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Choosing hardware

Choosing point-of-sale hardware: a guide for resellers

This method helps you choose hardware family by family, starting from the client’s software and the main station.

In short

To choose point-of-sale hardware, decide one family at a time, in this order: the terminal, the printer, the barcode reader, mobility, wireless communication and finally the card program. Each choice depends on the store’s volume, its physical environment and the software your client has already chosen.

In what order should you ask the questions?

Start with the client’s software and the main station, move on to the peripherals, and finish with the options: mobility, wireless and cards. If you start with the printer or the reader, you will often have to redo the quote, because the terminal and the software determine which interfaces are available.

  1. Which software does your client run, and which interfaces does it require?
  2. Which station fits: an all-in-one computer at the counter, a tablet on the floor, or both?
  3. Which printer is needed at the counter, and is a second one needed in the kitchen?
  4. Which barcode reader should you choose, and will it have to read phone screens?
  5. Do staff need mobility or wireless communication on the floor?
  6. Does the business want a loyalty or gift card program?

Which terminal suits which business?

The G4POS catalogue has one all-in-one computer and two tablets. The JG8000 is a Windows compatible fixed station: it has a 15-inch touchscreen, an Intel Core i5-8265U processor, 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of NVMe storage. G4POS offers it as the server station. The DG820 and the DG870GB are rugged 8-inch tablets, each offered with its charging station.

The first criterion is where the station sits: at the counter, or on the floor and the patio. Between the two tablets, the configuration the software requires decides. Both are Windows compatible. The DG820 has 2 GB of memory and 64 GB of storage. The DG870GB has 8 GB and 128 GB, and connects over 4G LTE.

Detailed comparison:

Which printer do you need at the counter and in the kitchen?

At the counter, the usual choice is a thermal receipt printer. The MG80 in the catalogue prints direct thermal on 80 mm paper at 260 mm/s, with ESC/POS emulation and serial, USB and Ethernet interfaces. In the kitchen, the printer has to cope with heat, grease and steam, and it is best connected to the network so that several tills can send orders to it.

Confirm ESC/POS emulation before you commit. It is the printing language most software expects, and it determines whether the installed driver produces a correct bill or a page of unreadable characters.

Which barcode reader should you propose?

Propose a 2D reader unless the client has a specific reason to do without one. The G4POS catalogue offers the SC310, a countertop reader on a stand that covers 1D and 2D symbologies and connects over USB. Codes printed on packaging are generally 1D. Coupons and loyalty cards shown on a phone, like the QR code on a bill, are 2D.

To compare the technologies:

When should you propose mobility or wireless?

Mobility makes sense when staff move around. A tablet such as the DG870GB is useful when orders are taken away from the till: on the floor, on a patio or in a queue. LRS (Long Range Systems) paging is useful when employees cross the room just to check whether an order is ready. The catalogue covers staff paging, guest pagers and call buttons.

Where can you get complete datasheets?

The product pages on the site show the characteristics that matter for a quote: ports, interfaces, paper width, symbologies and alert type. The MG80, SC310 and DG870GB datasheets can be downloaded from the model page. To get any other document, write to G4POS. Keep the datasheet in the client file, because it will serve as the reference if a question comes up after the installation.

Useful links:

Key points

  • Choosing hardware in order, from the software through to the options, saves you from redoing the quote.
  • The client’s software and its required interfaces rule out models before any test.
  • Propose a 2D reader as soon as codes shown on a phone have to be read.
  • The range of an LRS system is confirmed by an on-site test before it goes into a quote.

Frequently asked questions

Can you equip a business without knowing its till software?

It is risky. The software dictates the printing interface, the driver layer and sometimes the list of supported models. Its name and version are the first things to get before you put a quote together.

Does G4POS sell directly to merchants?

As a rule, no. G4POS sells mainly to resellers, integrators and consultants. Your clients stay yours: you keep the relationship, the software choice and the installation.

Should loyalty cards be proposed in the very first quote?

You can include them as an option in the first quote. The catalogue includes loyalty cards and gift cards printed in the store’s colours, with an encoded HiCo magnetic stripe and a barcode. The program balances are managed by the client’s software.

G4POS·Updated on · 5 min read

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