> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.now-os.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connectivity

> Understand the register's connection states: what blocks order-taking, what is harmless, and what to do in each case.

The register depends on two very different connections. Knowing which one is
acting up tells you right away whether you can keep selling. It works the same
in restaurant mode and retail mode.

1. **The connection to the main register** (over the store Wi-Fi). This is the
   only one that matters for selling: a secondary device must reach [the main
   register](/en/pos/main-register) to save its orders.
2. **The connection to the cloud** (internet). It only exists to sync with the
   backoffice. An internet outage is **harmless**: the store keeps selling,
   and everything syncs when the network comes back.

<Note>
  The main register itself has no one to reach: it can always sell, even
  without internet. Degraded mode only affects secondary devices.
</Note>

## Where to read the connection state

* **On the roster screen (Who's working?)**: a one-word status pill —
  **Checking…**, **Online**, **Offline**, or **Unreachable**.

* **At the top of the selling screen and the orders list**: a three-dot
  indicator — **CLOUD** (main register → cloud), **NODE** (this device → main
  register), and **SYNC** (the live update streams for the menu and orders).

* **A banner at the top of the screen** when something is wrong: it disappears
  once everything is back to normal.

* **More → This device**: the full connection detail for this device (see
  [Device settings](/en/pos/device-settings)).

## The states, one by one

### Online — everything connected

The device reaches the main register, and the main register reaches the
cloud. No banner shows. Nothing to do.

### Checking… — connecting

The device just started or came back to the foreground: it is looking for the
main register. The screen shows **Connecting to the main register…**. If you
try to act too early, the register answers **Connecting to the main register —
try again in a moment**. This normally lasts only a few seconds.

### Offline — internet is down, service continues

The device reaches the main register, but the main register can't reach the
cloud. An amber banner shows:

> **Offline — cloud sync will resume when the network is back. Service
> continues, orders will catch up.**

This state is **harmless**:

* you take orders and accept payments as usual;
* everything is saved locally on the main register;
* when internet returns, the main register automatically sends everything
  that is waiting to the backoffice.

The only visible effect: sales show up in the backoffice with a delay. On the
main register, a manager can see the number of orders waiting to be sent in
**More → Cloud sync** (the **Orders waiting to upload** field).

### Unreachable — the main register can't be reached

This is the only blocking state. A red banner shows:

> **Main register unreachable — orders aren't being saved. Reconnecting…**

The device is in **degraded mode**: it can no longer save orders. If you try
anyway, the register answers **Main register unreachable — orders aren't
being saved right now**.

<Note>
  The register checks its connection continuously and only raises the alarm
  after several consecutive failures: a few-second Wi-Fi blip won't interrupt
  you.
</Note>

To get the connection back:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check the main register">
    It must be on, plugged in, with the NowOS app in the foreground. This is
    the most common cause.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the Wi-Fi">
    Both devices must be on the same store Wi-Fi network.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Let it reconnect">
    The register reconnects automatically as soon as the main register is
    reachable again. To hurry it along, open **More → This device** and tap
    **Force reconnect**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## At a glance

| Pill            | Color | Can you sell? | What to do                            |
| --------------- | ----- | ------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **Online**      | Green | Yes           | Nothing                               |
| **Checking…**   | Gray  | Not yet       | Wait a few seconds                    |
| **Offline**     | Amber | Yes           | Nothing — sync will catch up          |
| **Unreachable** | Red   | No            | Check the main register and the Wi-Fi |