My TimeClock Clients Keep Losing Connection

If you are a Network Edition user and often find yourself reconnecting your TimeClock clients to your TimeClock Server, this indicates that you need to set up a static IP address on your TimeClock Server computer. In this short blog, we'll take a look at why having a static IP is so important.

What is an IP Address?
If you’re unfamiliar with networking, think of an IP address like your house address. Your house address lets other people send you mail at a specific location. In the same way, an IP address lets other computers (TimeClock clients) find and communicate with your computer (TimeClock Server) at a specific network location.

IP addresses can be dynamic or static. A static IP address, once assigned in the computer network settings, does not change. A dynamic IP address means that your router can periodically assign a new address to your computer. Some common instances where a dynamic address may be assigned include:

• you install new internet router or other network hardware
• a power outage causes your computers to shut down
• you restart your TimeClock Server computer
• a new printer is added to the network
• your internet router is restarted

So Why Do My Clients Lose Connection Frequently?
Many people don't realize that all of your TimeClock clients actively connect to your TimeClock Server for normal time clock activity. So if something happens with the computer where the TimeClock Server is installed, it will disrupt time clock use for all clients.

When the TimeClock Server does not have a static IP, the address will change whenever the internet router reassigns IP addresses, leading to a loss of connection between the TimeClock Server and your TimeClock clients.

To function properly, Virtual TimeClock requires the TimeClock Server computer to have a static IP address. To find out how to set up a static IP, review our Assigning a Static IP Address article.