BluePRO® Device

The BluePRO Device for cash drawers includes a BluePRO^® device adapter, user’s guide, PIN (pairing identification number), power supply and a cable connecting the BluePRO^® device to an APG printer driven cash drawer (320 interface).

Are you a VAR looking to expand your business by offering Mobile or Thin POS solutions for retailers?  APG has designed purpose built solutions that enable mobile point of sale environments. These solutions can be added to existing point of sale hardware as opposed to repurposing existing POS installations. Today I am presenting APG’s BluePRO™ Bluetooth interface for cash drawers.

Why should i offer mPOS solutions?

Mobility is revolutionizing how we shop and can speed up the checkout process.  When used properly, mobile device technology can be used as a line buster and can allow a retailer to bring the point-of-sale transaction to the shopper at their point of decision. With mobility, a retailer can increase shopper loyalty by providing a more convenient, more personalized, and more interactive transaction experience. Lastly, using a tablet or handheld device can reduce the cost of the point-of-sale solution.

“Thinbility,” meaning thin-client plus the use of mobility, is the fastest growing segment in the POS marketplace.  Retailers who arm their cashiers with tablets or handhelds for checkout, still need to account for consumers who want to use cash as a preferred method of payment.  Depending upon the retail vertical, cash remains the tender of choice for between 30% and 68% of all transactions.

 APG’s Bluetooth Interface Enables Mobile Cash Transactions
APG’s BluePRO™ Bluetooth interface is designed with both small and large retailers in mind. VARs who help retailers integrate tablet POS solutions should consider APG’s Bluetooth interface as a cost effective strategy to enable a cash transactions from a tablet. The BluePRO™ interface connects to most printer-driven cash drawers and pairs with the tablet via Bluetooth. The range of this communication is purposely limited by the BluePRO device so that retailers can be assured of having only attended cash transactions.

Operating System and device agnostic, the Bluetooth interface allows retailers flexibility with devices.  The BluePRO™ Bluetooth interface is Apple™ MFi certified to work with iOS devices such as the iPhone, iPod, and iPad.  APG will provide the necessary software development kit for integration on the Android and iOS platforms, with a Windows solution coming soon.

BENEFITS
In a mobile POS environment, you have the ability to check out a customer anywhere. APG’s BluePRO™ solution allows retailers to take the tendering of cash process from the shopper’s point of decision to a Bluetooth connected cash drawer. Ultimately these solutions will:

-Reduce the number of walk-out customers
-Improve cashier productivity
-Increase customer loyalty
-Facilitate mobile line busing

Device operation relies on several layers of security:

1)    Close Proximity. A host tablet will be unsuccessful establishing a pairing with the BluePRO^® device if it is not sufficiently close. In general, the host tablet must be with 2-3 meters before discovery and pairing actions can be initiated and completed. The BluePRO^® device has been specifically designed to work well inside the 32feet (10m) range commonly attributed to local Bluetooth-enabled peripherals.

2)    Unique Pairing. Each BluePRO^® device has a unique pairing pin. To pair with the device, the tablet operator must have access to that particular device’s pairing pin. Without it, the BluePRO^® device may not be paired to the host tablet.

3)    Bluetooth Socket Connection. A cash drawer is an application-dependent device. Once paired, an app running on the host tablet must be ‘cash drawer aware’. The app must establish a Bluetooth socket connection to the previously-paired BluePRO^® device. To complete this step, the app must possess this capability.

4)    Drawer Open Command: The app must transmit the cash drawer opening command to the connected – BluePRO^® device.

5)    Preserved Connection: While a software connection exists, it is preserved by the BluePRO^® device. No other host tablet may be introduced to interfere with the established connection.

Your POS software must be compatible with the APG BluePRO^® device. Before you purchase the device, make sure it’s compatible with your existing POS software. Always contact your POS software vendor about their hardware requirements and recommendations.

Other printer driven cash drawers that are designed to work with Epson printers may be compatible. We suggest purchasing an APG printer driven cash drawer (320 Interface) for proven compatibility.

We have Android, iOS, and Windows software development kits (SDKs) available for developers. Sample applications are included. These applications are samples only and will not function as POS software. For access to these kits, please visit here.

APG Cash Drawer offers several configurations and options for the BluePRO^® device:

For U.S. power:

• BA-0510-0101A-02 (Single drawer support, Status Phase High. The product includes a cash drawer cable CD-101A for the APG Model 320 Interface Cash Drawer and a 2-prong US power adapter.)
• BA-0510-0102A-02 (Single drawer support, Status Phase Low. The product includes a cash drawer cable CD-102A for the APG Model 320 Interface Cash Drawer and a 2-prong US power adapter.)

For international power:

• BA-0510-0101A-03 (Single drawer support, Status Phase High. The product includes a cash drawer cable CD-101A for the APG Model 320 Interface Cash Drawer and a multi-country power adapter.)
• BA-0510-0102A-03 (Single drawer support, Status Phase Low. The product includes a cash drawer cable CD-102A for the APG Model 320 Interface Cash Drawer and a multi-country power adapter.)

The host tablet must be within 2-3 meters of the BluePRO^® device for pairing and subsequent use.

Yes – please view our global partner page. To confirm BluePRO^® device compatibility, please contact your software vendor of choice. The POS software vendor will need to confirm their software is configured to speak to the BluePRO^® device..