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VERIFONE V240m WI-FI BEST PRACTICES



This guide serves to document the key practices and recommendations for creating the ideal
Wi-Fi environment for the Verifone V240m to operate.

1. INTRODUCTION


The Verifone V240m is a wireless payment device designed for processing electronic
transactions, including credit card and debit card payments. The V240m is a PCI PTS 5.X
approved device.


The V240m will be used in conjunction with our ANYpay POS application. ANYpay POS will
be installed within your infrastructure and is responsible for the communication over the
network to the payment device. The ANYpay POS application runs as a windows service
and communicates with the device using the TCP/IP protocol.


This document is provided as a best practice guide to minimize the risk of connectivity
issues whilst operation the Verifone V240m.


This document should be used as a guide only and any technical questions or clarification
required should be channelled to the supplier of the devices or wireless infrastructure.


2. TERMINAL INFORMATION

 

Static and Dynamic IP Address

The Verifone V240m devices supports both static and DHCP IP configuration. We would
recommend using static IP addressing to eliminate the chance of potential IP address
changes, and faster reconnection as they don’t have to negotiate with DHCP. The IP
address must be configured using all 3 digits in each octet. For example, if the IP address
being used is 1.2.3.4 this would need leading zeros added to make it 001.002.003.004.
If DHCP is being used, then we would recommend using DHCP reservations, this helps to
keep track of devices in the environment and reduce the risk of IP addresses changing if a
device has been offline for longer than the DHCP lease time. We would also recommend
MAC address filtering for added security for the Wi-Fi SSID that the devices are connected
to.


Charging and Device Placement

When not in use, the V240m devices should be placed in the cradles to ensure they remain
fully charged. It is good practice to put the cradles in the areas where they will be used. They
should however be placed in areas that aren’t easily accessible, or locations where they
could be tampered with.

24 Hour Device Restarts

The V240m device has a 24-hour PCI reboot setting within the OS of the unit. This can be
configured from within the application menu. Should you want this reboot setting at a
particular time(outside of business hours for example) our service desk team can talk you
through setting/updating this reboot time. They can be contacted at
support@pxp.io, and will be able to guide you through making the required
changes.


3. INFRASTRUCTURE INFORMATION


Network Security

We recommend the use of a dedicated secure Wi-Fi network for payment processing. Avoid
using public, or unsecured networks. Public and unsecured networks are more susceptible
to various security risks, including eavesdropping, data interception, and man-in-the-middle
attacks. A dedicated and secure network offers a controlled and protected environment for
payment transactions, reducing the risk of data breaches and fraud.


Network Coverage and Frequency

The wireless network should be setup and tested to ensure strong Wi-Fi coverage in the
areas intended for use. If there are any blind spots, the devices should not be used in those
areas.


The V240m devices support the use of both 2.4ghz and 5ghz Wi-Fi frequency bands:

 

2.4ghz ISM Band – IEEE802.11 b/g/n are supported.

5ghz U-NII Band – IEEE802.11 b/g/n/a are supported.

The V240m does not support 802.11 ac or ax.5ghz will provide higher data transfer speeds and experiences less noise, resulting in fast and more reliable connections, however 2.4ghz has a better range, so would be preferable in ‘thick wall’ environments or outdoor settings.


In terms of access points, we would recommend the following:

• Clients should see two to three APs (on different channels) at RSSI of -70 dBm or
greater.
• Minimum RSSI should be -62 dBm throughout the coverage area.
• Distance between two APs should be approximately 30 to 70 feet.
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• Stagger APs across floors(where applicable).
• Do not place APs near lighting fixtures or conductive material.
• Do not place APs above ceiling tiles.


We understand that there are several variables when it comes to wireless infrastructure so
we would recommend a wireless survey, if possible, to give you the best results for
placement and coverage. This should then allow for the V240m devices to operate in the
best possible environment.

