The Blackbox (also known as Fiscal Data Module or FDM) is a fiscal device that signs transactions and orders processed on a cash register system. The Blackbox is only required for businesses from the restaurant and catering industry in Belgium that meet specific federal requirements. For more information on who is required to register with a Blackbox device, please refer to the official Federale Overheidsdienst Financiën website.

Once you have confirmed that you have all the required hardware and that all open orders have been finalized in Lightspeed Restaurant, you may begin setting up Blackbox.

Hardware requirements

Serial-to-LAN Dongle

Black Box

Cables

Serial Cable

Ethernet Cable

Power Cable

Setting up the Serial-to-LAN dongle

The Blackbox requires a Serial-to-LAN dongle in order to share information between Lightspeed Restaurant and the Blackbox. The dongle will need to be configured for use with your network before you can begin setting up the Blackbox.

Physical setup

1. Plug your ethernet cable into the port on the Dongle labeled Ethernet.
2. Plug the other end of the ethernet cable into your router.

Setting up the Blackbox

Now that the Serial-to-LAN dongle has been configured, you can set up the Blackbox for use with Lightspeed Restaurant.

To set up the Blackbox:

1. Plug one end of the serial cable into the Blackbox.
2. Plug the other end of the serial cable into the Serial-to-LAN Dongle. 
3. Insert your VSC card.
4. Connect the Blackbox to power.

Configuring settings in Lightspeed Restaurant

To enable the Blackbox integration, you can only have one active device enabled at a time. All other devices must be set to passive. For more information on device settings, view our article Editing POS devices.

If you have not registered with the Federal Public Finance agency, you will need to do so before you will be able to proceed with the Blackbox setup.

To configure settings in Lightspeed Restaurant:

1. From the main navigation menu of the Back Office, navigate to Configuration > Settings > Business Settings.
2. Select the Business registration tab.
3. Click Connect Business.
   
   
4. If you have registered your business with the Federal Public Finance website, click Yes.
   
   
5. Enter your VSC PIN.
6. Click Next.
7. Now that the business registration has been completed, you can connect your Blackbox to Lightspeed Restaurant by completing the following fields: 
   

   Field Name	Description
   MAC Address	This is the unique identifier for the Serial-to-LAN Dongle. This number can be found on the package of the dongle or on the dongle itself.
   Production Number	This is the unique identifier assigned to you when you register with Lightspeed Restaurant as a Blackbox user. This number will begin with BPOS003XXXXXXX
   Linked active device	Confirm the active device that the Blackbox will be linked to. This device will need to remain active and connected to the Blackbox.

8. Click Save. 

Congratulations! Your Blackbox has now been successfully connected to Lightspeed Restaurant and you’re ready to start recording your financial transactions. 

Troubleshooting your Blackbox

• Troubleshooting the Serial-to-LAN connection with your network

  By default, the dongle is programmed to automatically connect with no need for additional configuration. If you suspect these settings may have been changed, you can verify them with the following steps.

  Setting Name	Default Option
  IP Adress	This is the IP address of the dongle. If you do not have this information on hand, it can be found by scanning your network for connected devices or by contacting your network administrator.
  User	Admin
  Password	Admin

  Accessing the configuration interface 

  To access the configuration interface:

  1. Open your preferred web browser.
  2. In the address bar, type the IP address of the Serial-to-LAN dongle. 
  3. Press Enter.
  4. This will bring you to the USR configuration page, where you can make the necessary changes to the Serial-to-LAN connection.
  5. Click Serial Port.
  6. Confirm the settings on this page match the following configurations:
     

     Setting name	Required Setting
     Baud Rate	19200
     Data size	8 Bit
     Parity	None
     Stop Bits	1 Bit
     Local Port Number	6000
     Remote Port Number	8234
     Work Mode	TCP Server
     Remote Server Address	192.168.0.201
     Reset	Disabled
     Link	Enabled
     Index	Disabled
     Similar RFC2217	Enabled

  7. Click Save.

What's next?