Design and Evaluation of a Low-Cost Arduino-Based Fingerprint Attendance System

Omolegho A. Ibok1, Jonah Sylvester2, Awodeyi Afolabi3, Jones Ekwemuka4, Omokaro Idama5

1-5Department of Computer Engineering, Southern Delta University, Ozoro

Abstract - Although they accept proxy attendance, provide chaotic records, and add to the administrative burden, the traditional paper-based attendance methods employed in many sub-Saharan African colleges are losing their efficacy. This research offers a straightforward and reasonably priced biometric attendance system that uses an Arduino Uno, an R305 fingerprint sensor, a 16x2 LCD, a real-time clock module, and SD card storage to solve these problems. The system manages student registration, identification verification, and attendance tracking using a structured software design. Over the course of 14 days, it was tested in a real classroom with 50 undergraduate students. The registration success rate was 96%, the authentication accuracy was 97.2%, and the average response time was around 1.2 seconds, according to the results.

Compared to commercial biometric systems, the proposed design delivers similar functionality at a much lower cost about 8 to12% of the typical price. User feedback was also very positive, with 90% of students and staff satisfied with the system. The paper provides detailed information on the system’s design, hardware setup, software logic, and performance evaluation. It also discusses some limitations, such as limited memory on the Arduino and lack of real-time cloud synchronization. Finally, it suggests possible improvements, including cloud integration and support for managing multiple classes, making it a practical and scalable solution for institutions with limited resources..

Key Words:  Arduino Uno; biometric authentication; embedded systems; fingerprint recognition; attendance monitoring; developing economies; minutiae matching