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NowOS runs on very little hardware: iPads, your Wi-Fi network, one or more thermal printers, and a cash drawer. This page applies to both restaurant mode and retail mode; differences are called out along the way.

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The iPads

The register (the NowOS app) runs on iPad. Your store needs:
  • one iPad dedicated as the main register — it records every order in the store, including orders taken on other devices;
  • as many secondary devices as you need — iPhones or iPads for your staff, which connect to the main register.
The main iPad must be able to run iPadOS 16.4 or later. Secondary devices require iOS or iPadOS 16.4 or later. An iPhone can be a secondary device, but never the main register. A single iPad is enough to get started: the main register is a full register in its own right.
The main register must stay plugged into power at all times, with the NowOS app open in the foreground, and connected to the store Wi-Fi. If it turns off, goes to sleep, or moves to the background, secondary devices can no longer save orders.
Set the main register up in a fixed spot — at the counter, for example — and don’t carry it around the floor. Set the iPad so it never locks automatically (iPad Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock → Never): NowOS already keeps the foreground screen awake, but this setting remains an extra safeguard during the pilot. The built-in idle screen automatically lowers brightness after two minutes.
Retail mode: no barcode gun is needed to scan barcodes. The register uses the iPad camera.

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The network

  • Every device on the same Wi-Fi. The main register, secondary devices, and printers must all be connected to the same store Wi-Fi network.
  • Internet is for the backoffice. The internet connection lets you publish your menu, follow your sales and device status from the backoffice, and set up new devices.
Without internet, the store keeps selling. Orders and payments go through the main register, over the local network. The register simply shows “Offline — service continues” and everything syncs back to the backoffice automatically when the connection returns.
The only blocking failure is the opposite case: if the main register is unreachable, secondary devices go into degraded mode and can no longer save orders. See Connectivity and The main register.

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Thermal printers

NowOS prints receipts (and, in restaurant mode, kitchen tickets) on thermal printers connected over Wi-Fi, on the same network as the main register. The reference model is the Epson TM-M30III (80 mm); 80 mm and 58 mm paper widths are supported.
Bluetooth and USB printers are not supported. Choose a printer that connects to the network.
Each printer is declared in the backoffice (Settings → Printers), with its name, IP address, MAC address, paper width, and model. Reserve a fixed IP address for the printer in your router, so it doesn’t change over time. The main register always does the printing, even for an order taken on a secondary device — so the printer must be reachable from the main register. To check that a printer responds, open More → Printers on the register and tap Test print.
  • Restaurant mode: plan a printer at the counter for receipts, and a printer in the kitchen (or at the bar) for kitchen tickets.
  • Retail mode: one receipt printer at the counter is enough.
For day-to-day printing details, see Receipts and printing.

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The cash drawer

NowOS manages one cash drawer per store, set up next to the main register. Opening the drawer stays manual (the drawer’s key or button): NowOS does not trigger it to open automatically. The drawer follows the business day: you enter the opening float at start of day, and you do the blind count at close of day. See Start of day and Close of day.

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The backoffice

The backoffice is a web app: a computer (or a tablet) with a browser is all you need. That’s where you manage the menu, devices, printers, and your reports. See Getting started with the backoffice.

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Checklist

Before moving on to pairing your devices, make sure you have:
  1. One iPad dedicated as the main register, plugged in, in a fixed spot.
  2. Your secondary iPhones or iPads, charged.
  3. A Wi-Fi network that every device and printer is connected to.
  4. One or more network thermal printers (Epson TM-M30III recommended), with a fixed IP address.
  5. A cash drawer next to the main register.
  6. A computer with access to the backoffice.
Next step: Pair your devices.