Hardware Compatibility By Device

Square Point of Sale is compatible with a wide variety of third-party hardware accessories. Depending on the device that you are using for your Point of Sale, you’ll have different hardware options. Below, you’ll find lists of supported accessories based on your hardware preference, the device you have, connection type and information on getting set up.

Overview of the connection types:

USB

USB devices plug directly into the compatible device and generally offer very reliable connections. If you are using the Square Stand or Square Terminal, you can plug your USB accessory directly into the USB hub on the power cord. For Android devices, you’ll need to connect through a USB OTG (On-The-Go) adapter. Be sure to check that your Android device supports USB OTG or USB Host mode. For Square Terminal, you can purchase a Hub for Square Terminal to connect hardware accessories.

Ethernet

Ethernet devices plug into your router using an Ethernet cable. Once connected to your router via the Ethernet cable, your hardware accessories will connect to your device through the Wi-Fi connection. Keep in mind, you won’t be able to use Ethernet connection in Offline Mode. For Square Terminal, you can purchase a Hub for Square Terminal to connect via Ethernet.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi devices connect wirelessly to your router. Once connected to your Wi-Fi, your hardware accessories connect to your device through the shared Wi-Fi connection. Ensure that both your device and your hardware accessories are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, if they are on different networks the connection will not be successful.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth devices connect to your device wirelessly using the Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth works best in close proximity. You’ll want to make sure that your device and your hardware accessories are all within 10 feet of each other.

Printer-driven

Some cash drawers connect directly to a compatible receipt printer in order to open automatically. These cash drawers can still be manually opened with the cash drawer key if they are not plugged in.

Receipt Printers

You can connect a thermal receipt printer to your Point of Sale to quickly provide your customers with a paper copy of their receipt to either sign and tip or keep for their own records.

^ Combined Printer and Cash Drawer.
^^ Manual configuration may be required for compatibility.
^^^ Portable printer, can’t power a cash drawer.

Kitchen Ticket Printers

Using an impact kitchen printer allows you send tickets right to your bar or kitchen without worrying about heat destroying your receipts.

Cash Drawers

You can connect a cash drawer directly to your Point of Sale or through your receipt printer. When you connect a cash drawer, it will automatically open when you accept a cash payment and you can take full advantage of Square’s Cash drawer management features.

Note: A printer driven cash drawer is a cash drawer that needs to be connected to your Square Point of Sale through a receipt printer to function correctly.

^ Combined Printer and Cash Drawer.

Barcode Scanners

If your inventory utilizes barcode technology for tracking purposes, you can connect a barcode scanner directly to your Point of Sale. A barcode scanner allows your cashiers to quickly ring out items without having to scroll through your item library.

Other Accessories

In addition to printer, cash drawers, and barcode scanners, the Square Point of Sale supports other accessory types to fit a variety of businesses.