling anything.
Each terminal already stores an enrolment number against every fingerprint or face. You match those IDs to your ClockIt employee records once. Biometric templates never leave the device, so nobody re-enrols.
Run a complete pay period in ClockIt and reconcile it against the last period from your old system before you decommission the old server. Note that the terminal pushes to one server at a time, so this is a sequential check against your exported history rather than two systems running side by side.
Implementing ClockIt's biometric kiosks eliminated buddy punching overnight. The facial recognition is instant and works perfectly even in our warehouse environment. It's the most secure time tracking decision we've made.
Point one eSSL terminal at ClockIt and see a full day of punches arrive before you decide anything. Free to start, no card.