Occasionally, you may encounter issues while processing with Lightspeed Payments. If your Lightspeed Payments terminal has disconnected from your network or is encountering technical issues, here are some troubleshooting steps that you can take to get your business back up and running as quickly as possible.

Check for system-wide issues

An external incident may impact portions of Lightspeed Restaurant. Check our status page for updates on the status of all Lightspeed products, including Lightspeed Restaurant and Lightspeed Payments.

Checking connectivity issues on your payment terminal

Many common technical problems are caused by network connectivity issues. Start by checking the connectivity of your Lightspeed Payments terminal.

Checking the Wifi Settings of the e280, e285, P400+, and V400m

You can access your WiFi settings page by pressing 9, then the green circle key on the terminal's number pad. Enter the admin password 5773 to view your Wi-Fi settings. When connected, you should then see a Wi-Fi symbol at the top of the screen of your payment terminal.

Checking the Wi-Fi settings of the Smart Terminal with and without Printer

The IP address can be obtained from the terminal by tapping Settings > Device info. It will be listed under the Wi-Fi address. When connected, you should then see a Wi-Fi symbol at the top of the screen of your payment terminal.

Ensure your payment terminal is connected to your network and has internet access.

In the case of an internet outage or other network issue, the terminal may be connected to a different network, or your network may have lost its connection entirely.

Ensure your payment terminal is connected to your network and has internet access.

In the case of an internet outage or other network issue, the terminal may be connected to a different network, or your network may have lost its connection entirely.

Check the signal strength on your Lightspeed Payments terminal.

If you notice that your network strength is weak, your terminal may be too far away from your router to receive a reliable signal, or there may be obstructions blocking the signal. Try moving your terminal closer to your router and confirm that your router is not blocked by any obstructions, such as cabinets, mirrors, metal objects, and thick walls or ceilings.

Confirm that your Lightspeed Payments terminal is connected to the same network as the device accessing Lightspeed Restaurant.

Your Lightspeed Payments terminal should be connected to the same network as your Lightspeed Restaurant POS to function properly.

Once you have confirmed that your Lightspeed Payments terminal is connected to your network and you have a reliable connection, check that your payment terminal and the iPad accessing Lightspeed Restaurant are on the same network.

1. On your payment terminal, note the IP address using the steps above.
2. Check the IP address of the iPad connected to Lightspeed Restaurant.
   1. On your iPad, navigate to iOS Settings.
   2. Tap Wi-Fi.
   3. Tap the information button to see more details about your network.
   4. Take note of the IP address.
3. Compare your terminal IP address and your Restaurant device’s IP address. Verify that the first three sets of numbers match, indicating that your devices are on the same network.

   The last integer in the IP address refers to the host ID of the device itself and should be unique.

   

   For example, the IP addresses 192.168.1.27 and 192.168.1.36 contain matching network IDs, indicating that both devices are connected to the same network. The IP addresses 192.749.1.27 and 192.168.5.9 do not have matching network IDs, indicating they are not connected to the same network.

4. If your terminal and the device accessing Lightspeed Restaurant are not connected to the same network, you will need to connect your devices to the correct network.

Updating your Lightspeed Payments terminal

As terminal software updates are made available, your payment terminal updates automatically. Failing to install a required update can prevent a terminal from accepting payments.

Leave your terminal on and connected to power to receive automatic software updates. This ensures that updates happen at the scheduled time.

If you unplug the terminal at night, an update could initiate when you turn the terminal back on. To manually check for an update, reboot the reader.

Troubleshooting your network settings

If you have confirmed that your Lightspeed Payments terminal is connected to the correct network but are still experiencing difficulty connecting or slow processing times, you will need to troubleshoot your network.

Network issues may need to be resolved through your internet service provider, however, there are a few steps you can take to quickly resolve some of the most common issues.

Update the DNS settings of your network

It may be necessary to update your DNS settings on your POS device to create a more secure and reliable connection between your register and your Lightspeed Payments terminal.

1. On your iPad, navigate to iOS Settings.
2. Tap Wi-Fi.

   

3. Tap the information button on the network you are connected to.
4. Tap Configure DNS.
5. Select Manual.
6. If there are any DNS server IP addresses listed already, remove them from this window.
7. Click + to add the Google IPv4 addresses:
   • 8.8.8.8
   • 8.8.4.4
8. Click OK > Apply.
9. Restart your terminal and iPad to save your changes.

Verify the speed and strength of your Wi-Fi network

If you are experiencing slow performance when processing a transaction, there may be an issue with your local network speeds or your wide area network speeds. Testing your connection speeds will allow you to pinpoint the cause of the issue.

Testing your local network connection

In order to test the speed of your local network, a ping test is required. A ping test allows you to see the connection between the devices on your local network and identify any instances where there are drops in connection or slowness that could cause delays in processing transactions.

iNetTools is an app that can be installed on your iPad to perform a ping test. Once installed, follow the steps below to test your POS and terminal connectivity.

1. On your payment terminal, note the IP address using the steps in the section above.
2. Open up iNetTools on the iPad that you use for POS
3. Navigate to the 'Ping' section
4. Input the iP address of your terminal in to the 'Host name or IP' section and hit start
5. Let the test run for 10 minutes straight
6. Hit the 'stop' button after 10 minutes to view your results.

You'll notice that after you hit start, you'll begin to see lines of text with your terminal IP appear in the iNettools app, this displays the communication between your iPad and your terminal in realtime. After the test completes and you get your results you'll want to see that packetloss is at 0% and the responses on average are under 50mb and no greater than 100mb's. You'll also want to see consistency in communication, meaning that the response times are staying within the same range and not spiking up.

