Automated RFID Attendance System Using ESP8266 with Direct Google Sheets Synchronization

Manual attendance procedures are time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to scale in large classrooms, creating a clear need for automated and reliable solutions. This study addresses this gap by developing a low-cost RFID-based attendance system that enables real-time logging without requiring dedicated servers or complex infrastructure. The aim is to design and evaluate an ESP8266-driven platform that records RFID scans directly into Google Sheets through a serverless Google Apps Script interface. The system was implemented using the NodeMCU ESP8266, MFRC522 RFID reader, and an LCD–buzzer module, and evaluated through functional testing, timing measurements, latency analysis, and reliability trials. Experimental results show that the system records attendance in under two minutes for classes of up to 90 students, compared to nearly 23 minutes required for manual roll-calls. Cloud logging latency averaged approximately 1.4 seconds, and the system achieved a 100 percent success rate across 50 repeated scans, demonstrating stable and error-free operation. These findings indicate that the proposed approach offers a practical and scalable attendance solution, combining simplicity, affordability, and strong performance to support educational institutions seeking to modernize attendance management without additional software or infrastructure.