IoT RFID Attendance System (ESP8266)

A complete attendance system on a single ESP8266: scan a card, see it on a live dashboard. No external server needed.

About this project

Students tap an RFID card and the ESP8266 records the entry and updates a real-time dashboard over WebSockets. The firmware, dashboard and analytics pages all run on the one module, so there is no cloud hosting bill. Built and delivered for KIHBT in Nairobi across three firmware versions.

What it does

Real-time dashboard over WebSockets
Animated LCD boot sequence
Attendance analytics charts
Runs on one ESP8266, no server

Components needed

ESP8266 NodeMCU
MFRC522 RFID Module + Cards
16x2 LCD with I2C Backpack

You can find these parts in our components shop. To learn the skills behind this project, see the ProtoPulse Academy or read our guide on how to write a good electronics project.