ANTE User ManualDevice Management
A POS device is a registered counter, tablet or till that runs the POS terminal app. Each device belongs to a branch, has its own cash fund account, signs in with its own API key and issues receipt numbers from blocks you assign to it. Device Management is where you register devices, look after their keys and receipt ranges, and switch them off. You reach it at Point of Sale → Device Management.
Device List
The list shows Device Name, Device ID, Location, Branch and Status. Two more columns, Fund Account and Created, are hidden by default and can be turned on from the column menu. Search by All Fields, Name, Device ID or Location, filter by Status, and click a row to open the device.
Registering a Device
- Open the form
Click Add Device.
- Fill in the detailsDevice Name*textA name people will recognise, for example "POS Terminal 1" or "Front Counter".LocationtextOptional description of where the device sits.Branch*dropdownThe branch the device sells for. A branch that has no main warehouse is rejected, because there would be no stock to sell from. If you have no branches yet the form tells you to create one first.
- Save the API key
After saving, the Device Created - Save API Key dialog shows the device's API key once. Use Copy to Clipboard, store it safely, then click I have saved the key. It cannot be shown again; if it is lost, regenerate it.
The system gives the device a generated Device ID, opens a cash fund account named "POS - <device name>" in Treasury, and creates a CASH payment method for the device linked to that fund account. Cash taken on the device therefore lands in its own fund account.
To bring a physical device online, open the POS terminal app on it and enter the API key on its first-time setup screen. That binds the app to the device record. Cashiers then sign in with their username and password.
Device Details
The device page shows Device Information (Name, Device ID, Location, Branch, Fund Account, Status, Last Activity), a note about the API key, and the Receipt Ranges table. A device with no branch is shown as Company-wide. The buttons at the top right are:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Edit | Opens the edit form. |
| Regenerate Key | Creates a new API key and shows it once. The old key stops working immediately. |
| Unbind | Releases the device from the physical machine it was bound to, so the same API key can be used to set up a different machine. |
| Deactivate | Switches the device off (shown only while it is active). The record is kept. |
Regenerating the key signs the device out of service until its app is set up again with the new key.
Receipt Ranges
A receipt range is a block of numbers a device may use for its sale numbers. Click Manage Ranges on the device page. The dialog shows how many ranges the device has and how many are active, the numbers used and remaining, and a table of the ranges with their Range, Progress, Status (Active, Exhausted or Inactive) and Allocated date.
Use Suggested Range fills in the next free block of 1,000 numbers after the highest range already assigned in your company. Click Assign to save it. A range cannot overlap another range, even one on a different device. An active range that has not issued a single number can be deactivated from its row; once any number has been used the range cannot be deactivated.
Give each device a generous block so it never runs out mid-day, and assign the next one ahead of time.
Editing a Device
The edit form has Device Name, Location, Branch and an Active switch. As when registering, a branch without a main warehouse is rejected.
How It Connects
Set up first
- Branches — a device is registered to a branch, and the branch must have a main warehouse.
Gets its data from
- Cashier Management — cashiers sign in on a device with their username and password.
Feeds into
- Fund Accounts — registering a device opens a cash fund account that receives the device’s CASH payments.
- Payment Methods — registering a device also creates its CASH payment method, which sits beside the other payment methods there.
- Order Management — sales rung up on the device appear there, numbered from the device’s receipt range.
- POS Dashboard — the Device Status widget lists each device as online or offline.
- Analytics Reports — sales roll up by branch, which comes from the device’s branch.