How to set up ZKTeco biometric attendance for your gym in 30 minutes

The short version: if you can plug in a Wi-Fi router, you can set up a ZKTeco device with GymOrbit. The whole process takes about 30 minutes for the first device and under 10 minutes for each additional one.

What you'll need

A supported ZKTeco device — SpeedFace-V5L, SenseFace 2A, or F18 (most other ZKTeco models with ADMS push support also work)
An ethernet drop or stable Wi-Fi at the entrance
A power outlet within cable reach (or PoE if your device supports it)
A GymOrbit admin login — any plan includes device integration

1. Mount the device

Pick a spot at the entrance where members will naturally pause for half a second. About 1.4–1.5 metres off the ground works for both face and fingerprint scans by adults. Avoid:

Direct sunlight — it confuses the camera on face-recognition models
Areas with backlight (e.g. a glass door behind the member)
Right next to a glass wall — sweat and dust accumulate faster

ZKTeco devices ship with a mounting bracket. Use it. Drilling four screws into a stud takes 5 minutes and saves you from a slanted install you'll regret every time you walk past it.

2. Get it on your network

ZKTeco devices need to reach the public internet. You have two options:

Wired ethernet (recommended)

The most reliable. Plug an ethernet cable into the device. It will pick up an IP via DHCP automatically. On the device touchscreen, navigate to Comm → Ethernet to confirm it has an IP.

Wi-Fi

Works fine if your signal at the entrance is strong (≥ –65 dBm). On the device: Comm → Wireless Network → enable Wi-Fi → select your SSID → enter password. Reboot once.

Common gotcha: if your router uses MAC filtering or a captive portal, the device will silently fail to connect. Add the device's MAC address (printed on the back) to your allow list first.

3. Point the device at GymOrbit

This is the only step that's specific to GymOrbit. On the device, go to Comm → Cloud Server (sometimes labelled ADMS):

Server address: adms.gymorbit.com
Server port: 443
Enable HTTPS: Yes
Domain name: leave blank

Save and reboot. Within 30 seconds the device should report "Server connection successful".

4. Register the device in GymOrbit

Device serial number — printed on the device label, also visible on-screen under System → Device info
Friendly name — e.g. "Front gate", "Studio entrance"
Branch — if you run multiple locations

Hit save. The device card will flip from "Waiting…" to "Online" within about a minute. Any test scans you do on the device will appear in the live activity feed immediately.

5. Enroll your first members

There are two ways to enroll members:

From the device

Quick for a single user. On the device, User Mgt → New User → enroll fingerprint / face / card. GymOrbit will pick up the new user automatically on the next sync (every 5 minutes by default, or immediately if you tap "Sync now" in the dashboard).

From GymOrbit (bulk)

For a few hundred existing members, do it from GymOrbit: Members → bulk enroll → assign to device. The system pushes the user list to the device in the background.

Troubleshooting

Three issues account for ~80% of setup tickets we see:

Device shows "Server connection failed" — almost always a firewall blocking outbound TCP 443. Whitelist adms.gymorbit.com on your network.
Face recognition is slow — the lens is dusty, or backlight is too strong. Wipe the lens; reposition away from the window.
Check-ins aren't reaching GymOrbit — verify the device serial in Access Control → Devices matches the device's actual SN. A single typo will silently drop the events.

What's next

Once the device is humming, two things are worth setting up the same day:

Configure your retention KPIs — so the new attendance data actually feeds decisions, not just dashboards.
Wire up automatic billing — pair attendance with Bkash/Nagad so renewals close themselves.

And if you get stuck, our onboarding team will happily jump on a call. We've installed thousands of these devices; chances are we've seen your gotcha before.