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Troubleshooting Lightspeed Payments for Restaurant POS

Occasionally, you may encounter issues while processing with Lightspeed Payments. If your Lightspeed Payments terminal has disconnected from your network or is encountering technical issues, here are some troubleshooting steps that you can take to get your business back up and running as quickly as possible.

Check for system-wide issues

An external incident may impact portions of Lightspeed Restaurant. Check our status page for updates on the status of all Lightspeed products, including Lightspeed Restaurant and Lightspeed Payments.

Checking connectivity issues on your payment terminal

Many common technical problems are caused by network connectivity issues. Start by checking the connectivity of your Lightspeed Payments terminal. 

  • Checking the Wifi Settings of the e280, e285, P400+, and V400m

    You can access your WiFi settings page by pressing 9, then the green circle key on the terminal's number pad. Enter the admin password 5773 to view your Wi-Fi settings. When connected, you should then see a Wi-Fi symbol at the top of the screen of your payment terminal.

  • Checking the Wi-Fi settings of the Smart Terminal with Printer

    The IP address can be obtained from the terminal by tapping Settings > Device info. It will be listed under the Wi-Fi address. When connected, you should then see a Wi-Fi symbol at the top of the screen of your payment terminal.

Ensure your payment terminal is connected to your network and has internet access.

In the case of an internet outage or other network issue, the terminal may be connected to a different network, or your network may have lost its connection entirely.

Check the signal strength on your Lightspeed Payments terminal.

If you notice that your network strength is weak, your terminal may be too far away from your router to receive a reliable signal, or there may be obstructions blocking the signal. Try moving your terminal closer to your router and confirm that your router is not blocked by any obstructions, such as cabinets, mirrors, metal objects, and thick walls or ceilings.

Confirm that your Lightspeed Payments terminal is connected to the same network as the device accessing Lightspeed Restaurant.

Your Lightspeed Payments terminal should be connected to the same network as your Lightspeed Restaurant POS to function properly.

Once you have confirmed that your Lightspeed Payments terminal is connected to your network and you have a reliable connection, check that your payment terminal and the iPad accessing Lightspeed Restaurant are on the same network.

  1. On your payment terminal, note the IP address using the steps above.
  2. Check the IP address of the iPad connected to Lightspeed Restaurant.
    1. On your iPad, navigate to iOS Settings.
    2. Tap Wi-Fi.
    3. Tap the information button to see more details about your network.
    4. Take note of the IP address.
  3. Compare your terminal IP address and your Restaurant device’s IP address. Verify that the first three sets of numbers match, indicating that your devices are on the same network.
    The last integer in the IP address refers to the host ID of the device itself and should be unique.
    Image shows text that reads 236.59.63.27. 236.59.63 is labeled as Network ID. .27 is labeled as Host ID.
    For example, the IP addresses 192.168.1.27 and 192.168.1.36 contain matching network IDs, indicating that both devices are connected to the same network.
    The IP addresses 192.749.1.27 and 192.168.5.9 do not have matching network IDs, indicating they are not connected to the same network.
  4. If your terminal and the device accessing Lightspeed Restaurant are not connected to the same network, you will need to connect your devices to the correct network.

Configuring your payment terminal

If you need to reassign your payment terminal to a new store location or if your new terminal has not been configured, you can manually add the terminal to your account through the Financial Services tab of your Back Office.

If your payment terminal has already been paired to your store, it will appear in the Terminal assignment tab under Financial Services > Settings > Terminal Assignment. From this page, you can assign, edit or unassign your payment terminal.

Image shows the 'Terminal Assignment' page in the Financial Services tab.

Assigning your payment terminal to your store

By default, when you receive your new payment terminal from Lightspeed, it will already be configured for your account, so all you will need to do is plug it in and pair the terminal. If your payment terminal has not yet been configured, you can add it to your account manually.

Important: Your payment terminal must be updated to firmware version 1.94 or greater. This setting is currently only available on the Smart Terminal with Printer.

  1. Ensure your payment terminal has been physically set up and is connected to Wi-Fi.
  2. If your payment terminal is not currently assigned to a store, the payment terminal will display a six-digit code. This code will refresh once every five minutes. 
  3. In the Back Office, navigate to Financial Services > Settings > Terminal assignment.
  4. Click Assign terminal. 
    Image shows the 'Terminal Assignment' page in the Financial Services tab. The button titled 'Assign terminal' has been highlighted.
  5. Enter the six digit code currently displayed on the terminal. 
    Image displays a pop-up module titled 'Assign a terminal'.
  6. Click Update.

The terminal will refresh and the terminal will now appear in the terminal assignment tab. You can now finish pairing your terminal to a location and POS configuration.

