Large Venue POS Systems: Do you Need 5G?

5G is increasing data speeds, lowering latency, and increasing mobile data reliability. Adding 5G to your POS system means you can ensure it remains online, or deploy 5G mPOS (5G mobile point of sale) systems for truly wireless transactions.

For large venues, the value of 5G can be even greater. By deploying a private 5G network, you can ensure your POS systems, kiosks, tablets, display signage, and other devices remain connected to a network with guaranteed QoS. For extremely high foot traffic and density locations, this can produce significant benefits in the form of lower transacting times, fewer failed transactions, and greater demand scalability (add or remove devices at will for capacity).

Many modern POS software and hardware providers support an “offline mode” for their POS systems when web connectivity is unavailable or too unreliable to be used, but few discuss the possibility of extended connectivity to avoid offline scenarios entirely.

Venue POS systems: How to pick hardware

Using 5G, your venue can continue clearing and verifying transactions even when your Wi-Fi or ethernet is down. By using 5G (or 4G) connectivity as a fallback when Wi-Fi is unavailable (or as their primary connectivity at all times), your POS system can remain connected to digital infrastructure like credit card processors. And if you use an mPOS solution, you no longer have to consider power as part of the connectivity equation, as tablets and handhelds are specifically designed to be highly efficient when running on battery power.

Many devices are available in variants with and without 5G and 4G, and choosing the right family of hardware can be challenging. But with the right partner, you can create a durable, secure, and mobile 5G POS solution that can be scaled globally.

Choosing a 5G POS solution will allow your business to keep transacting online 24/7. But are there differences between 4G and 5G? Should you wait until 5G POS solutions are on the market?

5G vs 4G LTE for venue POS systems

1. Speed – 5G offers up to 6x higher peak throughput — 10 Gbps vs. 1.5 Gbps — than 4G. Higher throughput improves augmented reality and video analytic capabilities, multi-GB file transfer, 4K/8K video, multiple camera streaming, etc. However, 4G connectivity is more than suitable for most POS use cases.
2. Responsiveness – 5G can offer as low as 10 milliseconds latency compared to 40 – 50 milliseconds on 4G LTE. Some applications that benefit from reduced latency and quick responsiveness are tracking goods in warehouses, self-driving vehicles, and computer vision, though POS systems likely won’t see much improvement unless driving extremely high volume transaction throughput.
3. Data Volume – 5G has up to 1000x the capacity of 4G.  This makes a huge difference in the quality of service in crowded environments such as stadiums and airports. A large amount of data is consumed in crowded areas, and all users will experience the fast speeds and low latency of 5G service. In a large venue, this could increase POS reliability.

5G for venue POS systems, kiosks, factories, and more

Kiosks  

You can install 5G POS systems or kiosks anywhere there is 5G network coverage — allowing you to build and deliver superior engaging multimedia experiences outside of traditional physical connectivity boundaries.

The automotive industry is already relying on 5G networks for developing new technology, and in each car is a screen in kiosk mode. Fleets management of autonomous vehicles will gain popularity — relying on 5G-enabled devices provide a crisp picture of the road conditions.

Factory

Big distribution centers will benefit from the high speed and responsiveness, allowing the organizations to track the movement of goods and information in real-time, improving the customer experience.  With robotic systems, 5G will significantly impact augmented reality in reducing errors and enhancing workforce productivity.

Large venues or remote locations

Consider a mining site where your only form of telecommunication is a satellite phone or walkie-talkies. It is difficult for the telecom industry to build network infrastructure with high bandwidth at such isolated sites. A private 5G network could replace all of these legacy comms devices.

Esper is the best way to manage large venue POS systems

If you want to learn more about modern POS systems for venues, offline connectivity, and mobile data fallback, come talk to us at Esper. We partner with major hardware brands like Lenovo, Xenial, Zebra, NCR, and POSBANK, and customers like Taco Bell, NextBite, and Ordermark trust Esper to build and manage robust device solutions, and we’ve deployed POS systems in extremely high-density, large venues.

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