Setup
Adding a till on a second PC in the shop
Let a second computer bill against the same stock: switch on the store PC's shop-network listener, create a one-time code, and connect the new till. Plus how to remove one.
By the BooksPOS team · · written for the build of 26 Sep 2026
In the busy season one counter is not enough. BooksPOS lets another PC in the shop bill as an extra till against the same stock. The second PC does not keep its own copy of anything: it asks the store PC for every price and every sale, so two counters can never both sell the last copy.
What you need
- The store PC (the one that runs the BooksPOS store server) and the new PC on the same shop network, by cable or Wi-Fi.
- BooksPOS on the new PC. During the pilot we install it with you.
- The owner's sign-in on the store PC.
1. Let the store PC accept tills
The store PC's shop-network listener is off until you switch it on, and Windows Firewall must allow it (on a private network only). There is no screen for this yet: during the pilot we switch it on with you. The installer planned for a later milestone will do it for you.
2. Create a one-time code on the store PC
- Sign in as the owner and open Staff & counters.
- Under Tills on other PCs, choose Add a till.
- BooksPOS shows the store PC address and a code. The code works once, for a limited time. Below it is the store PC's certificate fingerprint.
3. Connect the new PC
- On the new PC, open BooksPOS and choose Connect to the store PC.
- Type the address and the code exactly as shown.
- The till checks that it is talking to your store PC (the code never travels over the network; both sides prove they know it) and remembers its certificate. From then on, every request is encrypted and carries the till's own device token.
- Sign in with your own name and password, as on the store PC.
Each counter has its own bill numbers and cash shift. Choose which counter a PC uses under Printer & terminal on that PC. If you need another counter, add it under Counters on Staff & counters.
Removing a till
On the store PC, Staff & counters lists the tills with the time each was last seen. Remove locks that PC out at once; it shows a message explaining how to pair again. Use it when a PC is replaced, sold or lost.
If something goes wrong
- The store PC is off or the network is down: the extra till cannot bill until it is back. Its open bill is kept, and a sale retried after an unclear answer cannot be posted twice. The till on the store PC itself keeps working.
- The code does not work: it may have expired or been used. Create a new one.
How far this has been tested
We tested tills with the store PC and a till on one machine, over the real network address and encryption, including removing a till while it was in use. A test across two separate physical PCs, and through Windows Firewall, is next. Tell us if you try it before then.