PIING
Reading Hardware and NFCInstall a Tap Box
Hardware and NFC
- Tap Box overview
- Install a Tap Box
- NFC readers and cards
- While you wait for Apple's tap entitlement
- Troubleshooting taps
- Scan-in points
- What staff see at POS
In this guide
- Before you start
- 1. Choose the position
- 2. Connect the reader
- 3. Register it in Piing
- 4. Verify connectivity
- 5. Test an accepted visit
- Moving or replacing a reader
- Next steps
Search or browse documentation
Hardware and NFC 2 / 7
Install a Tap Box
Position a reader, assign it to the correct store, provision its one-time credential and verify a real check-in.
Installing a Tap Box has two parts: place and connect the physical unit, then register it to the correct store in Piing. Follow the device sheet supplied with your reader for its power and network steps; the Piing steps below own identity, store attribution and testing. The top layer can be customised with your retailer logo; confirm your branding requirements when ordering.
Before you start
- The reader, supplied power equipment and mounting hardware.
- The reader ID printed on or supplied with the unit.
- A Piing store for the location. Shopify POS locations can be imported or mapped under Stores and readers.
- Access to Piing in Shopify, or Retail ID for an agreed non-Shopify deployment.
- A linked physical NFC card for the first live test. An Apple Wallet phone tap additionally needs the brand's VAS setup.
Choose the position
Use a stable, powered position where a customer can understand the action without blocking the store. Keep enough clear space around the reader for a phone or card to be held flat. Use the supplied mounting plate when wall mounting and follow the device sheet for clearance from metal and cabling.
Give the position a plain internal label such as Soho entrance or Regent Street till 2. This makes fleet management and support much easier than relying on the hardware ID alone.
Connect the reader
Connect power and the network using the instructions supplied with that model. Connection details can vary by reader, so Piing's web documentation does not substitute a generic WiFi or Ethernet sequence.
Wait until the unit indicates that it is ready before registering or testing it.
Register it in Piing
- Open Hardware & check-ins, then Stores and readers.
- Open the correct store, or create and map it first.
- Add a reader and enter the reader ID.
- Choose the store and add the internal position label.
- Save the reader.
Piing issues a reader access token. It is shown once. Copy it into the approved provisioning flow for the supplied unit, or give it to the person completing the hardware setup through the secure route agreed with Piing. Do not paste it into email, chat or public documentation.
Verify connectivity
Use Test heartbeat on Stores and readers. A successful result confirms the registered unit can report to Piing. It does not by itself prove that a customer credential is linked, so continue with a real test.
Test an accepted visit
Tap a linked physical NFC card and check Hardware & check-ins for the new record. Confirm:
- the customer is the one linked to the card;
- the source identifies the reader or physical card;
- the store is correct;
- any configured POS context, Wallet refresh or event route follows as expected.
For an iPhone test, use a VAS-enabled Apple pass only after the entitlement and matching NFC credentials are live. Test Google Wallet through QR, not phone NFC.
Moving or replacing a reader
If a reader moves, update its store assignment before the next live tap. If a device credential may have been exposed, rotate the token and reprovision the unit. Disable a retired unit rather than leaving it assigned to a store.
Next steps
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