Geofencing explained
A geofence uses the phone's location, usually from GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks, compared with a boundary drawn on a map. When the guard opens the app to clock in, the app checks whether the phone is inside the site's boundary.
For security companies, geofencing answers the question clients ask most: was the guard actually there? It stops clock-ins from home or the car park down the road, and it shows when a guard left the site during a shift.
Phone location is not perfect: accuracy drops indoors and between tall buildings, so the boundary should allow some margin. Guards should be told when their location is used, and location should only be used while they are on duty.
How ForceVera handles it
In ForceVera, each site has a geofence drawn on the map. Guards can clock in and take breaks from the app only inside it, with their own 4-digit PIN. A clock-out away from the site is allowed but flagged, and dispatchers get alerts when a guard leaves the geofence or goes idle on duty.
Location is used only while a guard is on duty, and the phone asks for permission first.