Step 4 - Use HTTPS in Hardware Station

Hardware Station should be configured to use a secure connection via HTTPS to ensure that the connection is encrypted and protected against interception by unauthorized parties.

For more information, see How to Use HTTPS in Hardware Station.

Important: Note that when connecting to Hardware Station via HTTPS, you will need an SSL certificate. In a production environment, the certificate should be issued by an SSL Certificate Authority. While you can use a self-signed certificate for testing and sandbox environments, modern browsers may have difficulty accepting self-signed certificates because they are not recognized as trustworthy by default. Therefore, it is highly recommended to use an authority-signed certificate whenever possible.

Note: Obtaining an authority-signed certificate may involve additional costs.

Tips: To avoid buying Authority Signed Certificate for all Hardware Stations, you can buy one and deploy for all by following these steps:

1. Create a certificate for a domain, such as "hardwarestation.store.co.uk" and copy this certificate to each POS device. Then, for each POS, add a DNS record in the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts file.

2. Add the Hardware Station on https:

   • 127.0.0.1 hardwarestation.store.co.uk
   • #End of LS
   • Install certificate on POS
   • Install certificate on HWST

3. If all the POS devices are on the same domain:

   • Have a logical naming convention on the POS, like STORE1 – Store99
   • Cert “*.store.co.uk”
   • Have the above installed on each POS and HWST
   • Then, store1.store.co.uk should work.