Arduino-Based Fingerprint Attendance System: Enhancing Security And Record Integrity in Educational Institutions Through Biometric Technology

This paper introduces the design and implementation of a fingerprint-based attendance system built on Arduino technology, developed to overcome the shortcomings of conventional attendance-taking approaches in academic institutions. The research’s aim is to provide an affordable, automated solution that records student presence through fingerprint recognition, thereby improving security and minimizing cases of proxy attendance. The framework integrates both hardware and software elements, including an ESP32-WROOM-32 microcontroller, an AS608 Fingerprint Sensor, Node-RED for flow-based programming, and a MySQL database for record storage. The system acquires fingerprint inputs, compares them with saved templates, and updates attendance logs instantly, with feedback shown on an LCD display. Multiple testing phases were conducted to validate both hardware and software reliability. Results indicate that the system can accurately enroll and verify fingerprints, maintain real-time records, and synchronize data with the database. Performance comparison shows a significant improvement in lecturer and student perceptions post-implementation: ease of use increased by approximately 60%, accuracy confidence rose by nearly 65%, and perceived time efficiency improved by over 70%. Consequently, this fingerprint-based system provides an automated, secure, and dependable alternative for attendance tracking, significantly enhancing record integrity and administrative efficiency.