The following guide is in Bravo's best effort to support clients with connectivity related issues; some of these issues may be speed or site resolution. Below are steps that Bravo clients should take prior to calling Bravo Store Systems for support:
Connectivity / Speed Issues
Step 1
- Do all of the Bravo workstations have internet access? This can be checked by simply opening an internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, ect.) and typing in a URL in the address bar.
- If a web-page is being displayed as shown below for example, then you have connectivity to the internet and have DNS resolution; please continue to Step 2. If the web-page cannot be displayed, then reboot the workstation and retry opening a web-page. If the web-page still cannot be displayed, then please contact your System Administrator or Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Step 2
- Bravo workstations have internet access; we now need to test the speed to Bravo's Servers. Use the following URL to test: www.speedtest.net and pick Las Vegas as your test server. An example of a test shown below:
- For a typical store that has 3 workstations, Bravo requires the store to have a minimum of 10Mbps Download and 6Mbps Upload speeds. This should be outside of your normal internet activities, such as email, social sites, video & music streaming, and any other type of internet activity. We recommend store's have speeds of 15Mbps or higher Download and 10Mbps or higher Upload. If your store meets or exceeds the minimum requirements, please continue to Step 3.
- If your store does not meet Bravo's minimum speed requirements, please check your service contract to make sure you have purchased the correct speed to run Bravo. If you have purchased the correct speeds, contact your System Administrator or Internet Service Provider (ISP) and alert them that you are not getting your expected speeds. Otherwise, if you did not purchase the correct speed plan, contact your ISP to upgrade.
Step 3
- Contact Bravo support at: 888-407-6287 option 3 or submit a help-desk ticket.
Testing Internal Network Speed
Bravo performs at optimum when the internal network connectivity speed is at a minimum of 100Mbps. To test this, you will need to run a LAN (Local Area Network) speed test. Below, you will find a link to "LAN Speed Test", a third party software. This product is free but is not supported or affiliated with Bravo Store Systems and should only be run by the System Administrator or Third Party Network Technician who is testing the network.
http://download.cnet.com/LAN-Speed-Test/3000-2085_4-10908738.html
LAN Speed Test is designed to be a dependable, useful, and reliable tool to measure your file transfer and network speeds (wired & wireless) easily and accurately. It does this by building a file in memory and then transfers it both ways (without effects of Windows file caching) while keeping track of the time; Then, does the calculations for you. Simple concept and easy to use. You will find that LAN Speed Test will quickly become one of your favorite network tools. LAN Speed Test is completely portable - No dll's or registry entries are required to run the software; therefore, zero foot prints.
Basic Printer Troubleshooting
Step 1: Physical
- Check all the cables to and from the printer.
- Make sure the printer is powered on.
- Make sure the printer is properly stocked with paper or labels.
- Perform a power cycle by powering down the printer in the proper manner as described by the manufacturer of the printer; Wait about 30 seconds, then power the printer back on.
- Run a self-test on the printer (See the printers manufacturer's documentation for this procedure). If successful, it will print a status page. If it does not print a status page, contact your System Administrator or Manufacturer of the printer.
Step 2: Communication
To see if you can communicate with the printer on the network, you can perform a Ping Test. To ping the printer, follow the following steps:
- In Windows, click Start.
- In the search field, type: CMD and either press "Enter" on your keyboard or Double-Click on the high-lighted program (cmd.exe) listed.
- The command prompt window should now be open; it is black and has a blinking cursor line, as if waiting for you to type.
- In the command prompt, type: ping "space", and then the printer's IP Address. Press "Enter" on your keyboard.
If done correctly, it will begin pinging the printer by sending 4 packets and waiting to receive 4 packets. Below is an example of a successfully completed Ping Test:
If the test is 100% as shown above, continue to Step 3. If not, repeat Step 1 and/or contact your System Administrator.
Step 3: Verify & Test Printer in Windows
To check if the printer is located and online in Windows:
- In Windows, click Start.
- Go to Devices and Printers.
- In Devices and Printers, look to see if the printer is listed and that the icon is solid. If the icon is transparent or has an error symbol on it, repeat Steps 1 & 2 and/or contact your Systems Administrator.
An example of a printer online and ready with a solid icon is below:
To test the printer and print a test page in Windows, do the following:
- In Devices and Printers, Right-Click on the printer and from the drop-down list, select Printer Properties.
- The Printer Properties window should now be open. From here, under the "General" tab, click on the "Print Test Page" button near the bottom of the window; A test page should print. If this is a Label printer, a test page may or may not produce a Windows test page. If it does, then the printer is connected and working properly. If no test page prints, verify you completed all the steps and contact your Systems Administrator.
If you completed everything, including ALL the steps, and/or need assistance or having issues still, please contact Bravo Store Systems support at: 888-407-6287 option 3 or submit a help-desk case.