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Frequently Asked Questions
TimePilot IV software
- I'm going to use TimePilot Vetro on my local area network. What ports will it utilize?
- I'm updating my TimePilot software, and the software has asked for my product number. Where do I find it?
- I'm planning on upgrading or reinstalling my TimePilot software. Will I lose the employees I have already set up on the system or their transactions?
- Occasionally I receive a "No Communications" message on my TimePilot Standard timeclock. How do I correct this issue?
- How do I check my iButtons to make sure they're working correctly?
- On my TimePilot Standard system, when an employee clocks in, "--:--" is displayed on the clock's screen instead of the employee's accumulated hours. What's wrong?
- When I clock in or out, why doesn't the transaction show up immediately in TimePilot Central?
- Why don't some of my transactions get extracted?
- Why don't vacation, holiday or sick hours show up in my Summary Report's Regular Total column when the hours are inserted in TimePilot Central?
- My employees do not work a regular schedule. Do I need to set up a shift schedule?
- What is the Alternate ID used for?
- How do I restrict an employee from clocking in and out, but not remove them from the system?
- How do I reassign an iButton?
- How do I disable an iButton for an employee?
- Can I edit transactions after I extract the pay period?
Q. I'm going to use TimePilot Vetro on my local area network. What ports will it utilize?
A. The Vetro Time clock and Vetro Data Manager communicate over the local area network using the UDP communication
protocol and ports 30303 and 30304. These ports must be open for Vetro to communicate over your Ethernet network.
Please note: We cannot support your network; if you have questions about how to open these ports, please contact your
network administrator.
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Q. I'm updating my TimePilot software, and the software has asked for my product number. Where do I find it?
A. Your product number is the first four digits of your registration number. You can find your registration number on a
sticker on the inside front cover of your user manual.
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Q. I'm planning on upgrading or reinstalling my TimePilot software. Will I lose the employees I have already set up on the system or their transactions?
A. No, you won't. The employee and transaction data won't be affected.
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Q: Occasionally I receive a "No Communications" message on my TimePilot Standard timeclock. How do I correct this issue?
A: There are three things to check:
- Check all cable connections between the computer, the TimePilot USB adaptor and the timeclock station to make sure they are secure.
- Turn off your computer's power-saving settings, including those for the USB ports. Here's how:
- Click the "Start" button at the bottom of your screen and choose "Control Panel."
- Click "System." The System Properties box will open.
- Click the Hardware tab, then the Device Manager button. The Device Manager box will open.
Expand
the "Universal Serial Bus controllers" by clicking on the + to the left of the words (see screenshot at
right).
Right-click
on the first "USB Root Hub" item that appears (See
screenshot at right) and choose "Properties" from the
pop-up menu.- Click the "Power Management" tab and uncheck the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" box. Click OK.
- Repeat the process above for each of the USB Root Hubs that appears in the Device Manager menu, then close
the Device Manager box and click OK to close the Control Panel.
- On some computers, the USB ports are sub-standard. If you're going to use the TimePilot system on such a machine, you'll need to connect the TimePilot USB Adaptor to a powered USB hub, which then connects to your USB port. The hub reduces electronic noise on the USB port. Be sure to use a "powered" hub--one that comes with its own power supply and plugs into an electrical outlet. These inexpensive devices are available at any store that sells computer supplies.
Q. How do I check my iButtons to make sure they're working correctly?
A. iButtons have a very long lifespan and are extremely durable. Though they may resemble a watch battery, they contain no power source to run down. They're guaranteed for 10 years, but we've found they usually last far beyond that time. However, like any other product, there is a chance (miniscule in our experience) one could be flawed. Here's how to test your iButtons:
- Tap the iButton to a timeclock station that's receiving power. The station does not need to be connected to a computer, nor does the iButton have to be set up on the system.
- If the timeclock emits a sound or any text appears on the LCD screen, the iButton is working correctly.
Q. On my TimePilot Standard system, when an employee clocks in, "--:--" is displayed on the clock's screen instead of the employee's accumulated hours. What's wrong?
