PayPal Here technical details

[vikingtone]

Hi. Please, does anyone know how the PayPal Here card reader does it's thing?  I know it connects to the phone via bluetooth.  OK, but does the phone need to be connected to the net, nailed up, via Wifi, for the transactions to be processed?  Or, is the phone linked via G3?  Is it a phone call, for every transaction?  I just need to understand how the technical side of the connection works. The reason being, I think one of these would be handy for selling my products at festivals. But if it requires Wifi, and many festivals are deep in the country, away from Wifi, it's going to be pretty useless.  I need to know, ugently, please.  Anyone know??  thanks

[PayPal_Arda · Accepted solution]

Hi vikingtone,

Welcome to PayPal UK community page.

PayPal Here card reader works with both WiFi and 3G. Here is all the information about our PayPal Here product https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/how-to-use-paypal-here#faq

I hope this info helps.

Arda

[Phorum]

That page gives a very 'vague' explanation.

It does not clearly state, IF you can use it straight through your wifi without using a mobile ... for example.

The limitation for certain 'very' common smart phones is appauling!

This is a trial run for PayPal, I believe and we are doing the trial for them and pay for it too!

Anyone knows?

[vikingtone]

Thanks for the info that it can be used 'stand alone'    Why wouldn't they give that infoin the blurb??   Anyway, very helpful, thanks again

[Phorum]

I do not know if it works standalone.

I have just edited my post and added an IF

I remember a month or two ago I had a echange of emails [I cannot find] and vaguely remember that they said YES it works just on wifi - but I am not sure yet!

In theory it should - why not? Unless it 'only' has bluetooth and not wifi and 'needs' a mobile to connect either to wifi or mobile network.

I hope it has stand-alone wifi or it would be a BIG miss by PayPal as we may have to buy a further mobile to GLUE on the counter! More 'not needed' expenses.

[tony_bobfan]

Hi all,

I would like to add some educated guesses here, but can't say if PayPal Here will work WiFi only or not.

Bluetooth is a short range radio technology, that is used for so-called Personal Area Networks, e.g. from headsets to phones, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth for information.

     - so I think that the Bluetooth networking would be only used to get from the card reader to phone / tablet.

I guess that in order to fully validate the transaction the phone / tablet would need a wide area network (WAN) connection to PayPal and the card issuer, and that that would need 3G or a WiFi connection to the Internet.

     - I guess that WAN is needed so that you can see on the PayPal Here application what payments have gone through or not, issue invoices, etc.

So I guess that Bluetooth + 3G/WiFi is needed to make PayPal Here work, but PayPal need to say if Bluetooth + WiFi + Internet works (e.g. without 3G/EDGE/GPRS.)

     - I know from experience that 3G coverage is not everywhere (though I think some of the mobile phone operators might try to do temporary coverage at big festivals like Glastonbury in order to get the customer revenue.)

I hope that these educated guesses are useful.

Cheers,

    Tony

[vikingtone]

Hi, yes, all ideas are useful. I guess I will find out next weekend, as I will be testing the mechanism in a field in Northampton. My supposition is that I can use it 3G ( I won't have a wifi connection, I am pretty sure,) If I can't use 3G, it's pretty much a pointless piece of kit. Thanks

[PayPal_Siobhán]

Hi tony_bobfan,

Welcome to the community and thank you for taking the time to post! 

I can confirm that PayPal Here will work just fine with either WIFI or a 3G connection, hope this helps!

Siobhan 

[tony_bobfan]

Glad it was helpful. 🙂

I have seen other people write on this board that it does work over just GPRS, so it seems like you will need 3G or WiFi.

If you need WiFi you could use a thing called MiFi to create a WiFi hotspot, see http://www.uswitch.com/broadband/compare/mifi_mobile_broadband/ , but then you will then still need a 3G connection for the MiFi to work on.

Since you know where you are going, then it might be worth doing some online research about what is there in Northampton in terms of coverage.

     - for example, http://www.o2.co.uk/coveragechecker gives you predictions for the Telefonica O2 network in the UK, and other mobile operators in UK have similar maps on their web-sites.

             - and will give you an idea if there is 3G there or not.

HTH.

      Tony

[tony_bobfan]

I should have said that the signal if there is one might be better outside than indoors, because building material can block signals, as can trees.

     - but open field near a town could be ok,

But there are some good rural not-spots in UK.

Cheers,

     Tony