Using repeater for credit card machine

[strep3241]

We have a metal building that we sell pumpkins out of in the fall time. We are trying to make it where we can use accept credit cards in that building. The building is probably 150 to 200ft away from the house.

We have cable internet in the house with a router. I bought a wireless repeater last year and we are able to get internet inside the building although the signal isn't that strong in certain places.

So I figured we were good to be able to hook a credit card machine up to the repeater via an ethernet cable. But sometimes the transaction will go through and other times it will not. Where we have the repeater plugged in is in at the other end of the building on the porch. Where the credit card machine is setup, I can pick up the wireless internet signal full strength most of the time, sometimes it will drop a bar.

When standing right beside the repeater, I can pick up full strength. So since the credit card machine is hooked up to the repeater, why doesn't it work like it should?

Are we having so much trouble because it is a metal building? It has a metal roof, metal sides and even the ceiling on the inside is metal.

I do not want to run a ethernet line from the house to the building. If it comes to that, we may not mess with credit cards. I was thinking of getting a longer ethernet cable and moving the repeater towards the front of the porch, closer to the house and leave the credit card machine in the same place it is now. Will that be my simplest option to try? What else is there I can do without having to run a direct line from the house?

 

[paperwastage]

a) what is the model of the repeater, and your router?

b) what does the credit card machine say? timeout, declined ?

c) How does the cc machine connect ? via the internet to the cc-payment processor's servers?

d) Would you want to experiment with Square(using a smartphone)? Might not be wise if you already have an agreement with a cc-payment processor

 

[strep3241]

a) The model of the repeater is wn518n2 revA. The router is a Linksys WRT54GS.

b) the card machine gives me a few different errors but the most common on is vxn error 53, internet timeout. Can't remember the other ones. Is there a way to look up errors on the card machine? While going through the menu options I did not notice anything about that.

c) Yes, the card machine is connected to the internet.

d) I am sure we have an agreement but not sure of the details. You see we are only using the credit card account for 2 months out of the year. The card machine is a loaner and goes back to the bank after the 2 months. So I am not sure how the agreement is setup. We are not too sure about using Square. Do you use a paypal account for it? How secure is it? We have heard it is not very secure.

One thing I have noticed is when it doesn't work, it shows a different IP address than when it is working. Why would the IP address keep changing? I would imagine that is why it doesn't work, but why does it change in the first place?

The card machine is a First Data, can't remember the model right now.

What about using a router as a repeater? Would that be able to pick up the signal better? Since I have a router in the house, would the second router need to be the same model?

What about using a phone line instead of a ethernet cable? I have plenty of phone line. The repeater has a ethernet port but the phone line does fit in that. I was thinking if I could get the repeater towards the front of the porch and just run a line to the card machine, I think it would work better. I assume using a phone line would be slower than using a ethernet cable. How much slower would it be?

 

[ch33zw1z]

If the IP changes, try setting up a Static DHCP IP for the cc machines MAC address. Look in the 54GS for the settings.

 

[strep3241]

How do I go about doing that? I have looked in the settings of the router but did not see anything. When it comes to this stuff, I am not very good.

With the card machine connected and working, would it show up in the network? You know where it lists all the computers and devices connected to the network.

I am going to get some longer ethernet cable and move the repeater and see if that helps. If this doesn't work, I need to do something that is quick and easy.

Would updating the router in the house to a wireless N router help anything?

 

[ch33zw1z]

How feasible is it to run a cable to the credit card machine itself? that's really the best solution.

 

[RLGL]

Is there cell phone coverage in the building? Devices are available to utilize a cell phone to accept credit cards.

 

[Cabletek]

3 plausible options. several possible, but plausible is the key.

One run a coax cable underground to the building [you can bury it only a few inches or go gung ho to 16" and put in pvc conduit, whatever you want] and tag both the existing coax in use [for the modem] and the one you run, every season take a 7/16" wrench and switch the coax wires, then house the cable modem and router in the shed [we'll just call it that here, its the metal building you are using to sell pumpkins out of], when sales are over switch the coax back, and put the cable modem and router back inside. The reason you do not just split another outlet ina dn leave it dead until the season is 1 return its the trick to manage on cable and each splitter raises it higher and higher so if you want RELIABLE credit card support you do it the way I told you, and also open ended or poorly manged cables cause noise and you will now cause issues when you try to use the service INSIDE.