A. The "--:--" is by design and not a problem. It's a signal to the employee that they have created an "exception." What this means is that at some point they did one of the following:
- Forgot to clock out or in.
- Clocked in when they should have clocked out.
- Clocked out when they should have clocked in.
As a result, their transactions don't have the necessary alternating "IN" and "OUT" pattern. (The exception should also be spotted by a supervisor using the password-protected TimePilot Central in the TimePilot software. The software will display the employee's name in red.)
To make the correction, the supervisor will open TimePilot Central, view the employee's transactions and make the appropriate changes to restore the perfect in/out pattern. When the supervisor clicks the employee's name, just his or her transactions are displayed. In the list of transactions, clock-ins are identified by a red triangle to the left of the employee’s name; clock-outs are blank. A perfect set of transactions for an employee will have lines with a red triangle alternating with blank lines. TimePilot will display in red what it believes to be the incorrect transaction.
The clock will display the accumulated hours correctly the next time the employee clocks in.
Q. When I clock in or out, why doesn't the transaction show up immediately in TimePilot Central?
A. TimePilot Central does not automatically refresh. To see any changes to the database, click on a different employee to display their transactions, and then click back on the original employee. Any new transactions should now be displayed.
Also, the On Site and Off Site buttons do not create a transaction in the database. To create transactions that are used to calculate time, the employee should use the In and Out buttons and not the On Site/Off Site buttons.
Q. Why don't some of my transactions get extracted?
A. Check the pay period definition to make sure that the beginning and end of the pay period, including the time of day, are set correctly. To view the definition, start TimePilot Central, then click the "Setup" menu and choose "Company Setup."
Also, make sure that each employee is assigned to the correct company. When a pay period is extracted it removes transactions from the list of "Current Transactions" and places it in a separate file specific to a pay period and company. The removed transactions are now referred to a "Past Pay Period" or an "Extracted Pay Period."
Q. Why don't vacation, holiday or sick hours show up in my Summary Report's Regular Total column when the hours are inserted in TimePilot Central?
A. Use TimePilot Central to check the employee's Pay Type and make sure that he or she qualifies for holiday, vacation or sick time. For example, if an employee is assigned a Pay Type that qualifies for holiday time, then any hours inserted either automatically or manually will be added to the "Regular Total" in the reports.
Q. My employees do not work a regular schedule. Do I need to set up a shift schedule?
A. No, but you'll need to assign those employees the "No Shift" option when you're setting them up in the system (TimePilot Central > Setup > Profile Setup).
Q. What is the Alternate ID used for?
A. The Alternate ID field is used to associate employees set up in TimePilot with any ID numbering your company may already be using for the employees, such as within your accounting or payroll system. The ID is simply for your reference.
Q. How do I restrict an employee from clocking in and out, but not remove him or her from the system?
A. Uncheck the "Active" checkbox in the employee's profile. This will prohibit the employee from clocking in and out but will allow the employees' information to remain in the system for processing payroll. Marking in an employee "Inactive" is recommended over deleting an employee. If an employee is deleted, all past information associated with this employee will be disconnected.
Q. How do I reassign an iButton?
A. First, call up the profile of the employee who will not be using the iButton anymore and delete the iButton number. Next, assign the iButton to the new employee as if it was a new iButton. This is commonly done when an employee leaves the company and turns in their iButton so it can be used by another employee.
Q. How do I disable an iButton for an employee?
A. This is commonly done when an employee loses their iButton. The process varies, depending upon which TimePilot product you use:
- TimePilot PC: In the employee's profile in TimePilot Central, simply delete the iButton number in the "iButton" number field.
- TimePilot Vetro: Enter Administrative Mode on your Vetro clock (99 > OK > password), select “Assign iButtons” from the clock’s menu by entering its menu number (4) on the keypad and follow the instructions to clear the iButton. This process will change the employee’s iButton serial number to all zeroes.
- TimePilot Extreme: In the employee's profile in TimePilot Central, delete the iButton number in the "iButton" number field, then transfer your changes to the clock(s) with your TimePilot USB drive.
Q. Can I edit transactions after I extract the pay period?
A. Yes, you can modify transactions just as you could before you extracted.