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Square Terminal Set Up FAQ

Square Terminal

The powerful, portable terminal with no long-term contracts or hidden fees.

Find answers to commonly asked questions about setting up Square Terminal.

Do I need to charge my Square Terminal before I use it?

Square Terminal should come with a partially charged battery when you receive it. If you plan to use Square Terminal for an extended period of time away from a power cable, it’s always a good idea to ensure you have a full charge.

How can I connect accessories to my Square Terminal?

To connect your Square Terminal via an Ethernet cable, you’ll need to purchase a Hub for Square Terminal via Square Shop. Once you have Hub for Square Terminal, you can connect your Ethernet cable directly to your Square Terminal.

How do I tell the cables apart?

Square Terminal comes with two cables, the power adaptor cable and power adaptor. You can purchase an optional Hub for Square Terminal to connect hardware accessories.

  • Power adaptor cable: The power adaptor cable plugs directly into your wall outlet and connects to the power adaptor block.

  • Power adaptor: The power adaptor has both a power adaptor block and a cable that connects directly to Square Terminal or to the included accessory hub.

  • USB accessory hub: The accessory hub is an optional adaptor that you can use to connect to your Ethernet network or accessories. You can tell the accessory hub apart as it has 3 USB ports and an Ethernet port.

Both the accessory hub and power adapter have magnets on the bottom so you can attach them to each other or another surface like a cash drawer or a metal countertop.

How do I connect Square Terminal to my network?

There are two ways to connect Square Terminal to your network: Wi-Fi and Ethernet.

You can connect to Wi-Fi through Settings > Hardware > Network. You can also hard-wire Square Terminal through the Ethernet port on the USB accessory hub.

You can also quickly check your connection via the Wi-Fi/Ethernet network status indicator at the top right corner of the status bar.

Note: To connect your Square Terminal via an Ethernet cable, you’ll need to purchase Hub for Square Terminal.

How do I connect Square Terminal when my Wi-Fi is down?

If you have an Ethernet connection, you can connect to Ethernet by plugging in your Ethernet cable to the USB accessory hub. If you do not have an Ethernet connection or your entire Internet connection is down, you can tether Square Terminal to your smartphone or other portable Wi-Fi hotspot.

Note: To connect your Square Terminal via an Ethernet cable, you’ll need to purchase Hub for Square Terminal.

How do I secure Square Terminal to my countertop?

While Square Terminal doesn’t come with a mount to attach to your countertop, you can buy one on
Square Shop via Square Shop or use Square Terminal with other commercially available camera mounts.

The 1/4” mount receptacle on the bottom of your Square Terminal is designed to fit with many widely available camera-style mounting accessories. Simply follow the mount’s instructions to secure it to your counter or another surface, then screw Square Terminal onto the mount using the receptacle on the bottom of Square Terminal.

What forms of payments can I accept in Offline Mode?

You can accept payments via the Square Point of Sale, Square for Retail or Square for Restaurants app on Square Terminal and Square Register.

Customers can tap (only with Apple Pay and Google Pay), insert or swipe payment cards while in Offline Mode. Afterpay transactions, eftpos-only cards and Square gift cards will not work with Offline Mode.

Learn more about processing Offline Mode payments with Square Terminal.

What devices can I use to connect the Square Point of Sale app and Square Terminal?

You can connect your Square Terminal as a customer-facing display to a compatible smartphone, Square Stand, iPad, or tablet. Check your device compatibility.

What devices can I use to connect the Square Retail app and Square Terminal?

Square Terminal will connect to the Square Retail app on compatible iOS devices only. Check your device compatibility.

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