If you do see packetloss appearing in the results or notice that the response times are exceeding 100mbs, this may indicate a network issue and consulting a local network tech would be recommended. If at any point you need help interpreting these tests, feel free to reach out to our support team here.

If you are wanting to test your devices connection to the wide area network otherwise know as the internet, you can do so via following the steps below:

Testing your internet connection 

To test the speed of your internet connection, open the browser of the iPad used to access Lightspeed Restaurant and use a trusted third-party speed test site, such as the one offered by your Internet service provider.

Run a second speed test a moment later to test if your connection has any connectivity issues. A 10mbps difference between tests points to issues. Restart your router and speak with your internet service provider if the problem persists.

What to look for:

• Download speeds: 20-30 Mbps is the minimum required speed when using Lightspeed Payments. Keep in mind that if you regularly have multiple devices connected at one time, your speed will be lowered and you may need a higher speed. A slower download speed may lead to connection issues or delays when processing payments.
• Upload speeds: 10 Mbps in the minimum required speed when using Lightspeed Payments. A slower upload speed may lead to delays when processing payments.
• Ping: Ping refers to how long it takes for information to travel between two points. The lower the number the better. A rate of 50 or higher indicates an issue with your network.

Check the consistency of your Wi-Fi network

If your internet speeds match the minimum requirements when testing your network speed and strength, but you are still encountering problems with connectivity, you may be experiencing an inconsistent or overloaded network connection. 

To test the consistency of your network, you can run a packet loss test. Packets are small units of data sent over a network from one source to a specific destination. Packet loss occurs when a network packet fails to reach its expected destination, resulting in information loss. 

To test for packet loss, open the browser of the iPad used to access Lightspeed Restaurant and use a trusted third-party packet loss test site. 

For best results, you will need to run the test for 30 seconds. A shorter test may cause unreliable results. 

What to look for

Any amount of packet loss is indicative of a larger issue on your network. If there is any packet loss you should consider reaching out to your Internet service provider or IT technician.

Replacing the SIM card of your payment terminal

Your payment terminal comes with a SIM card already installed. Do not remove or replace your SIM card unless directed to by the Lightspeed Payments support team.

Smart Terminal with Printer

To replace an old or defective SIM card with a new one:

1. Turn off the payment terminal by pressing and holding the power button.
2. On the back of the terminal, press the battery cover and slide it downwards.
3. Remove the battery to access the SIM card slot.
4. Remove the SIM card from the slot.
   To avoid damaging your device, do not use metal tools to manipulate or remove the SIM card.
5. Install the new SIM card into the same slot.
6. Reinstall the battery and the cover. Make sure the battery contacts align and that the cover clicks into place.
7. Turn on the terminal and check if the cellular network icon shows at the top of the display.

You can also verify your network connection by navigating to Settings > Network > Cellular on your payment terminal.

Verifone V400m

To replace an old or defective SIM card with a new one:

1. Turn off the payment terminal by pressing and holding the red cancel button until the display turns off.
2. On the back of the terminal, press the battery cover and slide it downwards.
3. Remove the battery to access the SIM card slot.
4. Remove the SIM card from the slot. To avoid damaging your device, do not use metal tools to manipulate or remove the SIM card.
5. Install the new SIM card into the same slot.
6. Reinstall the battery and the cover. Make sure the battery contacts align and that the cover clicks into place.
7. Turn on the terminal and check if the cellular network icon shows at the top of the display.

You can also verify your network connection by navigating to Settings > Network > Cellular on your payment terminal.

Verifone e285

To replace an old or defective SIM card with a new one:

1. Turn off the payment terminal by pressing and holding the red cancel button until the display turns off.
2. On the back of the terminal, slide the battery cover downwards.
3. To access the SIM card slot, pull the plastic strip labelled PULL to remove the battery.
4. Remove the SIM card from the slot.
   To avoid damaging your device, do not use metal tools to manipulate or remove the SIM card.
5. Install the new SIM card into the same slot.
6. Reinstall the battery and the cover. Make sure the battery contacts align and that the cover clicks into place.
7. Turn on the terminal and check if the cellular network icon shows at the top of the display.

You can also verify your network connection by navigating to Settings > Network > Cellular on your payment terminal.

FAQ's

How do I process manual transactions in the event I can't get my terminal and POS to pair?

Steps on processing manual transactions can be found in the guide here.

Will the 4G backup internet on my terminal automatically get enabled if my internet goes down?

Your Lightspeed Payments terminal will only switch to 4G automatically if the wifi signal to the terminal has also disconnected due to the router being down. If your router's wifi system is still stable but the internet connection itself to the router has dropped off, the Lightspeed Payments terminal will stay connected to the wifi network and not automatically switch over. In order to ensure your Lightspeed Payments terminal is able to process standalone transactions through 4G it is important to also switch your wifi network on the terminal off.

To do this on V400* and e285p* terminals:

(*Note: the e285p uses the 3G network and will be phased out. V400 is still supported but no longer sold)

1. Go to the Admin menu(9 + enter key) and use the passcode 5773.
2. Select Network
3. Select Wi-Fi and toggle Wi-Fi off using the Wi-Fi toggle switch.

To do this on the Smart Terminal & Smart Terminal with Printer (Formerly known as S1F2):

1. Select Network.
2. Enter your passcode.
3. Select Wi-Fi and toggle Wi-Fi off using the Wi-Fi toggle switch.

What’s next?

If you are still encountering issues or have further questions, feel free to contact support via chat here.