Troubleshooting Stripe Card Reader

To begin troubleshooting, please review some common scenarios to help diagnose the issue.

Reader won't turn on or the screen is frozen

Please try preforming a factory reset by holding down both blue buttons on each side for approx. 15s. The reader should restart on it's own. Once restarted, visit How to Setup WisePOS Card Reader. To get started,

  1. Swipe right from the left edge of the reader screen if you are not prompt to connect to wifi.
  2. Tap the Settings button and enter the admin PIN 07139

Reader is unable to connect to Wifi

To check connectivity, go to the reader/terminal settings, then select WiFi settings. This displays all available WiFi networks. To see more details about the connection, tap on the connected network name.

  • Make sure the network is connected and has internet access
  • The signal strength is good
  • The device has an IP address assigned

If you are still unable to connect to your wifi, please follow these steps

  1. Turn on your mobile hotspot
  2. See if you can connect the reader to your hotspot
  3. If you can connect your reader to your hotspot, please continue to setup your reader to ensure your reader and Union can connect.

If you are able to connect the two via your mobile hotspot, please preform a factory reset for next steps.


Reader is Connected but Cannot Connect to Union

  • Make sure the device running your point of sale application (i.e. front desk macOS) and your reader are on the same network.
  • Stripe Terminal requires that your reader be assigned an IP address in one of the private IPv4 address blocks.
  • Some ISP provided routers only support IPV6 addresses which are not supported by the WisePOS E. Most 3rd party routers support IPV4 and IPV6. You may create a separate network using a 3rd party WiFI router and connect your WisePOS E to the new network.
  • Some DNS providers block DNS resolution of local IP addresses. You can check whether DNS resolution is successful by going to your Stripe Terminal settings and selecting Diagnostics, and checking the DNS resolution test results. To make changes, please visit our support article.

If you are still unable to connect to Union, please follow these steps

  1. Turn on your mobile hotspot
  2. Connect the reader to your hotspot
  3. Connect your POS to your hotspot
  4. Follow the prompts to continue the setup between your card reader and Union

If you are able to connect the two via your mobile hotspot, please preform a factory reset for next steps.

Reader is unable to connect to Ethernet, even though docked

You must connect both cables before inserting the reader into the dock. Remove the reader and re-insert into the dock.

Stripe reader software

Stripe maintains the software that controls the BBPOS WisePOS E. The reader receives updates automatically from Stripe when not in use. These can include improvements and required security updates from Stripe and hardware partners. You will need to ensure you have the latest available version to continue using Stripe Terminal. Failing to install a required update can prevent a reader from accepting payments.


Reader software version

You can find your reader’s versions in the Diagnostics menu by swiping in from the left edge of the screen, tapping Settings, and entering the admin code, 0-7-1-3-9.

The reader restarts every day at midnight for PCI compliance, and disconnects from the POS app every morning. Leave your reader on and connected to power to receive automatic software updates. This ensures that updates happen at midnight (in the timezone of the assigned location) to avoid interruption to sales. If you unplug the reader at night, an update could start when you turn it back on. To manually check for an update, reboot the reader.

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