Choose your setup

This guide is for venue owners and managers planning a new install. It explains the two ways to set up ZigZag POS so you can pick the one that fits your counter.

In both setups, one computer runs the POS. Every screen, whether it’s the till, a cashier tablet or the kitchen screen, opens the POS in a web browser on your venue’s network.

The two setups

	Till PC	Headless server
Best for	A single counter with one main till	Venues where every screen is a tablet
The POS computer	A Windows touchscreen PC on the counter	A small Linux computer out of the way, no screen
Staff screens	The till itself, plus any tablets you add	Tablets or touchscreens, all in a browser
Printers	Network printers (USB works on the till only)	Network printers only
Cash drawer	Plugs into the receipt printer	Plugs into the receipt printer
After a power cut	The POS restarts with Windows; open it on the till	The POS restarts by itself; nothing to open

Till PC

The POS runs on a Windows touchscreen PC at your counter. Staff use the till directly, and you can add tablets for other jobs, such as a second cashier, a waiter taking orders at tables, or a kitchen screen.

Choose this if you have one counter and want the fewest pieces of equipment.

Keep in mind:

• If the till PC is off, every tablet stops too, because the tablets connect to it.
• After a power cut, the POS starts again with Windows, but someone needs to open it on the till.

Headless server

The POS runs on a small Linux computer with no screen, kept somewhere safe such as the office or a cupboard. Every staff screen is a tablet or touchscreen with the POS open in its browser.

Choose this if you’d rather every screen be a tablet, or you want the POS to come back on its own after a power cut or restart, with nobody needing to touch the computer.

Keep in mind:

• Every printer and the cash drawer must be on the network, because there’s no screen on the computer for a USB printer to work with.
• Whoever sets up your POS installs the computer for you. Day-to-day jobs like loading the menu are done from Admin in the browser, so nobody needs to touch the computer.

Printers: use network printers

We recommend network printers (connected by Ethernet cable) in both setups. The POS sends kitchen tickets and receipts to them directly, whichever screen the order came from.

A USB printer plugged into the till PC works, with limits:

• It prints only for orders paid on the till, not on tablets.
• It can’t print kitchen tickets for a kitchen screen on a tablet.
• The till must have the POS open in Chrome or Edge, and you connect the printer once from the POS screen.

If you’re buying printers, buy network ones.

Before you install, either way

1. A wired network. Plug the POS computer and printers into your router or a network switch by cable. Tablets can use Wi-Fi.
2. A fixed address for the POS computer. Ask whoever looks after your network to reserve one for it. Tablets find the POS by this address, so if it changes, every tablet loses the POS.
3. The POS computer set to switch on by itself when power comes back. Most computers have this setting. Ask whoever sets up your POS to turn it on.
4. A battery backup (UPS) for the POS computer. It keeps the POS running through short power drops and protects the computer from sudden power loss.