Option 2 is just to run an Ethernet cable from the existing router to a second router or switch/access point the swaem way you did the coax excepot you do not have to switch from the existing set up or tag it to keep it straight.

Option 3, most credit card machines can also do it off phone [like the old 14.4K modems did for computers], and you could just run a long phone wire out to the point, its noticably slower, but it works and its only like the difference between a 20 second transaction and a 1 minute transaction.

 

[TerryMathews]

Just a thought, but does your merchant agreement allow for connecting the box wirelessly? Seems that it would be a PCI violation.

 

[Lifted]

Have you thought about using the repeater as a bridge, and then placing a switch in the location with the CC terminal?

If your repeater doesn't allow bridge mode, these engenius bridges work well over long distances (miles) and are pretty cheap. Ubiquiti also makes some good wireless bridges.

Once you have the bridge enabled, you can the use your repeater as an access point, and run the CC terminal and other devices off Cat 5 if Wi-Fi isn't reliable enough at that location.

 

[drebo]

Use square? https://squareup.com/

 

[strep3241]

How feasible is it to run a cable to the credit card machine itself? that's really the best solution.

I already run a cable from the card machine to the repeater. The problem is where the repeater is plugged in at doesn't pick up the signal very well. It does and it doesn't. When standing there by the repeater, you get full signal strength but the network will keep disappearing.

3 plausible options. several possible, but plausible is the key.

One run a coax cable underground to the building [you can bury it only a few inches or go gung ho to 16" and put in pvc conduit, whatever you want] and tag both the existing coax in use [for the modem] and the one you run, every season take a 7/16" wrench and switch the coax wires, then house the cable modem and router in the shed [we'll just call it that here, its the metal building you are using to sell pumpkins out of], when sales are over switch the coax back, and put the cable modem and router back inside. The reason you do not just split another outlet ina dn leave it dead until the season is 1 return its the trick to manage on cable and each splitter raises it higher and higher so if you want RELIABLE credit card support you do it the way I told you, and also open ended or poorly manged cables cause noise and you will now cause issues when you try to use the service INSIDE.

Option 2 is just to run an Ethernet cable from the existing router to a second router or switch/access point the swaem way you did the coax excepot you do not have to switch from the existing set up or tag it to keep it straight.

Option 3, most credit card machines can also do it off phone [like the old 14.4K modems did for computers], and you could just run a long phone wire out to the point, its noticably slower, but it works and its only like the difference between a 20 second transaction and a 1 minute transaction.

I really do not want to run a cable underground, at least not this year. We are already open and selling. I am just trying to get this to work reliable.

My existing router is inside the house and I don't want to run a cable that far underground just yet.

I wondered about phone but I figured it would be too slow. Are you saying each transaction could take up to a minute to complete? That is just too long with customers standing there waiting.

Have you thought about using the repeater as a bridge, and then placing a switch in the location with the CC terminal?

If your repeater doesn't allow bridge mode, these engenius bridges work well over long distances (miles) and are pretty cheap. Ubiquiti also makes some good wireless bridges.

Once you have the bridge enabled, you can the use your repeater as an access point, and run the CC terminal and other devices off Cat 5 if Wi-Fi isn't reliable enough at that location.

I have no idea what you are talking about. How do I find out if my repeater supports bridge mode? How do I go about setting that up?

Again, let me make this clear, I do not want to run a line from the house to the building. I am trying to pick up the signal from the house wireless out in the building.

I am not too fond of the square. For one, we do not have internet on our phones and we don't want to pay to get internet on our phones just for a couple months out of the year and we just can't afford it.

One thing I am going to try is moving the repeater closer to the house, I have to get some longer cable first. Right now the repeater is at the far end of the building on a porch. Hopefully it will pick up the signal better.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

I am not too fond of the square. For one, we do not have internet on our phones and we don't want to pay to get internet on our phones just for a couple months out of the year and we just can't afford it.

SO and I have used Square for her business for 2 years now and never had a problem. We'll never sign another contract for merchant services, and PCI compliance is a scam. We also don't have a data plan for my phone, we just use wifi.

A similar alternative is Intuit's GoPayment, but they have additional fees depending on the card being used (eg, reward cards have extra fees). I've also seen a similar app for Paypal recently, but I wouldn't trust my money with them.