The roaming threshold on the V240m device is pre-set/hardcoded to roam at -75dBm(min
reliable signal) and 10 seconds. This means that if the signal level goes below the threshold
for more than 10 seconds the device will try looking for better signal strength. Therefore, we
recommend that the ideal signal strength for a V240m device is -70dBm or higher to reliably
transact. While it’s possible to have a strong signal, if there are high levels of noise then you
may still have a poor user experience with the device. This is based on the table below:


• High quality: 90% ~= -55db
• Medium quality: 50% ~= -75db
• Low quality: 30% ~= -85db
• Unusable quality: 8% ~= -96db

 

The V240m supports 802.11 b/g/n/a which means that the terminal will always drop the
connection to re-authenticate with the next access point, therefore there is always going to
be a natural delay of 1-2 seconds while roaming.

 


4. BASIC TROUBLESHOOTING


Wi-Fi Coverage


If a specific area of your business is continually having intermittent signal or coverage
related issues, you will need to consider relocation of the access point to improve distance of
coverage.

Interference may also be a factor, and a wireless survey would assist in highlighting areas
where this is an issue.


Device/Network Specific Checks FAQ:


1. Is the device successfully connected to the wireless network?

On startup the device should connect to your wireless network. It will display the network
name when connecting. If connected successfully the device should show a Wi-Fi icon at the
top of the screen. See example device idle screen below.


2. Does the device show a good signal strength on the display?

At the top of the display there should be a Wi-Fi icon which shows the level of signal the
device currently has. 4 bars indicate a strong signal, with 1 bar being a very low signal. See
example device idle screen below.

 

 

 

3. Can you communicate to the device using ping and telnet commands from the
ANYpay POS server?


See How To section for information on how to run these commands.

If connected, running a continuous ping should show successful replies.
If the device is then powered off does that continuous ping still reply?
If so there may be a conflicting IP address in use.

See How To section for information on how to run this command.

Check the Wi-Fi management console/app to see if the MAC address of the device is
connected. This step will need to be completed by your infrastructure team/wireless network
provider.

Check the logs in case there is an auth failure connecting (could be a PSK issue for
example). This step will need to be completed by your infrastructure team/wireless network
provide


5. HOW TO


Running a PING test to the Verifone V240m


The ping test should be attempted from the server/PC where ANYpay POS is installed.


On Windows:

Open Command Prompt: Press Windows Key + R, type “cmd” and press Enter.

In the Command Prompt window, type, ‘ping [device IP address]’ and press Enter.

Example: ‘ping 1.2.3.4’

The ping test sends a series of packets to the device’s IP address. If successful you will see
a message saying, ‘reply from 1.2.3.4’ and the round-trip time those packets have taken.

If you see a response of ‘request timed out’ or ‘destination host unreachable’ then the ping
test has failed, and the device cannot be contacted. At this stage you would need to involve
your IT/network support team.

To run a continuous ping to the Verifone V240m device you can adjust your command
slightly by adding -t. In the Command Prompt window type ‘ping -t [device IP address] and
press enter.

Example: ‘ping -t 1.2.3.4’

This command will run continuously showing the connectivity statistics until the window is
closed or command stopped.

 


Running a TELNET test to the Verifone V240m

The telnet test should be attempted from the server/PC where ANYpay POS is installed.

Note: Telnet may not be enabled in some environments.


On Windows:

Open Command Prompt: Press Windows Key + R, type “cmd” and press Enter.

Type ‘telnet [device IP address] [port number]’ and press Enter.

Example: ‘telnet 1.2.3.4 16107’ (the listening port used for the Verifone V240m is always
16107, so your telnet test will always be the device IP then 16107).

The telnet test attempts to establish a connection to the device’s IP address and the port it
listens on. If successful the cmd window should return blank, indicating a working connection
to that port.

If the telnet test fails you will see a response of ‘could not open connection to the host, on
port 16107’. At this stage you would need to involve your IT/network support team.


Restarting and powering off the Verifone V240m

The Verifone V240m device can be restarted and powered off via the power panel within the
device menu.

Press 1 + cancel on the device keypad.

This should bring up the control panel.

Scroll down and a Power Panel option should be visible.

From here you can restart the device, or shutdown the device by pressing the corresponding
option on the device screen.

When the device is powered off you will need to hold down the green enter button to power it
on again.

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