Summary

A fast, stable internet connection is critical for your credit card terminal to work properly. If your network is slow or unreliable, you may experience failed transactions, payment delays, or connectivity issues. This guide will help you make sure your setup is ready for reliable, secure processing.

Recommended Network Speeds

For the best results, your credit card terminal should have a strong internet connection. Here’s what we recommend:

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Note: These speeds apply when the terminal is the only device using the connection. If you have other equipment—like computers, tablets, printers, or phones—your internet plan should be faster (greater bandwidth) to support all the activity.

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Ideal Internet Plans

Most modern internet providers offer plans ranging from 25 Mbps to 10 Gbps or more. For small businesses, we recommend choosing a plan that provides at least 250 Mbps to handle daily operations, updates, and all other internet activity you will have during normal business operations.

How to Check Your Network Speed

To test the ISP speed, you will need to:

  1. Run a speed test from a device that is connected using an ethernet cord (Physically connected to the internet, like a computer)
    1. This will give the actual speed of the internet connection that includes the Modem/Router, and what the Internet Service Provider (ISP) is providing.
  2. Run the same test from another device that is using a Wi-Fi connection to find the speed of the Wi-Fi that is being provided by your Wi-Fi router that is set up in you location,
    1. this can be done using your phone, or tablet that is connected to the Wi-Fi.
    2. Run the test while standing near the router,
    3. Run the test again when you are standing next to the terminal. This will tell you how fast your Wi-Fi is, and how much of a speed drop you are seeing between the router and the terminal. If the speed is dropping to much you may need to look into getting the ethernet cradle or a USB C Ethernet adapter and hardwire the connection to the terminal.

Here are a couple of sites that provide a free and reliable speed test:

Common Mobile Hotspot Speeds