RFID Attendance System FYP: Complete Build Guide for 2025

Why RFID Attendance Systems Make Great FYPs

RFID attendance systems are a top choice for FYP in Malaysia — and for good reason. They solve a real problem (manual attendance is slow and error-prone), use accessible hardware, and can be expanded with software features like web portals, SMS alerts, and PDF report generation.

Rectronx Circuits has delivered this project for students across disciplines: Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Mechatronics.

Hardware Components

| Component | Purpose | Cost (RM) | |-----------|---------|-----------| | Arduino Uno / ESP32 | Microcontroller | RM 20–45 | | MFRC522 RFID Reader | Read student cards | RM 12–18 | | RFID Cards / Key fobs | Student identification | RM 2–5 each | | LCD 16x2 (I2C) | Display name and status | RM 12–18 | | Buzzer | Audio confirmation | RM 2 | | LED (Green/Red) | Visual confirmation | RM 1 each | | USB to PC (wired) OR ESP32 WiFi | Send data to database | — |

Total hardware cost: RM 80–150

System Overview

The RFID attendance system works in 3 stages:

Card tap — student taps RFID card on reader
Verification — system checks card ID against registered database
Recording — attendance is logged with timestamp; display shows student name

Software Stack Options

Option A — Arduino + PHP/MySQL (Most Common)

Arduino sends data via Serial to a PC running XAMPP
PHP script reads serial data and inserts into MySQL
Web dashboard shows attendance records

Option B — ESP32 + Firebase (Modern, Recommended)

ESP32 connects to WiFi and sends data directly to Firebase
Real-time web dashboard using Firebase Realtime Database
No need for a local PC server

Option C — Arduino + Python + SQLite (Offline)

Python script reads Arduino serial
Stores in local SQLite database
Good for offline environments

Step-by-Step Build

Step 1: Wire the RFID Reader

Connect MFRC522 to Arduino:

SDA → Pin 10
SCK → Pin 13
MOSI → Pin 11
MISO → Pin 12
RST → Pin 9
3.3V → 3.3V (not 5V!)
GND → GND

Step 2: Register Cards

Upload the registration sketch first. Tap each student's card and record the UID. Store UIDs with student names in your database or a lookup array.

Step 3: Program the Main Logic

// Pseudocode
if (card_detected) {
  uid = read_card_uid();
  student = lookup_student(uid);
  if (student found) {
    log_attendance(student, timestamp);
    display_name(student.name);
    green_led_on();
    beep(1);
  } else {
    display("Unknown Card");
    red_led_on();
    beep(3);
  }
}

Step 4: Build the Web Portal

A basic PHP/MySQL portal should include:

Login page — lecturer/admin access
Attendance table — sortable by date, subject, student
Export to PDF/Excel — critical for university submission
SMS alert — optional, for absent students

Step 5: Auto-Report Generation

This is what separates a good FYP from a great one. Use FPDF (PHP) or ReportLab (Python) to generate:

Daily attendance summary
Per-student attendance percentage
Absent list with automatic SMS notification

Examiner Tips

Examiners at Malaysian universities typically look for:

Working demo — tap card, see name on LCD, check web portal
Data persistence — records must survive system restart
Report generation — export attendance as PDF or Excel
Security — unregistered cards should be rejected and logged

Scope Recommendations

For a Diploma FYP: Hardware + database + basic web portal For a Degree FYP: Add SMS alerts + auto PDF reports + admin dashboard with user roles For Merit/Distinction: Add face recognition fallback + mobile app + analytics charts

Need This Project Done?

Rectronx Circuits builds complete RFID Attendance Systems — hardware, software, web portal, and documentation. We've delivered this to students at UiTM, Politeknik, UTM, MMU and more.