Can a user log into sambaPOS by swiping a card? If yes what is the hardware requirement or recommended hardware for card swipe login?
MSR cards can be used.
Did use for a short while.
Factors to consider are that reader follows read with carriage return/enter after swipe. This is not always default and some cheap readers don’t have or have poor utility options.
Personally I prefer 125khz rfid readers. Fobs last longer than cards and arnt much more expencive.
Readers are also cheap at less than £10 on ebay etc for credit card sized usb reader.
Regarding hardware, windows barely knows the difference, MSR, RFID, Barcode readers etc generally load to windows as a HID like a keyboard and simply act as a quick way to enter chars/numbers as if typed on keyboard.
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Thanks you so much for this reply. Its make sense to me. A customer specifically requested this features. because he thinks of changing software. If I can provide him card swipe setup he will continue with samba.
I want to ask some more question.
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between MSR, Fob and RFID which last longer and more durable and easy to install/setup?
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How will swiping a card, enter user pin to login to SambaPOS?. That is, you just swipe a card and the user login.
MSR which is magnetic card like RFID fobs have different types.
MSR has hi and lo types which I think is polarity of magnetism, beleive one is less susceptible to being wiped my magnet.
MSR generally has ability to be encoded with more info than a basic RFID fob.
Basic cards have up to 3 tracks. A bank card I think has name on one track, account details on one and card number on another but been a while since read a bank card when testing things.
Readers as I said have varying g levels of options with cheap readers being pretty basic. Options like selecting which tracks to read and adding prefix/suffix to output like mentioned carage return.
RFID also have different types, with main difference being frequency.
I use basic 125khz ones which are like 15-20p each if you buy 100+.
These have a simple 10 diget number encoded on them.
Up from that is a mhz frequency. Think these have a longer code/number and think usually includes letters too.
Then other options like Mayfair I think it is which is I think a brand of secure/encrypted fobs.
The 125khz are ideal for samba with a numerical pin and cheap readers with carriage return suffix.
If card or fob include letters, samba login screen will only accept numbers from code.
I find RFID last allot longer than MSR cards.
The hotel old system used MSR and cards for staff often needed replacing few times a year due to getting snapped or worn out. Hole punching for a retractable keyring probably didn’t help.
The rfids have worked really well.
We also use them for out locals/loyalty system, using blue fobs for staff and green for customers.
The pin from green fobs being used to automatically select the customers entity when swipped within POS screen.
Also doubled this up with staff being added in customer list with their blue fob number and set to staff discount.
I’d recommend RFID 100% over MSR, with the exception of if you went full hog on customer cards with custom printing. If not printing then stick with RFID.
What was also nice is when I installed a electronic lock on hotel office door I made sure to use a 125khz rfid reader, meaning stall till fob can also be used as key for office. Plan one day is to also have electronic locks on the public doors hotel guests also use out of reception house allowing staff and a 3rd colour room rfids could be loaded to these locks.
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As said all these devices typically act as a HID.
In the same way you can type a pin on keyboard to login samba the reader acts the same, imitating a keyboard.
The mention of carriage return is the enter to submit the pin. I had issues with the origional cheap MSR readers not having utility to enable that suffix which would have meant shipping them pressing the enter arrow.
To date every cheap rfid reader I’ve bought had enter/CR following swipe/read by default.
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Thank you. you have clear me. I understand fully now.