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Network Issues

Admin Manager

Network problems can affect everything from processing sales to printing receipts. This page covers the most common network-related issues and how to resolve them.

Diagnosing Network Problems​

Before diving into specific fixes, determine what type of network problem you are experiencing:

SymptomLikely Cause
POS shows "Offline" indicatorInternet connection lost or server unreachable
Receipts not printingNetwork printer disconnected from WiFi/Ethernet
Sales take a long time to processHigh latency or intermittent connection
"Request timed out" errorsServer unreachable or connection too slow
Some devices work, others do notLocal network issue (router, switch, or WiFi)

WiFi Drops and Intermittent Connectivity​

Problem​

The POS register or admin panel loses connection intermittently. The offline indicator flashes on and off, or pages take a very long time to load.

Solutions​

  1. Check your WiFi signal strength. On most devices, you can see the WiFi icon in the system tray or status bar. If the signal is weak (one or two bars), the register may be too far from the router.

    • Move the register closer to the router, or
    • Add a WiFi access point or mesh node near the register area.

  2. Switch to a wired connection. For POS registers that stay in one place, a wired Ethernet connection is always more reliable than WiFi. A USB-to-Ethernet adapter works if your register device does not have an Ethernet port.

  3. Check for WiFi interference. Microwaves, Bluetooth devices, and neighboring WiFi networks can cause interference on the 2.4 GHz band.

    • If your router supports 5 GHz, connect your POS devices to the 5 GHz network. It has less interference but shorter range.
    • Keep the router away from microwaves and other electronics.

  4. Restart your router. Unplug the router, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. Allow 2-3 minutes for it to fully restart.

  5. Check if other devices are affected. If all devices in the store are having problems, the issue is likely with your internet service provider (ISP) or router. If only one device is affected, the problem is with that specific device.

Wired is always better

For mission-critical POS terminals, always prefer a wired Ethernet connection over WiFi. A single dropped transaction during a busy period costs more than a $15 Ethernet cable.

Network Printer Disconnections​

Problem​

Receipt or label printers stop responding. Print jobs fail silently or queue up without printing.

Solutions​

  1. Verify the printer is on the network.

    • Check the printer's network indicator light. Most Epson and Star printers have a small LED showing network status.
    • Print a network status page from the printer itself (usually by holding the feed button while powering on). This shows the printer's current IP address.

  2. Ping the printer from your computer.

    • Open a terminal or command prompt and run: ping <printer-ip-address>
    • If you get "Request timed out," the printer is not reachable on the network.

  3. Assign a static IP address to the printer. Printers that receive their IP address via DHCP can get a different address after a router restart, causing Brother POS to lose contact.

    • Access your router's admin panel and create a DHCP reservation for the printer's MAC address.
    • Alternatively, configure a static IP directly on the printer.
    • Update the printer IP in Store Settings > Hardware tab if the address changed.

  4. Check the Ethernet cable or WiFi connection. If the printer is connected via Ethernet, try a different cable. If it is on WiFi, verify it is connected to the correct network.

  5. Restart the printer. Power cycle the printer -- turn it off, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on.

IP address changes

If your printer's IP address changes unexpectedly after a power outage or router restart, all print jobs will fail silently. Setting up a static IP or DHCP reservation prevents this. See Receipt Printers for setup instructions.

API Timeouts​

Problem​

Operations in the POS or admin panel fail with timeout errors. You may see messages like "Request failed," "Server not responding," or a spinning loader that never completes.

Solutions​

  1. Check your internet connection. Open a new browser tab and navigate to any website. If it does not load, your internet connection is down.

  2. Refresh the page. A single timeout does not necessarily mean a persistent problem. Refresh the page and try the operation again.

  3. Check if the server is under heavy load. If multiple users report slowness at the same time, the server may be processing a large operation (such as a bulk import or WooCommerce sync). Wait a few minutes and try again.

  4. Clear your browser cache. Stale cached data can sometimes cause unexpected behavior.

    • Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac)
    • Select "Cached images and files" and clear.

  5. Try a different browser or device. If the problem only occurs on one device, the issue may be local to that device.

  6. Contact your admin. If timeouts persist across all devices, the problem may be server-side and your admin should contact Brother POS support.

Offline mode keeps you selling

If you experience persistent timeouts on the POS, the register will switch to offline mode automatically. Cash sales continue to work and queue locally. See Offline Issues for details on offline mode behavior.

DNS Resolution Failures​

Problem​

The browser shows "This site can't be reached" or "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN" when trying to access your store URL (e.g., storename.brotherpos.ca).

Solutions​

  1. Check your internet connection. Try navigating to a well-known site like google.com. If that also fails, your internet is down.

  2. Try accessing by IP address. If your admin has provided a direct IP address, try that instead to rule out a DNS problem.

  3. Flush your DNS cache.

    • Windows: Open Command Prompt as administrator and run ipconfig /flushdns
    • Mac: Open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
    • Linux: Run sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches

  4. Try a different DNS provider. Your ISP's DNS servers may be slow or unreliable. Switching to Google DNS (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1) in your network settings can help.

  5. Restart your router. DNS issues sometimes resolve after a router restart.

Slow Network Performance​

Problem​

Everything works but feels sluggish. Pages load slowly, product searches take several seconds, and payment processing is delayed.

Solutions​

  1. Run a speed test. Visit speedtest.net from your POS device. Brother POS needs at minimum:

    • Download: 5 Mbps
    • Upload: 2 Mbps
    • Latency: Under 100ms

  2. Check for bandwidth hogs. Other devices on the same network streaming video, downloading updates, or running backups can saturate your connection. Consider a dedicated network or VLAN for POS equipment.

  3. Reduce the number of open browser tabs. Each tab consumes memory and can slow down the POS.

  4. Check for background sync operations. A large WooCommerce sync can temporarily increase server load. Check Admin > Integrations for any active sync operations.

  5. Contact your ISP. If speed tests consistently show poor results, the problem may be with your internet service.

Firewall and Port Blocking​

Problem​

The POS loads but certain features do not work -- for example, real-time updates do not arrive, receipts do not print, or WebSocket connections fail.

Solutions​

  1. Ensure port 443 (HTTPS) is open. Brother POS communicates over standard HTTPS. Most networks allow this by default.

  2. Ensure WebSocket connections are allowed. Some corporate firewalls or proxy servers block WebSocket connections. If real-time updates (like product changes or cash drawer status) are not arriving, WebSockets may be blocked.

  3. Check for proxy servers. If your network uses a proxy server, configure the POS devices to bypass the proxy for your Brother POS subdomain.

  4. Ensure printer ports are accessible. Network printers typically listen on port 9100. If your network has strict firewall rules, ensure traffic to the printer's IP on port 9100 is allowed.

Ask your network administrator

If your store is in a mall, shared building, or uses a managed network, contact the network administrator. They may need to whitelist your Brother POS subdomain or open specific ports.

When to Contact Support​

Contact your admin or Brother POS support if:

  • Network problems persist after trying all solutions on this page
  • Multiple stores are reporting the same issue simultaneously
  • You see specific error codes or messages not covered here
  • The Brother POS server itself appears to be down (all devices, all stores affected)

Your admin can submit a support ticket by clicking their name in the top-right corner and selecting Get Support.