iClock / ADMS
ZKTeco biometric integration with cloud HRMS and payroll
ZKTeco terminals are found across India in every segment from small offices to institutional deployments. AionHRMS connects to them over the iClock/ADMS push protocol they already speak, and puts their attendance into a system that also computes salary.
AionHRMS integrates with ZKTeco terminals that use a compatible iClock/ADMS dialect. The exact model and firmware must pass a server-setting review and test punch. Compatible terminals can push attendance and accept supported employee commands; biometric-template reuse is limited to source and target formats that agree. Confirmed ZKTeco, eSSL and Realtime models can report into the same account and attendance register.
How to connect a ZKTeco terminal
Look for ADMS, Cloud Server or Comm in the device menu. A field for a server address and port means the terminal can be repointed.
- 1Register the terminal in AionHRMS with its serial number and choose the iClock / ADMS protocol
- 2On the device, open Menu → Comm → Cloud Server Setting (or ADMS)
- 3Enter the AionHRMS server address and port
- 4Save and let the device poll; it will register and show as online
- 5Push employee profiles from the browser; confirm biometric reuse for the exact source and target models
We confirm compatibility from your model and serial number before you commit to anything. If a terminal will not work, we say so rather than propose a workaround.
Repointing a ZKTeco terminal in three screens
ADMS is ZKTeco's own protocol — eSSL and most rebranded Indian terminals inherit it because they are built on ZKTeco hardware. On a ZKTeco-branded unit you are therefore working with the original menu rather than a licensee's version of it, and the wording is usually Cloud Server Setting.
- Menu
- Comm.
- Cloud Server Setting
- 1
Menu → Comm.
Open the communication menu
Press Menu and authenticate as an administrator. Comm. carries the Ethernet or Wi-Fi settings and the push-server screen. On ZKTeco colour touch firmware this is usually the second or third tile; on keypad models it is a list item.
- 2
Comm. → Cloud Server Setting
Open the cloud server screen
ZKTeco firmware generally labels this Cloud Server Setting. Some builds still say ADMS, and a few use Server Settings — the same screen under three names. Whatever it is called, a field for a server address and a port is what makes the terminal repointable. No such field means that firmware cannot push, and no software can change that.
- 3
Cloud Server Setting → Save
Set the server, save, restart
Photograph the existing values first. Enter the server address and port issued for your account, set the domain-name toggle to match the address type, leave the proxy off, and save. Restart the terminal — most firmware only picks up cloud-server changes on boot. It registers itself by serial number within moments and the Devices page flips it to online.
What goes in each field
| Field on the device | Value | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Server Address | Issued with your account | Given to you once the exact model is confirmed. Address only — the firmware appends the /iclock path itself. |
| Enable Domain Name | On for a hostname, off for an IP | Must match the kind of address you were issued. Mismatched, the terminal simply never connects and the screen gives no clue why. |
| Server Port | Issued with your account | In the port field, not appended to the address. Overwrite whatever the unit shipped with. |
| Enable Proxy Server | Off | Unless your network genuinely requires one. An unreachable proxy is indistinguishable from no internet at all, from the device's side. |
| HTTPS / SSL | Follow the setting we issue | Confirmed per model. A mismatch fails silently — the terminal shows itself connected while every poll is reset. |
ZKTeco's own software
ZKTeco ships capable management software with its hardware and it works well for a homogeneous deployment. The constraint, as with every manufacturer's tool, is that it understands ZKTeco devices.
- First-party support for the full ZKTeco range
- Typically bundled with the hardware
- Well suited to a single-brand, single-site installation
What a vendor-independent platform adds
The value appears at the second site or the second brand — which for most organisations arrives within a few years of the first purchase.
- ZKTeco terminals alongside eSSL and Realtime in one register
- Central employee profiles, with biometric reuse only between format-compatible iClock terminals
- Multi-site with per-site administrators and a combined head-office view
- Attendance carried through to shift-based salary with late rules and paid leave
- Face, fingerprint, RFID and PIN all recorded with the method that verified them
Manufacturer desktop software vs a ZKTeco terminal reporting to the cloud
The terminal does not change and neither do the enrolled templates on it. What changes is where the punches go and whether anything happens to them afterwards.
| AionHRMS cloud register | Standalone desktop software | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the software runs | Nothing at your site. The terminal pushes to the server itself over ordinary outbound internet. | A PC on the same network, which must be running for punches to be collected. |
| Network requirement | Outbound internet on one port. No static IP, no port forwarding, no VPN. | LAN access to the terminal's SDK port, or a static IP and VPN if the software sits outside the network. |
| If the PC or its drive fails | Nothing to fail on site; history is held centrally. | Collection stops and the local database is at risk with the drive. |
| Multiple sites | Every terminal points at the same server; one register across all of them. | One installation per site, then a manual merge at month end. |
| Mixed hardware brands | Confirmed ZKTeco, eSSL and Realtime terminals share one account and employee list. | First-party support for the manufacturer's own range. |
| Capture methods | Face, fingerprint, RFID and PIN each recorded with the method that verified the punch. | Supported, and recorded in the local database. |
| From attendance to salary | Per-employee duty times, grace period, late threshold and penalty applied server-side each month. | An attendance export, then payroll somewhere else. |
| Cost | Flat annual subscription by headcount band, invoiced after the devices are live. | Usually bundled with the hardware, which is hard to beat for one site with one brand. |
Frequently asked questions
- Which ZKTeco models work with AionHRMS?
- Models using a compatible iClock/ADMS dialect may work. Send the exact model, serial, firmware and server-setting screenshot; support is confirmed by a successful test punch before rollout.
- Do ZKTeco face terminals work, or only fingerprint?
- Both, where the terminal supports face. The verification method is recorded per punch, so a mixed deployment stays auditable.
- Can ZKTeco and eSSL terminals share one employee list?
- Confirmed devices can share one account and employee directory. Biometric-template portability is a separate, format-specific question and is confirmed for the exact source and target models rather than assumed from iClock/ADMS support.
Related
Send us your ZKTeco model number
We will confirm compatibility in writing before you spend anything.