COMMON INDUSTRY TERMS & ACRONYMS
ABS- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) (chemical formula (C8H8)x· (C4H6)y·(C3H3N)z) is a common thermoplastic. Its glass transition temperature is approximately 105 °C (221 °F). ABS is amorphous and therefore has no true melting point.
Auto-totaling- or self-calculating time clocks, record and total worked time for each employee.
Biometric verification- The use of identifying a person with characteristics unique to that individual ie. fingerprints
Cloud Based Time and Attendance- Web-based time and attendance software is hosted in the cloud, providing you with unlimited access to payroll data from any computer or mobile device with internet access. Employee punches are collected using internet-ready time clocks, then uploaded and securely stored on the web for real-time payroll management.
CUL approved- Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a nationally recognized, independent product safety certification organization. UL is also affiliated with the Underwriters’ Laboratories of Canada (CUL)
Document Stamp- Also referred to as “time stamps”, these particular time clocks instantaneously stamp the time and date on a document, form, or letter.
Dot-matrix printing- Or impact matrix printing, is a type of computer printing which uses a print head that runs back and forth, or up and down on the page and prints by impact, striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, much like the print mechanism on a typewriter. However, unlike a typewriter or daisy wheel printer, letters are drawn out of a dot matrix, and thus, varied fonts and arbitrary graphics can be produced.
DST- Acronym for Daylight Saving Time.
Ethernet- is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks (LANs).
Ethernet standards comprise several wiring and signaling variants of the OSI physical layer in use with Ethernet. The original 10BASE5 Ethernet used coaxial cable as a shared medium. Later the coaxial cables were replaced by twisted pair and fiber optic links in conjunction with hubs or switches. Data rates were periodically increased from the original 10 megabits per second to 100 gigabits per second.
Frequency Hopping- (FHSS) is a method of transmitting radio signals by rapidly switching a carrier among many frequency channels, using a pseudorandom sequence known to both transmitter and receiver. It is utilized as a multiple access method in the frequency-hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA) scheme.
GPS- The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. The system provides critical capabilities to military, civil and commercial users around the world. It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver.
HD- Industry acronym for heavy duty construction usually comprised of durable steel.
LCD- A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly.
LED- A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting. Appearing as practical electronic components in 1962, early LEDs emitted low-intensity red light, but modern versions are available across the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, with very high brightness.
Master Clock- A master clock is a precision clock that provides timing signals to synchronize slave clocks as part of a clock network. Networks of electric clocks connected by wires to a precision master pendulum clock began to be used in institutions like factories, offices, and schools around 1900.
NTP- Network Time Protocol, a means of synchronizing clocks over a computer network.
PoE- Acronym that stands for “Power over Ethernet” referring to the power source of said system for more info see “Ethernet”.
Proximity Card- or RFID Proximity badge is a smart card which is “read” without inserting it into a reader device, as required by earlier magnetic stripe cards such as credit cards.To use, the proximity card is held near an electronic reader unit for a moment. The reader usually produces a “beep” or other sound to indicate the card has been read. Proximity cards typically have a range of around 5 cm (2 inches).
Punch- to insert a timecard into a time clock when starting or stopping work.
Punch Clock- (see Time Clock)
RF Transmitter- A transmitter using Radio Frequencies.
SaaS- Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud computing model where applications are hosted and made available to users over the Internet, typically through a web browser. This model allows users to access software without needing to install or maintain it on their local devices.
SmartSite®- Patented laser guide visible through the window of the 3550SS and 3600SS Time Clocks.
Stand Alone Clock- Or independent clock, is a clock which does not rely on a signal from an external source for the time.
Synchronized Clocks- Clocks using the same time source to display the same time through out an area.
Time and Attendance System- systems (TNA) used to track and monitor when employees start and stop work. A time and attendance system enables an employer to monitor late arrivals, early departures, breaks and absenteeism. It also helps to control labor costs by reducing over-payments, which are often caused by paying employees for time that are not working, and eliminates transcription error, interpretation error and intentional error. TNA systems also ensure compliance with labor regulations regarding proof of attendance. All of these benefits provide both employer and employees with confidence in the accuracy of their wage payments all while improving productivity.
Swipe Card- a plastic card such as a credit card or ID card bearing magnetically encoded information that is read when the edge of the card is slid through an electronic device.
Time Clock- Also referred to as a “time recorder”, “manual punch clock”, or “punch clock”, is a device which reliably and accurately tracks employee time and attendance using time cards.
Time Clock System- A software-based time clock which integrates with either a network or computer allowing for payroll interface.
Time Recorder- (see Time Clock)
UL approved- Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is one of the world’s leading providers of product safety and certification testing services, performing more than 90,000 evaluations each year. Products that successfully navigate through its stringent tests are registered with the lab and can bear the UL Mark – a widely trusted symbol for product safety and assurance.
Wi-Fi- is a popular technology that allows an electronic device to exchange data wirelessly (using radio waves) over a computer network, including high-speed Internet connections. The Wi-Fi Alliance defines Wi-Fi as any “wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) 802.11 standards”. However, since most modern WLANs are based on these standards, the term “Wi-Fi” is used in general English as a synonym for “WLAN”. Only Wi-Fi products that complete Wi-Fi Alliance interoperability certification testing successfully may use the “Wi-Fi CERTIFIED” trademark.
