2026-09-14 ยท 4 min read
How to export attendance from a ZKTeco terminal
The three ways data leaves a ZKTeco terminal (USB, network software, push API), and which one suits a small office.
Every ZKTeco terminal stores punches locally. To see them in a platform you need to move them out, and there are three practical routes: a USB stick, the vendor's PC software over the network, or a push service that sends records to a server as they happen.
The USB route is the simplest. Insert a FAT32 stick, open USB Manager on the terminal, choose Download, wait for the confirmation, then upload the file your platform accepts. It works on almost every model and needs no network configuration.
The network route is better once the terminal has an Ethernet connection: set a fixed IP in the Comm menu, connect ZKTime or BioTime from a PC, pull the logs, and export a report. This also lets you manage users centrally.
The push route is the most automated: the terminal or a small agent posts each punch to an HTTP endpoint. ShiftLog accepts these with an API key on the Integrations page, so records appear the moment someone scans.