Biometric hardware

Palm detection clocking and access control

Staff hold a hand up and carry on walking. The terminal reads the pattern of the palm, so the clocking is tied to the person with nothing to carry, touch or hand over.

Where palm earns its place is the sites the other two struggle with. It reads through the conditions that defeat a fingerprint reader, dust, damp, worn or gloved hands, and it works where facial recognition cannot, because a covered face is no obstacle to a palm.

Palm terminals work with our access control systems and time and attendance, so one scan opens the door and records the clocking.

Terminals from £395 excl. VAT · Trusted by 800+ UK businesses · UK support since 1989

Bioface terminal with palm detection reading an employee's palm at a workplace entrance

What is it?

What is palm detection?

Palm detection identifies someone from the pattern of their hand. The employee holds a palm over the reader, the terminal converts what it sees into a mathematical template at enrolment, and matches against that template at every clocking afterwards. Because the credential is the hand rather than something carried, it cannot be handed to a colleague on the way in, which makes it far harder for one person to clock in for another.

The scan is contactless. Nothing is touched, which matters in food production and healthcare, and nothing needs removing first, which matters anywhere people arrive in gloves.

It sits alongside fingerprint and facial recognition in our biometric attendance range. Like both of those, the template is special category data under UK GDPR, so the same consent, notice and impact assessment obligations apply, and we will talk you through them.

Why choose palm detection?

Four reasons palm terminals earn their place at the door.

Reads through the mess

Dust, damp, flour, oil and worn hands all defeat a fingerprint reader. A palm reader is far less bothered, which is why bakeries, workshops and sites end up here.

A covered face is no obstacle

Where masks, visors or full face protection are worn, facial recognition struggles and palm carries on working. That is usually what settles it in food production and clinical settings.

Nothing touched, nothing carried

No shared surface at the door, no card to reissue, no fob to chase from a leaver and no PIN anybody can pass on.

Access and clocking in one scan

The same scan opens the door and records attendance in your time and attendance, with hours going through to payroll.

Secure, private and straightforward

Built for busy workplaces, and honest about what it holds.

  • The terminal stores a mathematical template rather than an image of the palm, and it is not designed to be turned back into one.
  • That template is still special category data under UK GDPR, so consent, notice and usually an impact assessment apply, and we will walk you through what you need.
  • Recognition takes about a second, so a queue at shift changeover keeps moving.
  • Card, PIN and app clocking are supported alongside palm, so anyone who would rather not be enrolled has a real alternative rather than a theoretical one.
  • Clockings feed straight into payroll: Realtime integrates directly with Sage Payroll, with exports for Pegasus and QuickBooks.

Where palm detection works best

Palm is usually the answer where fingerprint gives trouble and a face is covered. These are the settings where it earns its keep fastest.

Food production

Flour, oil and damp hands, gloves worn from the door, and often a hairnet or a mask. Palm handles all three where the other two struggle with at least one.

Healthcare and labs

A no-touch scan removes a shared contact point at the door, and works with PPE on. See our healthcare solutions.

Workshops and manufacturing

Fingertips worn smooth by handling materials all day are the commonest reason a fingerprint rollout disappoints. See our manufacturing solutions.

Secure areas

Server rooms, stock rooms and cash offices, where entry needs to be tied to a named person rather than to whoever happens to be holding a card.

If none of that describes your site, an office or a warehouse with clean hands is usually better served by fingerprint, which is quicker to enrol centrally. Palm terminals also sit alongside the clocking in app for staff who work away from base.

Why choose Computime?

We started with the clocks, not the software. Computime has supplied and supported clocking and access hardware for over 35 years, since 1989, and palm sits alongside fingerprint and facial in our biometric range.

That matters when you are choosing a credential. We are not tied to selling you one type, so we will tell you if your site would do better on a different reader, and we have seen enough sites to know which usually suits which.

Every terminal is installed and supported from Leeds by our own team, and connects to the same system that handles your time, attendance and absence.

800+
UK businesses
35+
Years since 1989
4.5
£395
terminals from, excl. VAT

Palm detection FAQs

The palm-specific questions. For consent, DPIAs and data protection generally, see biometric attendance. Or call the Leeds team on 0113 350 9043.

When would we choose palm over fingerprint or face?
When hands are dirty, damp or gloved, and when faces are covered. Food production is the clearest example: flour and moisture defeat a fingerprint reader, and a hairnet and mask make facial recognition harder, so palm is what is left standing. In a clean office with uncovered faces, fingerprint is usually simpler and quicker to enrol.
Does it work with gloves on?
This is the question to settle before you buy, because it depends on the glove. Thin disposable gloves are usually fine; heavy work gloves are not. If your staff wear something specific, tell us what it is and we will test rather than guess, since the answer decides whether the system works for you at all.
Is palm data less sensitive than a fingerprint?
No, and it is worth being clear about that. Any biometric used to identify someone is special category data under UK GDPR, whether it is a palm, a fingerprint or a face. Some people feel more comfortable giving a palm than a fingerprint, which is a genuine consideration for staff acceptance, but the legal position is identical and so are the obligations that come with it.
How close do you have to hold your hand?
Close, but without touching. Staff learn the right distance within a day or two, and the terminal gives feedback while they are getting used to it. The first week of any biometric rollout involves a few repeated attempts; after that people barely break stride.
Can the same terminal take cards or PINs?
Yes, and you will want it to. Somebody who declines biometric enrolment needs a way to clock that does not single them out, and visitors and contractors will not be enrolled. Mixed use at one terminal is normal rather than a compromise.
What happens if the network goes down?
Terminals hold their own templates and record clockings locally, syncing when the connection returns, so a network fault does not put you back on paper. It also means removing a leaver has to happen at the terminal as well as in the software, which is worth building into your leaver process from day one.
What does a palm terminal cost?
Terminals start at £395 excl. VAT as a one-off, with software separate at £2 per employee per month excl. VAT for Syncro Connect. See the full terminal range for specific models.
Left Menu Icon