 

[strep3241]

SO and I have used Square for her business for 2 years now and never had a problem. We'll never sign another contract for merchant services, and PCI compliance is a scam. We also don't have a data plan for my phone, we just use wifi.

A similar alternative is Intuit's GoPayment, but they have additional fees depending on the card being used (eg, reward cards have extra fees). I've also seen a similar app for Paypal recently, but I wouldn't trust my money with them.

That is part of the problem. I am having trouble getting wifi out there. It seems the repeater is picking up the signal but it is not very reliable.

I am not so sure it is the metal building causing the problems. Can anyone explain why the IP address keeps changing on the card machine? Does that mean the repeater is picking up a different network? I can't remember how the repeater was configured, it was done last year. I would imagine it was setup to where it would only pick up our network. Is that correct? A few other people have been messing with the repeater trying to get it working and may have pressed the reset button. So I may have to configure it again.

How would I find out where that IP address is coming from? Would I just have to go ask the neighbors if they are on a network and find out what there IP address is? For the card machine to be able to pick up an IP address, does that mean it has to be picking up a network? What about people driving by on the road, could it be possible their smartphone is sending out a wifi signal messing with the repeater? We live on a really busy highway.

I tried using a phone line hooked up to the repeater and to the card machine and it did not work. The card machine did not pick up anything. I had the repeater towards the front of the porch, closer to the house.

Another thing I thought about but might not be any better. The card machine does have wifi on it and has two usb ports so I could plug a wireless usb adapter to it and see if that helps but I don't see that being any help. I mean, if I can't get a good connection hooked up directly to the repeater, how am I going to do any better trying to pick it up wireless from the repeater?

 

[RLGL]

That is part of the problem. I am having trouble getting wifi out there. It seems the repeater is picking up the signal but it is not very reliable.

I am not so sure it is the metal building causing the problems.

With a weak signal the metal building DOES have an affect on the signal. There is steel siding on my house, the cell phone signal is not that good outside, inside the house most cell phones will not get the signal, also they will not work in my shop ( it is a pole shed all metal sides and roof )

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Can anyone explain why the IP address keeps changing on the card machine? Does that mean the repeater is picking up a different network?

If the machine is wired to the network, then it couldn't possibly be using another network unless it's wirelessly connecting to the house wifi when the repeater drops. In that case the IP address will change, but still be on the same network. Disable the cc machine's wifi if it has wifi, or block it's wireless MAC from the house wifi router.

 

[strep3241]

The machine does have wifi but it needs an adapter for that part to work. When I try to go to the wifi page, it just says adapter not found. So the wifi on the machine is not an issue.

The machine is wired to the repeater but the repeater is picking up the signal wirelessly from the house. So if the repeater loses connection with our signal, isn't it possible for it to pick up a different network if one is available? On my phone, when I walk away from the building, I can pick up a couple different networks besides ours.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

So if the repeater loses connection with our signal, isn't it possible for it to pick up a different network if one is available?

Only if that network/s are unsecured, but even then it is unlikely unless it has a roaming feature.

My recommendation would be to replace the WRT54GS. Make sure the replacement has good range, though. Just because it has faster throughput (N) doesn't mean it has better range. Something like the TP-Link TL-WR1043ND should give better range, and the antennas are detachable so you could replace them with stronger antennas if need be (see customer pics).

 

[SecurityTheatre]

The machine does have wifi but it needs an adapter for that part to work. When I try to go to the wifi page, it just says adapter not found. So the wifi on the machine is not an issue.

The machine is wired to the repeater but the repeater is picking up the signal wirelessly from the house. So if the repeater loses connection with our signal, isn't it possible for it to pick up a different network if one is available? On my phone, when I walk away from the building, I can pick up a couple different networks besides ours.

Frankly, before running around swapping hardware, you should actually determine the problem.

Take a laptop and plug it into the repeater out in the barn. Run a ping to google [ping google -t] and see if you lose any data.

If you are dropping packets, then it is definitely the signal.

However, that DOES NOT in any way explain the changing IP address. In fact, I'm not even sure what you mean "the IP changes".

Does the device itself display an IP address on the screen? Or do you see this in some sort of setup screen? What is the IP? Is it internal or external? Is it the IP of the bank's server on the Internet, or the IP of your modem? Or the device's own internal IP?

