Network Connection Issues
StoreTender is locally installed software that leverages the internet to transmit data between the software and our cloud database servers. Designed to work when your internet connection is unavailable, StoreTender can hold transactions within the POS and send them to the database servers when a connection is available.
Sometimes your POS may display the "Connecting..." message for longer than normal at the end of a transaction. In most cases this is due to the software attempting to connect to the database. If this fails, your transaction will be stored locally until the next sale. On the subsequent transaction StoreTender will again try to connect. If this attempt also fails your POS will automatically go into Offline Mode. In this special mode transactions are quickly stored locally. After 25 transactions have been stored you will be given the opportunity to attempt to connect and upload. If successful you will be back online. If unsuccessful we will continue to store locally and remind you every 25 transactions.
BE PATIENT while this process is uploading your transactions. Rebooting your computer while the system is processing could cause you to permanently corrupt or lose your sales data. If you feel that the process is taking too long, press the red "Postpone" button that appears. This will allow you to quickly ring in another sale.
You can always tell if your system was offline by reviewing your transactions in the Journal Viewer. Any "offline" transactions are marked as [OL] at the end of the transaction number.
Tips for improving connectivity
If you notice a slowdown or several "offline" transactions, there are a few steps you can take before contacting your internet service provider (ISP). Sometimes our clients will report that "the internet is fine", suggesting the problem lies elsewhere. Our experience is that while a "spotty" internet connection works OK for browsing web pages, it is not optimal for connecting to a database server. You will want to ensure that you have a reliable and consistent broadband internet connection.
STEP ONE: REBOOT YOUR MODEM & ROUTER
Power cycle your modem and router. Unplug both devices from the power. Plug in your modem and wait 60 seconds as it powers up. Then plug in your router and wait an additional 60 seconds. If this does not clear up the issue, try rebooting your PC. Be sure to exit StoreTender before rebooting.
STEP TWO: CHECK YOUR CABLES
Check your network cable connections at both ends (PC and router/modem) to ensure they are properly connected. Unplug and then plug back in to verify the connection is secure. Sometimes cables work loose or are chewed by rodents.
STEP THREE: CONTACT YOUR ISP
Contact your internet service provider and advise them that you're having issues connecting to your POS cloud SQL Server database. They should be able to test your connection and advise whether there is a service issue or not. There have been occasions where the ISP has disabled connections to a SQL Server (typically using TCP Port 1433 and UDP Port 1434). If you are permanently unable to connect, ask your ISP if they disabled these Ports on your service. You can also open a support ticket and we will dial in and run a test to see if these Ports are disabled.
STEP FOUR: REPLACE YOUR ROUTER
Router performance will degrade over time. A symptom of this is an increasing number of daily "offline" transactions. If you're using a residential-grade router you can expect a shorter lifespan vs. a commercial-grade router. We recommend you use the best router you can afford. We do not make specific model recommendations, but have found that routers in the $120 or higher price range deliver better performance and reliablility than those in the $40 range. If your router is more than a few years old, you should consider replacement.
Advanced Configurations
StoreTender uses the internet to connect to our licensing and database servers. If your internet is functioning and you're still unable to connect, you may have some services blocked by the Windows Firewall, your network administrator or your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Ping (ICMP Echo Request)
The ping command is a Command Prompt command used to test the ability of the source computer to reach a specified destination computer. The ping command operates by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request messages to the destination computer and waiting for a response. StoreTender will ping a few different servers throughout its operation, so allowing ICMP Echo Request is required. You can check if your firewall, network administrator or ISP is blocking this by opening the Windows Command Prompt and trying to ping a URL.
Open Command Prompt from the Run Box:Press Windows+R to open “Run” box. Type “cmd” and then click “OK” to open a regular Command Prompt. Type “cmd” and then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open an administrator Command Prompt.
Type "ping google.com" followed by the Enter key to see if you get a response from pinging the Google URL. If you do, try a ping of the StoreTender specific URL:
- storetenderonline.com
If the Google URL is working, but any of the above 3 are not, your ISP or network administrator is likely blocking these URLs. These must be available for a successful ping for you to continue. Contact your network administrator or ISP for further assistance.
If none of the URLs provide a successful ping response you can try to see if your Windows Firewall is blocking ping (ICMP Echo Request), before contacting your network administrator or ISP. To do so you will need to disable the Windows Firewall and try the above ping requests again.
Follow the instructions in this link to Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off . If the tests are still unsuccessful you need to contact your network administrator or ISP for further assistance.
In the rare event that disabling the Windows Firewall allows for a successful ping, you will need to change the firewall settings to allow for ICMP Echo Request: How to Allow Pings (ICMP Echo Request) Through Your Firewall
When you've completed testing it is important to remember to turn your firewall on again.
SQL Server Access
In addition to ping requests, StoreTender also needs to be able to connect to the database (SQL) servers. If you can successfully ping our servers but still cannot gain database access, your network administrator or ISP may be blocking connections via certain ports. Below is a list of ports that must be allowed access for StoreTender to function. Your network administrator or ISP will need this information in the event that port blocking is active:
- TCP ports 443 and 1433
- UDP port 1434
Because blocked ports cannot be resolved by the end user, your network administrator or ISP will need to assist you.