Lightspeed  is a cloud-based platform that gives you access to manage your business from anywhere. In store. At home. On the road.

We use the same infrastructure that the likes of Netflix, NASA, Yelp and TripAdvisor use, so you can be assured Lightspeed will be available when you need it.

With just a few taps, you get comprehensive business results, live data updates, seamless accessibility, and network printing - to name a few. To support these functions and best performance, you will need a solid & stable local area network (LAN) & internet connection.

Trying to go wireless? We support Bluetooth printing for iOS devices thanks to the Epson TM-m30 Bluetooth Printer.

We picked the brains of our networking pro’s to give you some tips & tricks when setting up your network on site or even at home.

What's in this guide?

Wifi / LAN or Internet

In our Troubleshooting Network guide, we discussed the differences between your Internet connection and your local area connection (wi-fi / LAN).

Basically, your local network is everything on site - its how all your devices talk to each other and, the internet connection is how you talk to the outside world - e.g. to Lightspeed or to the bank for EFTPOS transactions.

Internet Connection

No matter what you are connecting to the internet for, if you have a faster internet connection then you will have a much better experience.

Pro-Tip #1 - Aim for an internet speed of 25Mbps down, and 5Mbps up.

Lightspeed can work comfortably on slower networks, but for best performance you should aim for a connection speed of 25Mbps as anything lower will substantially slow down the device performance and impact the reliability of Lightspeed Payments.

For comparison, the average network speed in Australia is 54.88Mbps (as of editing - Jan 2024).

You can test your internet speed here.

Pro-Tip #2 - Go for a stable connection.

For best stability you should look to an internet connection via these tried and true mediums; Cable (HFC) or Fibre (NBN).

Australia has some of the fastest mobile internet connections in the world, so if you’re struggling to get good connectivity with a cabled connection you can look at a 4G or 5G connection.

If you're in an extremely remote area, we have had customers have positive results with Starlink, although this is not as stable as 5G or NBN.

Other satellite based internet connections have a tendency to be a little unreliable for Lightspeed O-Series however.

Pro-Tip #3 - Limit extra bandwidth use on your Lightspeed devices

Streaming audio, video or operating a guest network may impact your network so try to limit this workload on your network where possible and, in particular, avoid streaming music (eg Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music) from your devices that act as dedicated POS registers.

When the Internet goes down, this cuts you off from Lightspeed HQ - but we knew this could happen so we've built Lightspeed  to work offline.

Choosing a Router

Often, service providers will supply an entry-level consumer/home grade router which is not suitable for commercial environments. We recommend using a higher grade of equipment to compliment your setup.

When deciding what router is best for your Lightspeed venue, our Pro’s recommend looking for the following technologies and features to ensure optimal performance.

802.11ac WiFi
This ensures you are using a router that can talk to your latest generation tablet or computer in the fastest and most reliable way.

Dual or Tri-band frequency
This allows the router to distribute WiFi signal further and faster while avoiding interruption from competing electronic devices and surrounding networks.

External antennas
Whilst not mandatory, having a router with adjustable antennas allows you to slightly customise signal direction to suit your venue - definitely worth talking to a pro for best antennas positioning for your particular venue.

4G Fallback
This feature allows your traditional fixed line connection (ADSL/Coaxial/NBN/Fibre) to fall back to a cellular connection in the event of a network interruption. A great strategy for areas prone to unstable connection. Did we mention how much better Australia’s mobile network is compared to the fixed line?

4x Gigabit Ethernet ports
These should be fairly standard on most modern routers but having these allows you to connect your network printers to your router and/or a network switch to expand the number of hardwired connections available (if you have a bigger setup).

Access Points
In larger venues, you may need a system that can support additional Wifi Access points. This allows you to add additional wireless access points which combine together to intelligently create one seamless network.



These "mesh" networks can be "backhauled" (carry the signal back to the router) either wirelessly or hardwired - we do strongly recommend that the extra effort of wired backhauling can make a huge difference to reliability however.