Lots of questions unanswered... too many to try to assume what the problem is and advise going out and buying new hardware.

Also, don't plug a phone cord into an Ethernet port. That will just damage stuff. I am unsure if that's what you were doing, but if it is, then dont'.

 

[stlcardinals]

Use square? https://squareup.com/

This, forget about the Merchant agreements and PCI compliance.

 

[strep3241]

Frankly, before running around swapping hardware, you should actually determine the problem.

Take a laptop and plug it into the repeater out in the barn. Run a ping to google [ping google -t] and see if you lose any data.

If you are dropping packets, then it is definitely the signal.

However, that DOES NOT in any way explain the changing IP address. In fact, I'm not even sure what you mean "the IP changes".

Does the device itself display an IP address on the screen? Or do you see this in some sort of setup screen? What is the IP? Is it internal or external? Is it the IP of the bank's server on the Internet, or the IP of your modem? Or the device's own internal IP?

Lots of questions unanswered... too many to try to assume what the problem is and advise going out and buying new hardware.

Also, don't plug a phone cord into an Ethernet port. That will just damage stuff. I am unsure if that's what you were doing, but if it is, then dont'.

When I go to ping google, do I just type in google -t? I can actually do a ping test from the card machine.

The card machine shows the IP address it is picking up from the repeater. I can view the status of the LAN on the card machine and that is where it shows the IP address and a few other addresses. I have no idea if it is internal or external. I would imagine it is the IP address of our network.

I googled the incorrect IP address and it is based out of Washington D.C.

Forgive me but some of this stuff is over my head.

 

[SecurityTheatre]

When I go to ping google, do I just type in google -t? I can actually do a ping test from the card machine.

The card machine shows the IP address it is picking up from the repeater. I can view the status of the LAN on the card machine and that is where it shows the IP address and a few other addresses. I have no idea if it is internal or external. I would imagine it is the IP address of our network.

I googled the incorrect IP address and it is based out of Washington D.C.

Forgive me but some of this stuff is over my head.

I was hoping you would plug a laptop into the same cable that you normally have you cc machine.

Then see if that laptop has connectivity issues.

One way to do this is to type:

ping google.com -t

Another way to do that is simply to surf the Internet, but that often doesn't tell you as much.

Based on the result of THIS testing, there might be some conclusions to be drawn. Until then, it's just guessing.

And, the IP address you see on the device... do they begin with any of the following:

10.
192.168.
172.

If they do, they are private IPs. If they start with something else, they are public (Internet) IPs and they almost certainly do not refer to the address that the device has picked up on the network.

 

[strep3241]

Just a little update, I moved the repeater as close to the house as I could get without leaving the building. I ran 100ft of cat5e ethernet cable back to the card machine, 100ft was way more than I needed but that is what someone gave me. So far it is much better than it was. Every once in a while, a transaction will not go through but you try it again a second later and it works. Also it can be a little slow for the transaction to complete but I would imagine that is due to the 100ft of cat5e cable. Next year, I may just buy 50ft of cat6 cable although I am not sure how much difference that will make.

SecurityTheatre, the wrong IP address the card machine was showing began with 169. I googled the IP address and it seems to be based out of Washington D.C.

Where the repeater was at originally, it just kept losing the signal from the house because of all the interference. Now I have it attached to the building post so it is up in the air more.

 

[VirtualLarry]

SecurityTheatre, the wrong IP address the card machine was showing began with 169. I googled the IP address and it seems to be based out of Washington D.C.

When Windows cannot get an IP address from a DHCP server, it auto-assigns a 169.something.x.x. address. That is a link-local auto-config address. It too is not a public IP address. (I forgot what the "something" octet is supposed to be.)

 

[lif_andi]

.254

If you are getting a 169.254.x.x address on your machine, that means there is no connectivity and the device has auto-configured itself. The purpose of that number is for computers to connect to each other without a central device. 100ft of CAT 5 cable is plenty for a device like a credit card machine. Just make sure you don't exceed 300ft and you are good. If everything is mostly working well then tiny quirks can be written down to the device. Where I live these machines don't always get through, and this might depend on several things out of your control. In short, if it's now working 90% of the time, I think you're good.