Supported Routers

Chapter 1. Introduction

Although other routers may work with TouchBistro, TouchBistro’s Support Department will only support:

1. Apple Airport Extreme
2. Ubiquiti AmpliFi

Chapter 2. Apple AirPort Extreme

The Apple AirPort Extreme is a robust wireless router, recommended for use with TouchBistro in restaurant settings. As of 2018, Apple has discontinued production of the AirPort Extreme. Regardless, this router remains an excellent Wi-Fi solution for TouchBistro POS networks.

Note: The USB ports on the Airport router is not used by TouchBistro. It is intended to provide connectivity to peripherals like external hard drives that come with their own source of power. It does not supply enough power to charge an iPad.

For more information, see the following guides:

How to configure an Airport Extreme Router
How to Factory Reset an Airport Extreme
Setting Up Your Airport Extreme for TouchBistro Standard (Single iPad)
Changing the Password on your Airport Router
Extending Your Network using AirPort Extreme Routers

Chapter 3. Ubiquiti AmpliFi

The Ubiquiti AmpliFi router features the ability to easily extend your network using Mesh technology. In a wireless mesh network, the network connection is spread out among multiple wireless mesh nodes that connect to each other to share the network connection across a large area. This means that if your venue is large, and requires more coverage, you can ensure that all your POS-related equipment is able to connect to your network with the purchase of additional Mesh Points.

Note: The USB ports on the AmpliFi router is not used by TouchBistro. It is intended to provide connectivity to peripherals like external hard drives that come with their own source of power. It does not supply enough power to charge an iPad.

For more information, see the following guides:

How To Configure a Ubiquiti AmpliFi Router with an Internet Connection
How To Configure a Ubiquiti AmpliFi Router without an Internet Connection
How to Reserve IP Addresses on a Ubiquiti AmpliFi Router
How to Factory Reset a Ubiquiti AmpliFi Router

Chapter 4. Cellular Routers

For food trucks, a cellular router is usually needed to supply Internet connectivity to your Airport or Ubiquiti AmpliFi router. You will need to source and set up your chosen cellular router before a TouchBistro install person can help you configure your AmpliFi router or Airport router. Talk to your local mobile phone/cellular provider to see if they offer a cellular/LTE router. It is important to purchase a cellular router with at least one Ethernet port.

In general, Rogers in Canada and AT&T in the USA sell cellular routers with Ethernet ports:

ZTE MF275R Turbo Hub in Canada

AT&T Nighthawk LTE Mobile in the USA.

For a greater discussion of hardware requirements for a food truck, see this guide.

Chapter 5. Monthly Data Usage

The amount of data you use a month will depend largely on the age of your restaurant. At the start of each day, TouchBistro backs up your restaurant data to the cloud. Older restaurants will have more accumulated data. A new restaurant may use a 1GB of data a month. Older restaurants may require 10GB of data a month. In general, we suggest you prepare for about 5GB of data a month.

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