Troubleshoot your network connection
Networks can have issues in different places, with similar symptoms. A standard network connection is going to have the device, the network (wired, wireless, or a mix), the router, and the internet connection (usually a fiber, DSL, or cable modem). When there’s a network issue it’s best to try and isolate the problem to the specific section, and then proceed with detailed troubleshooting from there.
Areas where you can have network issues include:
Between the modem and the router
Between the router and the network
Between the network and the device
Between the device and another device
Between your devices and Square services
Before you begin
Restarting your modem and router is a good first troubleshooting step. However, unless your internet connection or network is actually down and not operational, we recommend taking this step outside of business hours in case it takes longer than expected to be restored.
If something in your network configuration was recently modified, updated, or added, try to restore things to how they were when they were working.
Check your Wi-Fi coverage and that all devices are receiving a sufficiently strong signal. The WiFiman app from Ubiquiti can help to measure Wi-Fi coverage in your physical location.
Check that your devices are not jumping between networks. If a device is configured to work with multiple Wi-Fi networks at the same location, it may decide to auto-connect to a different network than you intended. This can result in issues with network printing or slow speed, or more severe issues depending on the configuration of those networks.
Check the physical state of your networking equipment. Look for damage to cables, obstructions to access points, or if network and POS devices are sufficiently distant from sources of radio-frequency interference such as microwaves, coffee grinders, smart devices, lights, or cameras.
Don’t modify or change settings of your network without a clear understanding of what it does, or can do. Misconfiguring your network can cause significant issues to your operations and you may experience downtime until you can find a networking professional to come resolve your issue.
Troubleshoot your network connection
A connectivity report tests for internet connection, local network access, and access to Square services. To run a connectivity report, you’ll need a compatible device running the latest version of the Square POS app.
- From your device, select ≡ More > Settings > Hardware.
- Select Test connectivity. The test can take up to a minute to populate.
- The report will provide a status report that can be shared with your IT department or Square Support teams for further assistance.
The Hardware Hub can also be accessed from My devices in the menu bar at the top of your device screen. This option only appears when accessories, like printers, are connected to your device.
Your Square POS shows your device connection to reach the internet. Your Square POS will say Wifi if using Wi-Fi, along with the signal strength in dBm (decibel-milliwatts), and will say Cellular if you’re using your cell connection (phones or tablets with cell capability).
If this test fails, you don’t have internet access and can’t use Square services.
You can reboot your modem and router, and if that doesn’t work engage your ISP, switch to a backup internet connection, or process offline payments. Learn how to process offline payments with Square..
If you’re still having problems, continue to step 3.
When using Wi-Fi or Ethernet, this test checks that your device has an IP address from the router, and if that IP address is valid. If Square doesn’t have an IP address, your Square POS will report Critical Issues. An IP of 0.0.0.0, or starting with 169.254.y.z means the device is still trying to get an IP from the router, or the router is unreachable. If you don’t have an IP address, Square will not function properly.
Next, your Square POS will check that it can access the local gateway. The gateway is the router and must be accessible from the POS device or it won’t have local or internet connectivity. Your POS will ping the gateway and follow the same rules as the internet.
If this test fails, it can indicate several work issues:
- If both this test and the internet test fail, you either have a problem with the access point or router, or the device itself can’t connect to the network. Being unable to connect to the network will prevent Square from reaching out to the wider internet as well. You should also see the Square test fail in this case.
- If there is no IP address assigned to the device, either 0.0.0.0 or if it starts with 169.254, you can try rebooting the router, disconnecting and reconnecting Wi-Fi or ethernet cable, or swapping out the ethernet cable.
- If none of these work you may need support from a networking professional, or sometimes from your ISP.
- If there is an IP address like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x or 172.x.x.x then there could be an issue with the access point or router and rebooting may help.
- If your network has been set up by a professional or has advanced settings configured, you may need to check that the firewall or configuration isn’t blocking Square POS devices.
- If everything seems to be working and this test is showing a failure, rerun it a few times. This test can provide variable results depending on gateway rules, firewalls, and VLANs and should be a diagnostic step only.
This test calls a Square service to see if it can be reached. This isn’t intended to be a comprehensive report on the status of Square services and shouldn’t be used to determine whether or not there is an outage on the Square side. To obtain detailed status for Square services, visit https://issquareup.com/.
What this test does verify:
- If DNS (Domain Name Servers) can resolve the Square domains.
- If there are no firewall or routing rules blocking access to Square domains.
- If your account status is operational and requests are making it there and back.
If this test fails:
- If your internet access is working, you can double check by running a speedtest. If you’re using an iOS or Android device, you can visit https://wifiman.com/ or install the WiFiman app.
- For Square Terminal or Square Register, you can test from another device connected on the same network. For a valid test result make sure you run the test from a device with cellular disabled and from the same physical location.
- If this speed is very low (<5mbps) or has very high latency (a ping over 250ms), it’s possible that while the internet is working, it’s too slow for devices to operate properly. Some common reasons may include slow connection, a congested network, or poor Wi-Fi coverage.
- For Square Register or Square Terminal, It’s possible you have an issue with DNS servers and might need assistance from a networking professional.
- A firewall may be blocking access to Square services.
Verify your IP address
If a troubleshooting step requires verifying your IP address, follow the steps below depending on your device.
- On your device, select More > Settings.
- Select Hardware > Test connectivity to generate a report.
- Your report will show network status, including IP address under the Network details section.
- Scroll down to see additional report details.
- Download the WiFiman app for iOS or Android.
- Connect your mobile device to the Wi-Fi network that’s associated with your UniFi setup. Note: Without a UniFi Gateway, the following step will only detect devices connected to the same network/VLAN that is associated with the Wi-Fi being used.
- In the Discovery section, look for the UniFi device. If your UniFi device is not displayed, or it has an IP address of 192.168.1.20, see the section below.
Note: WiFiman can only be used for UniFi setups.
- From the UniFi Network, go to Settings > Networks.
- Select the IP Leases link by the network in question, and look for your device.
- Unplug your offline UniFi device.
- Connect a laptop or PC to your network using the same cable and port used with the UniFi device.
- Check the IP address of the device. This is often located in network settings or IP configuration.
- If there is no IP address or the IP address starts with 169.254.xxx.xxx, then you’ll need to troubleshoot why an IP address cannot be received.
- Reconnect to the internet.
Review additional troubleshooting options
If your router supports a built-in speed test, run the test from the router for the most accurate results. Before running this test, connect to a backup internet connection or enable offline payments. Offline mode requires disabling your Wi-Fi and may interfere with network printing.
- Open a browser on any device connected to the router via Ethernet or wirelessly.
- Go to the router’s IP which will look something like https://
or https://192.168.1.1. - Enter the username and password for your router.
- On Unifi, such as Dream Machine, the speed test is found from Network > Dashboard > Speed test on the left side below Internet Health.
- On non-Unifi devices, reference your router’s documentation and look for Internet speed test or Speed test.
- Select Run now.
- If this test is successful and meets our minimum requirements, your internet connection is unlikely to cause problems.
- If this test doesn’t run, there may be an issue with the router itself, your modem, or your ISP is having issues with service. In both cases, we recommend contacting your ISP.
If your router can’t run a speed test:
- Use the WiFiman app. It’s available on the Apple Store, Google Play, and for desktop on Ubiquiti.
- On an iPad or Android device you can open a browser and go to http://www.speedtest.net or www.fast.com and run a test in your browser. This test won’t work from a Square Terminal or Square Register. If you want to test the speed of the internet on those devices you can use an Android or iOS phone, with the cellular modem disabled from your hardware.