NFC tags, QR codes and GPS points — proof at every checkpoint
One tap, under two seconds, with gloves on and no signal. Choose the checkpoint type that suits each part of the site — and mix them freely.
Pick the right checkpoint for the spot
Sites are not uniform. A fire door, a perimeter fence and an open car park each need something different.
NFC tags
Hold the phone near the tag. No aiming, no camera, works in pitch dark and in rain.
- Strongest proof of physical presence
- Fastest for the guard — well under two seconds
- No battery, nothing to maintain
- Weatherproof versions for outdoor points
QR codes
Print, laminate, fix. The cheapest way to cover a lot of points quickly.
- Effectively free to produce and replace
- Works on every phone, including older handsets
- Great for interior rooms and equipment
- Reprint instantly if one gets damaged
GPS checkpoints
Drop a pin on the map with a radius. Nothing to fit on site at all.
- Ideal for open ground and perimeters
- Set up a whole site in minutes, remotely
- Good for temporary and short-term contracts
- Upgrade to tags later without redoing routes
Which checkpoint type should you use where?
| NFC tag | QR code | GPS point | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost each | Pennies to ~50p | Cost of printing | Free |
| Works in the dark | Yes | Needs the torch | Yes |
| Proof of presence | Strongest | Strong | Good — within a radius |
| Works indoors | Yes | Yes | Unreliable |
| Time to fit a site | An hour or two | An hour or two | Ten minutes, remotely |
| Best for | Night patrols, high-value points | Interiors, plant, volume coverage | Perimeters, car parks, temporary sites |
Most customers run a mix. A typical construction site might use NFC on the compound gate and cabins, QR inside the site office, and GPS points along the fence line.
What happens the moment a guard scans
One tap on the officer's side. Rather more than that on yours.
- The scan is stamped with checkpoint, time, GPS position, officer and device.
- It appears on the live dashboard immediately, or queues offline and syncs later.
- The tour progress updates — points done, points outstanding.
- If the guard needs to, they can attach a note or photo to that specific point.
- If a point is missed by the deadline, an alert goes to the office.
- Everything lands in the report you send the client at the end of the period.
Fitting checkpoints: a short practical guide
How many points per site?
Enough to describe the patrol honestly, and no more. A small retail unit might need four. A distribution depot might need twenty-five. If a guard is scanning constantly they will start rushing, and the record stops meaning anything.
Where to put them
At the places that matter to the client and the insurer: fire exits, plant rooms, roof access, fuel stores, server rooms, gates, perimeter corners, high-value stock areas. Fit them at chest height where a phone reaches easily, and out of obvious public view.
Label them clearly in the system
"Checkpoint 7" means nothing in a report. "North gate — pedestrian" means something to your client. Name points the way your customer describes their own building.
Keep a couple of spares in the van
Tags occasionally get knocked off or vandalised. A spare tag and a phone is a five-minute fix, and the system keeps the history against the checkpoint, not the physical tag.
Checkpoint scanning questions
An NFC checkpoint is a small tag — usually a plastic disc or sticker about the size of a 10p piece — fixed at a location on site. The guard holds their phone against it and the app records that exact point, with the time and GPS position. There is no battery inside and nothing to maintain.
For most sites, yes. QR codes are free to produce — you print and laminate them — and any phone camera reads them. NFC is slightly faster and works in the dark without the guard aiming a camera, which is why exterior night patrol points are often NFC and interior points are often QR.
Not usefully. Every scan is recorded with its GPS position, so a scan taken away from the site is immediately visible as an anomaly. For sites where this is a genuine concern, use NFC tags, which physically require the phone to be at the tag.
NFC tags typically cost a few pence to around 50p each depending on the type — weatherproof outdoor tags cost more than indoor stickers. QR codes cost the price of printing. You buy them from any supplier; nothing is proprietary to us.
Unlimited, on every plan. Add as many sites and as many points per site as the job needs, at no extra cost.
Outdoor-rated NFC tags are sealed and weatherproof, and work in UK winters without trouble. For gates, fences and external walls, use the outdoor variety rather than paper stickers.
Yes. A GPS checkpoint asks the app to confirm the officer is within a set radius of a map point. It is ideal for open ground, car parks and perimeters where there is nothing to fix a tag to.