Using an existing card terminal through a mobile router?

[Richard Cole]

I am currently having issues with my telephone broadband line, Openreach have supposedly fixed it but I continue to have a faulty line.

I own a retail business and this is my busiest time of year and I rely on taking card payments from customers (80% on card sales 20% cash sales). Whilst the card machine is just about still working over broadband I am worried that it might fail completely which could badly effect my business.

I am looking at the possibility of getting a mobile router with 3g / 4g capability which could connect to my existing PDQ machine via ethernet cable, I have an Ingenico iCT250. I would only look at this as a back up solution for when i had problems with telephone line, about 4 times in the last 3 years! However i am not sure if this is possible or viable so looking for someone more technically minded than me.

I know that you can also hire GPRS terminals for short-term and I have done this but the machine i got sent is old and the battery is not very good and is a bit temperamental so looking at other possibilities.

 

[ecommerce84]

What you suggest with regards to a router would work perfectly. I own a Zoom 4G router with Ethernet and we used this as a temporary solution for card payments when we were going to be without a phone line.

For your problem though, I’d suggest looking at iZettle or SumUp as backup options. They both have terminals that connect through your smart phone or tablet, and you use an app to take payment. The terminals can be picked up from either company for £20 and there are no monthly rental fees.

the processing fees are likely higher than what you are currently paying (1.75% iZettle and 1.69% SumUp) but as a back up option that’s very cheap. Battery life on the SumUp and new iZettle ‘2’ machines (they have the green trim rather than blue) is very good.

SumUp also do a stand-alone 4G machine (that doesn’t require a mobile) for £99, although I think you can pick them up for £69 if you scour the net or get a referral. Either way, that is a good price for a stand-alone 4G unit with no monthly fees.

 

[Richard Cole]

Thanks ecommerce84, the SumUp 4G looks promising, although i would have concerns that i would not be able to print a receipt, I know you can send a digital receipt but that takes time to input a mobile number or email and at this time of year it gets very busy in my shop. Just had first of our late night Christmas openings and between 5pm and 9pm must have processed around 150 sales and I had queues using a normal terminal, so i would be concerned about speed etc and battery life. Will certainly consider SumUp as a back up but will continue to look at 4g router, will check with my merchant tomorrow about compatibility.

Did you have any problems running a normal card terminal via a 4G router?

 

[ukperson1]

Hi Richard,

I may have the solution for you. All you need is a router with a sim card on it too. eg. https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-MR6400-Unlocked-Configuration-Required-External/dp/B016ZWXYXG

You can either opt for a sim card for it (for which you pay just like every other mobile phone sim card) or use an existing sim card from a phone (assuming it's simply an emergency). That, in theory, should do the trick.

This is a "proper" router. I've used it with online food ordering (see https://food-ordering.com/#accessories). There is also the option to use a mobile one. The URL above also contains an example of one (http://www.harvilon.com/Products/4GLTE_Router/FDD-LTE_Router/413.html)

Do the above help?

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

You can print receipts via SumUp and their basic machine is under £10 at Rymans at the moment.

You only have a choice of 3 printers, though, which I guess will be a few hundred quid each!!

 

[Richard Cole]

Thanksukperson1 and Consultant. I have actually been looking at the TP Link routers and am going to try this route first before going down the Sumup option as it would be great to use my existing machine. Spoken to technical support today and they think it will work but can't guarantee it. Didn't realise you could printers for Sumup, yikes a bit pricey though!

 

[ukperson1]

Let us know how it went. Did it all work fine with the router?

 

[Nico Albrecht]

Do not consider the tp link router. Product for the bin with all the tp link stuff. Tp link is some bottom consumer grade stuff. No need for a high end cisco router but go for at least a draytek one. You can buy drayteks used but stay away from consumer grade tech. Another thing to consider is also the 4g fail over and what ports the card machine is using. Some mobile provider might block certain data transfer. Mobile providers can be funny with ports and the firewalls on their side.

 

[Noah]

There's also the insanely complicated PCI DSS requirements; in my humble opinion, it is impossible for a small business to honestly meet these requirements if using their own network. Having been through this a few years ago, we only use mobile phone network terminals now (as opposed to in-house WiFi or even Ethernet connections) - i.e. the card machine uses its own SIM to connect to a mobile telephone network.

Having said that, it appears to be standard practice for processors to encourage their customers to lie about PCI DSS compliance, so you can just do what many others do with the tacit support of the processor if you are happy with that.

 

[Richard Cole]

Update, still not got my line fixed, Openreach has been out three times, despite the fault being located on the first occasion at the top of a telegraph pole, although they are not allowed to climb it as it has not had a h & s check in the last 12 months, so they just send another engineer out who confirms the same thing.

Luckily the line is still partially working and for the most part I have been able to use the pdq machine except on a few brief occasions when we had to resort to a back up machine from Wireless Terminal Solutions from whom I hired a mobile card machine. That's not to say that I have not been scared witless that we would lose the line completely at our busiest time of the year.

I did also invest in a TP Link router and tried it with Three mobile data card, initially i did not get a very good signal but moved it to a new location and now get good signal and it is very fast. Using a mobile router with my existing pdq machine was not quite as simple as i thought but not too complicated, a setting change is required to make it work from the terminal, i tested it with the help of terminal support and it worked fine, although not used it on a regular basis yet.

I too was concerned with PCI compliance but nothing was mentioned when I rang up and asked if i was able to use a mobile router and whether it was compliant. I have been doing updating my own PCI via the Cardnet PCI centre for the last few years and regularly had to do testing / updates every few months but since around May of this year i have not been asked for it any more, Lloyds Cardnet told me last year that they might drop the need for me to keep on verifying and testing my line, it would appear they have now done so.

 

[Richard Cole]

Well my broadband finally failed just before New Year and the hire terminal had been returned to base, so i had no alternative but to resort to using TP-Link with using 3g / 4g sim and touch wood it has worked fine for nearly two weeks now with no problems and just as quick as using broadband, in fact i don't even notice the difference. My only concern is PCI compliance but cardnet appears to have dropped checking about 9 months ago.

Getting the telephone and broadband fixed might take a while as Openreach are now saying after doing a health and safety check that the telegraph pole where fault is located and looks almost new, needs replacing.