Moving a payment terminal between locations

  1. In the Back Office, navigate to Financial Services > Settings > Terminal assignment.
  2. Click on the serial number of the terminal you want to reassign.
    Image shows the 'Terminal Assignment' page in the Financial Services tab. The column displaying the serial numbers of all associated payment terminals has been highlighted.
  3. Under Assigned Location, select the new location you want to assign the terminal to.
    Image displays a pop-up module titled 'Terminal details'. The section titled 'Assigned location' has been highlighted, displaying a dropdown window where a new location for the terminal can be assigned.
  4. Click Update.

The terminal will refresh and the terminal will now appear in the terminal assignment tab. You can now finish pairing your terminal to the new location and POS configuration.

Unassigning a terminal from your store

If you wish to completely remove a terminal from your store, you can unassign the terminal completely. This fully removes the payment terminal from the store.

Note: The terminal can be reassigned to an account once it has been unassigned.  

  1. In the Back Office, navigate to Financial Services > Settings > Terminal assignment.
  2. Click on the serial number of the terminal you want to unassign.
  3. Under Assigned Location, click Unassign terminal.
    Image displays a pop-up module titled 'Terminal details'. The section titled 'Assigned location' has been highlighted, with the button titled 'Unassign terminal' visible.
  4. Click Update.

Updating your Lightspeed Payments terminal

As terminal software updates are made available, your payment terminal updates automatically. Failing to install a required update can prevent a terminal from accepting payments.

Leave your terminal on and connected to power to receive automatic software updates. This ensures that updates happen at the scheduled time.

If you unplug the terminal at night, an update could initiate when you turn the terminal back on. To manually check for an update, reboot the reader.

Troubleshooting your network settings

If you have confirmed that your Lightspeed Payments terminal is connected to the correct network but are still experiencing difficulty connecting or slow processing times, you will need to troubleshoot your network.

Network issues may need to be resolved through your internet service provider, however, there are a few steps you can take to quickly resolve some of the most common issues.

Update the DNS settings of your network

It may be necessary to update your DNS settings on your POS device to create a more secure and reliable connection between your register and your Lightspeed Payments terminal.

  1. On your iPad, navigate to iOS Settings.
  2. Tap Wi-Fi.
    Image shows the landing for the Wi-Fi Settings page on iPad.
  3. Tap the information button on the network you are connected to.
  4. Tap Configure DNS.
    Image shows the Wi-Fi Settings page on iPad. Configure DNS has been highlighted.
  5. Select Manual.
  6. If there are any DNS server IP addresses listed already, remove them from this window.
  7. Click + to add the Google IPv4 addresses:
    • 8.8.8.8
    • 8.8.4.4
  8. Click OK > Apply.
    Image shows the DNS Configuration page for iPad. The setting titled Manual has been selected, and the DNS servers 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 have been added.
  9. Restart your terminal and iPad to save your changes.

Verify the speed and strength of your Wi-Fi network

If you are experiencing slow performance when processing a transaction, there may be an issue with your internet network. Testing your connection will allow you to pinpoint the cause of the issue.

To test the speed of your internet connection, open the browser of the iPad used to access Lightspeed Restaurant and use a trusted third-party speed test site, such as the one offered by your Internet service provider.

Run a second speed test a moment later to test if your connection has any connectivity issues. A 10mbps difference between tests points to issues. Restart your router and speak with your internet service provider if the problem persists.

What to look for:

  • Download speeds: 20-30 Mbps is the minimum required speed when using Lightspeed Payments. Keep in mind that if you regularly have multiple devices connected at one time, your speed will be lowered and you may need a higher speed. A slower download speed may lead to connection issues or delays when processing payments.
  • Upload speeds: 10 Mbps in the minimum required speed when using Lightspeed Payments. A slower upload speed may lead to delays when processing payments.
  • Ping: Ping refers to how long it takes for information to travel between two points. The lower the number the better. A rate of 50 or higher indicates an issue with your network.

Check the consistency of your Wi-Fi network

If your internet speeds match the minimum requirements when testing your network speed and strength, but you are still encountering problems with connectivity, you may be experiencing an inconsistent or overloaded network connection.

To test the consistency of your network, you can run a packet loss test. Packets are small units of data sent over a network from one source to a specific destination. Packet loss occurs when a network packet fails to reach its expected destination, resulting in information loss.

To test for packet loss, open the browser of the iPad used to access Lightspeed Restaurant and use a trusted third-party packet loss test site.

For best results, you will need to run the test for 30 seconds. A shorter test may cause unreliable results.

What to look for

Any amount of packet loss is indicative of a larger issue on your network. If there is any packet loss you should consider reaching out to your Internet service provider or IT technician.

Verify that ports 443 and 8443 are open on your network

Ports are virtual points where network connections start and end. Ports can allow specific types of connections on your network and can be opened or closed based on your network settings. To process sales with a Lightspeed Payments terminal, ports 443 and 8443 must be open.

The process to open these ports will vary depending on your service provider, router settings, and network configuration. For most residential and business accounts, your internet service provider will be able to open these ports upon request.

What’s next?

If you are still encountering issues or have further questions, contact Restaurant Support.

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