Development of an IoT-Based Automated Attendance System Using Smart Card Technology

The increasing inefficiency of manual attendance systems in Nigeria and other developing regions has created the need for automated, secure, and real-time solutions. Manual methods are prone to impersonation, proxy attendance, data loss, and difficulties in record retrieval. To address these challenges, this project developed an IoT-based automated attendance system using smart card technology. The system integrates an Arduino Nano microcontroller, RFID reader, GSM module, LCD display, and a cloud database to facilitate enrollment, verification, attendance marking, and real-time record updating. When tested, the system successfully detected and authenticated registered cards, denied unregistered cards, and logged attendance records with timestamps. Attendance information was stored locally and uploaded to a cloud database for accessibility. Performance evaluation revealed an overall average response time of 1.50 seconds, which is within the acceptable 5-second benchmark, and an overall accuracy rate of 70%. The results demonstrate that the system can automate attendance processes effectively, reduce human error, provide real-time notifications to stakeholders, and improve accountability in educational and organizational settings. This project highlights the practical application of IoT in addressing attendance management challenges and offers a scalable framework for future deployment in diverse environments