Configuring Geofence Boundaries for Sites

This article is for Administrators and Company Admins.

Geofences are virtual boundaries drawn around your physical sites. When a guard's mobile device crosses a geofence boundary, Attlock can automatically clock them in or out, verify patrol compliance, and trigger alerts if a guard leaves a restricted area unexpectedly. This guide walks you through creating and managing geofences for your sites.

What Geofences Enable

• Automatic clock-in/out — guards are clocked in when they enter the geofence and clocked out when they leave.
• Presence verification — confirm a guard is physically on-site during their shift.
• Boundary violation alerts — notify supervisors if a guard leaves the site perimeter unexpectedly.
• Patrol compliance — verify that patrol routes stay within designated zones.
• Checkpoint validation — confirm a guard reached a checkpoint location.

Opening the Geofence Editor

1. Navigate to Sites → [Site Name] → Settings → Geofence.
2. The site's address is automatically geocoded and centered on the map.
3. Click Edit Geofence to open the drawing tools.

Drawing a Geofence

Attlock supports two geofence shapes:

Circle Geofence

Best for simple sites with a clear center point (e.g., a single building).

1. Select the Circle tool.
2. Click the center point on the map.
3. Drag to set the radius, or type an exact radius in meters in the sidebar.
4. Click Save.

Polygon Geofence

Best for irregular sites (e.g., industrial estates, campuses, multi-building complexes).

1. Select the Polygon tool.
2. Click to place each corner of the boundary.
3. Click the first point again to close the shape.
4. Drag any point to adjust the boundary.
5. Click Save.

Geofence Layers

You can create multiple geofence layers for a single site to define different zones:

To add a layer, click Add Zone, name it, select the zone type, and draw the boundary.

Configuring Geofence Triggers

For each geofence layer, configure what happens when a guard crosses the boundary:

1. Click the layer name in the sidebar.
2. Under Triggers, configure:
   • On Enter — Auto clock-in, send notification, log event
   • On Exit — Auto clock-out, send alert, log event
   • On Violation — Alert supervisor, flag shift, send push notification to guard
3. Set the Dwell Time — how long a guard must be inside/outside before the trigger fires (prevents false positives from GPS drift).
4. Save.

GPS Accuracy and Drift

GPS accuracy on mobile devices varies. To reduce false alerts:

• Set a minimum geofence radius of 50 meters for outdoor sites.
• Use a dwell time of 60–120 seconds before triggering clock-in/out.
• For indoor sites, consider using QR code or NFC check-in instead of GPS geofencing.

Viewing Geofence Activity

Go to Live Tracking → [Site] to see real-time guard positions overlaid on the geofence map. The Sites → [Site] → Activity Log shows a timestamped history of all geofence entry and exit events.

Best Practices

• Draw geofences slightly larger than the physical boundary — accounts for GPS drift at the edges.
• Use polygon geofences for complex sites — circles often include areas you don't control.
• Test before going live — walk the boundary with a test device to verify the geofence fires correctly.
• Set dwell times — a 60-second dwell prevents a guard driving past a site from triggering a clock-in.
• Review violation alerts weekly — repeated violations may indicate a geofence that needs adjustment.

Related Articles

• Managing Sites
• Live Tracking & Welfare Checks
• Patrols & Checkpoints
• Zones, Regions & Area Management