This article outlines the most common hardware choices used with Retail POS to help you customize your setup to suit your individual business needs. These common setups are for example purposes only. Hardware is not sold as a bundle and must be purchased individually from the Lightspeed hardware store or third-party suppliers.

How to use this guide

There are three key steps to selecting hardware for your business:

1. Review the setups and optional add-ons outlined below.
2. Decide what hardware devices and connection types you need for your business.
3. Purchase supported hardware from the Lightspeed hardware store or trusted third-party suppliers.

Lightspeed only provides support for supported hardware. If your hardware isn't included in our list of supported hardware, you need to contact the hardware manufacturer for assistance.

The administrative setup

The administrative setup is ideal for completing administrative tasks that require a computer running macOS or Windows, like setting up your account and importing your inventory.

If the computer is located on your sales counter, it can also be used as a sole or main register to process sales by adding a few pieces of equipment.

Additional equipment can be added to suit your business needs. Refer to the Optional add-ons section of this guide for more information.

The point-of-sale setup

The point-of-sale setup is ideal for businesses that require:

• A dedicated register separate from the admin computer.
• Multiple points of sale to serve customers throughout a larger location.

In this setup, Retail POS runs off an iPad, providing a modern and flexible checkout experience. Customers can view purchase details during a sale, either with a secondary display iPad or by turning the stand. The iPad can also be removed from the stand to complete inventory tasks or assist customers on the sales floor.

Additional equipment can be added to suit your business needs. Refer to the Optional add-ons section of this guide for more information.

Optional add-ons

Optional add-ons are ideal for more complex businesses that require additional pieces of hardware to run effectively. These optional pieces can be added to either your administrative or point-of-sale setup.

Purchasing hardware

After customizing your setup, you can purchase hardware devices from:

• Lightspeed hardware store.
  • Canada.
  • US.
  • Netherlands and Belgium.
• Trusted third-party suppliers.

Once you've selected and purchased your hardware, the next step is setting it up. Refer to the relevant sections of the Supported hardware article to find setup instructions for your specific devices.

What's next?