Sentry – RFID Attendance Monitoring System

Sentry is an RFID-based attendance monitoring system built using Arduino Uno and a C# desktop application. The system allows users to scan RFID cards to automatically record Time-In and Time-Out into a database and display attendance records in a user-friendly interface.

This project aims to provide a simple, efficient, and automated attendance tracking solution for schools, organizations, or offices.

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Features

• 📡 RFID Card Scanning using Arduino Uno
• 🖥 Desktop Application (C# / .NET)
• 🗄 SQL Server Database Integration
• ⏱ Automatic Time-In / Time-Out Logging
• 📊 Attendance Dashboard
• 👥 Resident/User Management
• 🔄 Real-time Serial Communication
• 📅 Attendance History Tracking

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System Architecture

RFID Card
   │
   ▼
Arduino Uno + RFID Reader
   │ (Serial Communication)
   ▼
C# Desktop Application
   │
   ▼
SQL Server Database

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Technologies Used

• Arduino Uno
• RFID Module (MFRC522)
• C# (.NET / WPF or WinForms)
• SQL Server LocalDB
• Serial Communication (COM Ports)

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Hardware Requirements

• Arduino Uno
• MFRC522 RFID Reader
• RFID Cards / Tags
• USB Cable
• Computer running Windows

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Software Requirements

• Arduino IDE
• .NET Framework / .NET SDK
• Visual Studio
• SQL Server LocalDB

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Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/juswa005/Sentry.git
cd Sentry

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2. Upload the Arduino Code

1. Open the Arduino IDE
2. Connect the Arduino Uno
3. Upload the RFID reader sketch included in the project

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3. Setup the Database

1. Open the project in Visual Studio
2. Configure the connection string
3. Ensure the .mdf database file is correctly linked

Example connection string:

Data Source=(LocalDB)\MSSQLLocalDB;
AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|\Attendance.mdf;
Integrated Security=True

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4. Run the Application

1. Build the project
2. Run the desktop application
3. Connect to the correct COM port
4. Start scanning RFID cards

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Usage

1. Launch the Sentry Application

2. Connect the RFID scanner

3. Scan an RFID card

4. The system automatically records:

   • User ID
   • Date
   • Time In / Time Out

5. View attendance records in the dashboard.

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Project Structure

Sentry
│
├── Arduino
│   └── RFID Reader Code
│
├── Desktop Application
│   ├── UI
│   ├── Database
│   └── Serial Communication
│
└── Database
    └── Attendance.mdf

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Future Improvements

• 📱 Mobile notification support
• ☁ Cloud database support
• 📊 Attendance analytics
• 🔐 User authentication
• 🧠 AI-based attendance insights

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome!

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a new branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Open a pull request

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Author

Amiel Josh Basug

GitHub: https://github.com/juswa005