How to identify where the issue is occurring?Verifying a Device's IP Address
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 is 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:
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
How to identify where the issue is occurring?
The first step when troubleshooting any connectivity issues is to determine where the breakdown in communication is happening.
As of version of Square 6.44, you can open the Test Connectivity report and it will try to identify any network issues. This test takes 1-2 minutes and can be done by going to:
More > Settings > Hardware
Click ‘Test connectivity’
Wait for the test to run, it will take a few seconds up to about a minute
The results will be reported alongside all the network information we are able to collect.
The report runs 3 tests:
Check Internet Access
Check Local Network Access
Check access to Square services
Check Internet Access
This checks whether or not Square devices are able to access the outside world and the general internet. Point of Sale will also show the connection your device is using in order to reach the internet, under the Internet test row. Your Point of Sale 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)
When this test fails:
It is likely you do not have internet access, and will be unable to do anything that involves working with Square services
You can try rebooting their modem and router, and if that doesn’t work, engage your ISP, switch to a backup internet connection, or switch to Offline Payments.
Check Local Network Access
When using Wi-Fi or Ethernet, this test checks that your device has an IP address from the router, and that that IP address is valid. If Square does not have an IP address, Point of Sale 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 do not have an IP address, Square will not function properly.
Next, Point of Sale 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. Point of Sale will ping the gateway and follow the same rules as the internet.
When this test fails:
If this test fails and the internet test fails, you either have a problem with the Access Point or Router, or the device itself can’t talk to the network. Being unable to talk on 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 (it is 0.0.0.0 or starts with 169.254) you can try rebooting the router, disconnecting and reconnecting Wi-Fi/ethernet cable, or swapping out the ethernet cable
If none of these work, you might need the support of 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/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 the Point of Sale 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, VLANs, etc. and should be a diagnostic step only.
Check access to Square services
This test calls a Square Service to check it can be reached. This is NOT intended to be a comprehensive report on the status of Square services and should not 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 does verifies:
DNS (Domain Name Servers) can resolve the Square domains
There are no firewall or routing rules blocking access to Square domains
Account Status is operational and requests are making it there and back.
When this test fails:
If internet access is working, you can further double check by running a speedtest
If you are using an iOS or Android device, you can visit https://wifiman.com/ or install the WiFiman app.
For Square Terminal or 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 is too slow for the devices to operate properly. Some common reasons may include slow connection, a congested network, or poor Wi-Fi coverage
For Square Register or Terminal, It’s possible you have an issue with DNS servers and might need assistance from a networking professional
It is possible a firewall is blocking access to Square services
Additional diagnostics tips
Restarting your modem and router is often a good, first troubleshooting step. However, unless your internet connection or network is actually down and un-operational, Square recommends this step is taken during off-hours, in case it takes longer than expected to be restored.
If something was recently modified, updated or added to your network and its configuration, 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 inside the same physical location, it may decide to auto-connect to a different network than you intended. This can result in issues with network printing, slow speed, or more severe issues depending on the configuration of those networks.
Check the physical state of your networking equipment. Are any cables physically damaged? Are access points broadcasting and unobstructed? Are your network and POS devices sufficiently distant from sources of radio-frequency interference (micro-waves, coffee grinders, smart devices, lights, cameras, etc)?
Do not modify or change settings of your network without a clear understanding of what it does, or can do. Mis-configuring 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.
There are two options to manually verify internet connectivity at the source:
Running a speed test with your router
If your router supports a built-in speed test, you should run the test from the router for the most accurate results.
Open a browser on any device connected to the router (via Ethernet or wirelessly).
Navigate to the router's IP which will look something like https://<router_ip_address> often https://192.168.1.1.
Enter the username and password for your router.
On Unifi (such as Dream Machine, etc etc) the speed test is found under the Network application, on the Dashboard page, on the left side, below Internet Health, there is a section called Speed Test.
On non Unifi devices, look for “internet speed test” or “speed test”, consulting your router’s documentation.Click run now.
If this test is successful and meets our minimum requirements, your internet connection is unlikely to cause problems.
If this test does not run, it is likely there is an issue with the router itself or your ISP is having issues with service. In both cases, we recommend contacting your ISP.
Note: Connect to a backup internet connection or service provider, or make sure to enable Offline Payments (please note that offline mode requires disabling your Wi-Fi and may interfere with network printing)"
If your router cannot run a speed test itself:
you can use the WiFiman app available on the Apple Store, Google Play, and for Desktop on Ubiquity.
On an iPad or Android device you can open a browser and navigate to http://www.speedtest.net or www.fast.com and run a test in the browser. (Note that his will not 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 next to the Register or Terminal).
Troubleshooting steps for UniFi devices that are not in a standard "Online" state in your user interface.
Check your device's LED or LCD screen. Here are some important LED statuses to be aware of:
Does Not Turn On: See Troubleshooting an Offline Device to continue.
Flashing White-Blue-Off: Proceed with Recovery Mode.
Blue and Flashing Off Every 5s: Your device does not have connectivity with your network. Continue to step (2).
Others: See LED Statuses for a complete list.
Verify your UniFi device's IP address. See below for a detailed walkthrough of this process.
If the device does not have an IP address, or has the 192.168.1.20 "fallback IP", you need to:
If it is receiving an unexpected IP address, check your network for a Rogue DHCP server.
If it has an expected IP address, continue to step (3)
Ensure the UniFi device and UniFi application can reach each other on TCP Port 8080.
Check local firewalls and antivirus software to ensure this is not blocked.
If your UniFi device and UniFi Network application are on different VLANs, or you are hosting UniFi Network in the cloud, follow the troubleshooting steps here.
If the UniFi AP is in an "Isolated" state, see here.
If it has not been resolved by the end of this, Factory Reset and re-adopt the device.
Verifying a Device's IP Address
Here are various methods to check whether a device has an IP address.
On Square Devices
Navigate to Settings (if there is no settings icon look under More)
Navigate to Hardware
Tap “Test connectivity”
The report will show network status, including ip address under the section called “Network details” > Scroll down to see more details
Using the UniFi Interface
In UniFi Network, navigate to Settings > Networks.
Select the IP Leases link at the right of the network in question, and look for your device.
WiFiman App
Connect your mobile device to a WiFi that is 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 WiFi being used.
Look for the UniFi device in the Discovery tab. If your UniFi device is not displayed, or it has an IP address of 192.168.1.20, see the bullets below.
Note: WiFiman can only be used for UniFi setups.
Direct Connecting Another 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 its Network Settings or IP Configuration.
If there is no IP address, or it has an IP address starting with 169.254.xxx.xxx, then you will need to troubleshoot why an IP address cannot be received.
Try to connect to the internet. If there is no internet connectivity, this is likely another sign that you should review the bullets below.
