Live Camera Monitoring
View real-time camera feeds from active kiosk sessions to verify worker activity and monitor your sites remotely.
What Is Live Monitoring?
A real-time window into your active kiosk sessions.
Live monitoring lets managers view real-time camera feeds from any active kiosk session directly from the manage portal. Each kiosk periodically captures JPEG snapshots from its webcam and sends them to the server, giving you a near-live view of what is happening at every clock-in station.
This is useful for verifying that kiosks are being used correctly, checking that the camera angle is good, and confirming worker activity at remote locations — all without needing to be physically present.
Streams periodic camera snapshots from active kiosk sessions to the manage portal
Managers and admins with access to the Kiosk Sessions page
JPEG snapshots captured every few seconds — not continuous video
Very low — approximately 20–40 KB per frame
Before you start
- At least one active kiosk session with a connected webcam
- Manager or admin access to the manage portal
- The kiosk device must have camera permissions granted in the browser
- Camera stream must be enabled in Settings > Global Settings
Live monitoring does not record or store video. Snapshots are only displayed in real time and are not saved to the server. For audit snapshots captured at clock-in time, see Settings > Privacy.
How It Works
The technical process behind live camera feeds.
TempClock's live monitoring is built on periodic JPEG snapshots rather than a continuous video stream. This keeps bandwidth usage minimal while still providing a useful real-time view of each kiosk.
Here is what happens behind the scenes:
Kiosk captures a frame
At a configurable interval (default every 5 seconds), the kiosk captures a single JPEG frame from the device's webcam using the browser's media API.
Frame is sent to the server
The captured JPEG is uploaded to the TempClock server as a lightweight HTTP request. Each frame is typically 20–40 KB in size, making it very efficient even on slower connections.
Manager views the feed
In the manage portal, the Kiosk Sessions page polls the server for the latest frame every 3 seconds. The image is displayed in a modal window, creating a near-live feed.
JPEG snapshot from the browser's getUserMedia API
Every 5 seconds (configurable from 2–30 seconds)
Approximately 20–40 KB per JPEG frame
The feed modal polls the server every 3 seconds for the latest frame
This is not a video stream. It is a series of periodic snapshots displayed in sequence. You may notice a slight delay between what is happening at the kiosk and what you see in the viewer — this is normal and depends on the configured capture interval.
The Kiosk Sessions Page
Your central dashboard for all kiosk activity.
The Kiosk Sessions page in the manage portal shows all active and recently ended kiosk sessions in a single table. From here, you can see the status of every kiosk at a glance and launch the live camera feed for any active session.
Here is what each column in the table tells you:
Current session state — Live, Slow, Stale, or Ended (with colour-coded dot)
The site or location name assigned to this kiosk
Whether lock mode is currently active on the kiosk device
How long the kiosk session has been running
Time since the last heartbeat or clock-in event was received
Total number of clock-ins recorded during this session
Total number of clock-outs recorded during this session
The IP address of the kiosk device
A Watch button to open the live camera feed (active sessions only)
The Kiosk Sessions page refreshes automatically. You do not need to reload the page to see updated session statuses or new sessions appearing.
Watching a Live Feed
How to view the camera feed from an active kiosk session.
To watch a live camera feed, navigate to the Kiosk Sessions page in the manage portal and follow these steps:
Find the session
Locate the kiosk session you want to monitor in the sessions table. Only sessions with a Live, Slow, or Stale status will have a Watch button available.
Click Watch
Click the Watch button in the Feed column for that session. A modal window will open showing the live camera feed.
View the feed
The modal displays the latest camera snapshot and automatically refreshes every 3 seconds. You will see the location name, the kiosk's IP address, and a timestamp showing when the current frame was captured.
Close the viewer
Close the modal by clicking the X button in the top-right corner, or press the Escape key on your keyboard. The feed will stop polling when the modal is closed.
Live Camera Feed
Refreshing every 3 seconds
You can only watch one feed at a time. To switch to a different kiosk, close the current viewer and click Watch on another session.
If the feed appears frozen or shows a stale image, check the session status. A Stale status means the kiosk has not sent a heartbeat in over 5 minutes and may have lost its connection.
Session Status Indicators
Understanding what each status means for your kiosk sessions.
Each kiosk session displays a colour-coded status indicator that tells you how recently the kiosk has communicated with the server. The status is based on the time since the last heartbeat — a small signal the kiosk sends to confirm it is still running.
Live
Heartbeat received within the last 60 seconds. The kiosk is active and functioning normally. The pulsing green dot indicates a healthy, real-time connection.
Slow
Heartbeat received between 60 and 300 seconds ago. The kiosk may be experiencing network issues or the device could be under heavy load. The camera feed may be delayed.
Stale
No heartbeat for 5 or more minutes. The kiosk has likely lost its internet connection, the browser tab may have been closed, or the device could be powered off. The camera feed will not update until the connection is restored.
Ended
The session has been terminated. This happens when the kiosk is intentionally closed by a manager, the browser is shut down, or the session expires. No camera feed is available for ended sessions.
If a session stays in Stale status for an extended period, someone at the location may need to check the kiosk device. Common causes include Wi-Fi disconnection, the device going to sleep, or a power outage.
Configuring the Camera Interval
Adjust how frequently the kiosk captures and sends camera frames.
The camera stream interval controls how often the kiosk captures a JPEG snapshot and sends it to the server. You can adjust this setting from the manage portal to balance between real-time accuracy and bandwidth usage.
Settings > Global Settings > Camera Stream Interval
2 seconds to 30 seconds
5 seconds
All kiosk sessions across all locations
Choosing the right interval depends on your needs. Here is how different values compare:
Faster interval (2–3 seconds)
Near real-time monitoring. Best for high-security sites or when you need close oversight. Uses more bandwidth (~40–80 KB per kiosk every 5 seconds).
Default interval (5 seconds)
A good balance between responsiveness and efficiency. Suitable for most deployments. Recommended unless you have specific requirements.
Slower interval (10–30 seconds)
Minimal bandwidth usage. Useful for kiosks on mobile data connections or in areas with limited connectivity. The feed will feel less fluid but still provides periodic visibility.
Changing the camera stream interval takes effect on all kiosks after their next heartbeat. You do not need to restart or reload individual kiosk sessions — they will pick up the new interval automatically.
If your kiosk is running on a mobile data connection (e.g. a 4G-connected tablet on a construction site), consider using a longer interval of 15–30 seconds to conserve data usage.
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