Network printers and fixed stations must keep the same IP address: reserve it on the router, where it survives a device reset. Use wired links for anything stationary and keep Wi-Fi for mobile devices. Write the addresses down before leaving the site.
Procedure
List what has to be reachable
List the till stations, kitchen printers, shared printers, tablets and wireless transmitters. Separate what is fixed from what moves: the rest of the network plan follows from it.
Reserve addresses on the router
A reservation ties the device’s hardware address to a fixed IP while leaving the device on automatic configuration. It survives a device reset, unlike an address typed into the device itself.
Cable everything that does not move
A kitchen printer or a counter station on Wi-Fi will eventually lose its connection mid-service. A network cable removes that kind of support call, for the cost of a cable and an hour of work.
Check the ports the devices need
The port numbers used by a network printer or till software are published by their respective vendors. Get them from that documentation and have them opened before installation day.
Test from the client’s stations
Your laptop does not have the same firewall rules or the same wireless network as the client’s stations. Validate every print job and every connection from the station that will actually use it.
Leave the addressing plan with the client
Give the client a simple table: device, location, hardware address, IP address and port. It is the document that lets someone else take over the site, and the first thing support will ask you for.
Check these before calling support
- Every fixed device has a reserved address on the router.
- The addressing plan is written down and left on site.
Useful terms
- Kitchen printer
A kitchen printer is a unit that prints order tickets in the hot line.
- Rugged tablet
A rugged tablet is a tablet built for professional use.