Do be aware that Lightspeed O-Series firmly recommends against using wireless backhauling/mesh for printers.

The need for these largely depends on the size of your venue and how far you need to use your iPads from your main router. Typically venues with table service will want to at least consider these, as opposed to counter-service venues where long as the router is in decent range of the order counter will typically be fine without them.

Router Placement

When setting up your Lightspeed location, router placement is crucial. This will supply network connectivity across all of your devices. If your location will have roaming registers, use a device (Example: iPad) to test the outer limits of your WiFi range.

Pro-Tip #1 - Choose somewhere close & clear

Ideally, your modem is close enough to easily run ethernet cable to your fixed devices (eg printers) and, has as much line of site to your wi-fi devices (eg iPads & Android tablets). If that's not possible, make sure that it is not impeded by large metallic objects (like kitchen equipment) or solid walls.

Pro-Tip #2 - Keep away from interference

This applies to both electronic interference and, physical interference.

Don’t sit your modem/router on top of devices which may interfere with the WiFi signal such as other electronic equipment e.g microwaves, cordless phone base stations.

Keep your modem/router away from any area where it may get knocked, tripped or touched by any wandering hands.

Tops/sides/backs of fridges or freezers are one of the worst common locations for modems/routers. Keep away! These areas will suffer from not only vibration interference but will also very likely overheat as fridges/freezers are only cold on the inside.

Our troubleshooting guide has some steps on how you can test your network to see if this is a concern:

How do I test my local connection?

Devices to avoid

If you have inherited or are looking for band-aid solutions, you will not have a good time with wireless range extenders and ethernet over powerline adapters (examples shown above).

Our team have completed extensive testing in real venues (and we’ve also collated extensive feedback from our customers and partners) to know that these devices are likely to cause problems such as;

• Missing dockets
• Delayed dockets
• Printer discovery & setup issues
• Printers randomly dropping in connectivity

In any venue these problems would wreak havoc - so we only recommend the hardwiring of printers using ethernet cables.

Printer Connection

Unless you are using bluetooth printing, your printing system would rely on the stability of your connection - among a few other things. Below are vital checkpoints for seamless printing.

Pro-Tip #1 - Connect your printers directly into your router’s ethernet ports
These ethernet ports are usually colour coded and numbered. Printers should never be plugged into a port labeled WAN or 'Internet'.

If your printer is not close enough to your router, then you can also use data-points - these are similar to extension cables for power, but you know, for ethernet cables.

⚠️ Important ⚠️
You want to avoid using Wifi between your printer and your router. Using an Access Point extender to then connect ethernet to your printer over a "wireless bridge" as such is not recommended and often prone to issues. 

Also be aware that printing is very sensitive to packet loss. If you are in a larger venue that can have lots of customers you will need a reliable Wifi network that maintains packet loss below .03% at any time, anywhere the registers are being used to send orders.

You must also ensure the printers being used are compatible with O-Series.

If you need order information to get somewhere that does not have easy cabling access, consider a Bump Screen instead, these are far more comfortable with Wifi.

Pro-Tip #2 - Check that the cables are plugged in tight
Ethernet cables are designed to click into place. The fit should be snug and definitely not loose.

Pro-Tip #3 - Confirm the connection with activity lights
Once a printer is connected, look for activity lights on both the printer and modem/router to confirm connectivity (Green/Amber lights).

Pro-Tip #4 - Are you using another software package that uses similar printers?  (ie you use an alternative POS provider for a different part of your business, or you have an online ordering system that prints directly). Be aware that on a less busy venue this can be fine; but ideally these systems would have dedicated printers for themselves rather than sharing printers - especially in a busier venue.

However also be aware that some systems will maintain a permanent open connection to any POS-style printer they find on the network and can lock Lightspeed (and other systems) out of said printers. If this occurs, engage with an IT Professional or one of our partners to separate your network out into different subnets to prevent this from happening.

What's my next step?

If your network seems broken after you just got a new router - there may have been a few things you missed when changing your new router

Looking to upgrade or change modems? Be prepared on what to expect and what to do next