Extended Printer USB not being recognized by Square Register

[PizzeriaTasso]

I’m trying to connect my Star TSP100 printer to the square register using a 75ft USB. The printer is already connected and working using the USB that it came with. My problem is when trying to connect using a longer aftermarket printer USB. 

I’ve called Star and they state that the printer will work using any aftermarket USB and that the problem must be on Squares end with the register not recognizing the usb.

when I called Square, they did their “troubleshooting”, which was them just telling me how to connect a printer (which I obviously already know how to do) and then telling me there is nothing else they can do.

we’ve tried 2 separate USB cables and 2 separate printers. Nothing works. Funnily enough, I can connect the printer to my computer using the 75’ cord and print receipts just fine. So it’s obviously not the cord or the printer that are the problem, it’s the register.

I should also note that we do every software update that come across our register. It is fully up to date.

what can I do to get this to work? I need this printer in the back kitchen to simplify our workflow.

[Laurie_]

Hi there @PizzeriaTasso,

Thanks for taking the time to reach out to flag this with us. I also notice it's your first time posting to the Seller Community - welcome! 👋

With these sorts of hardware issues, we'll need to systematically work through a combination of quick fixes and a more detailed process of elimination to help us narrow down the root cause of the issue. I appreciate that you've already got the ball rolling here in that you've confirmed the issue is not with the USB cable itself, given you're able to connect the cable to other hardware and devices without issue.

Before I continue any further, from looking at your Square Account, I can see that you've since connected with our Support Team regarding this issue. It looks like the advocate you worked with has provided steps for your to replace the Accessory Hub for your Square Register. It sounds like we'll need to wait for this replacement hardware to arrive before we can test this again. 

I encourage you to reach back out to us in this thread if you continue to experience the same issue when your replacement hub arrives. 😊

[PizzeriaTasso]

Hi Laurie,

the replacement accessory hub did not work. Spoke to someone on the phone and they basically told me I was SOL. The problem is obviously with the register since the cable and printer work just fine elsewhere. I’m not sure what other solutions I have at this point, other than just give up.

[Laurie_]

Hi there @PizzeriaTasso,

Sorry to hear the replacement accessory hub hasn't resolved this issue for you.

I took it upon myself to review your recent case with our Support Team, and I can see the most recent advice has been to reach back out to the Star Micronics team. 

Were you able to retrieve a customer reference number or support ticket from your conversation with Star Micronics? 
 

If so, I'd be happy to escalate your case further with our team.

[PizzeriaTasso]

I did not bother reaching back out to star because they already informed me that any printer usb cable will work. I also know that the printer works with the USB because I’ve used it with my computer and printed a receipt.

[JJ_]

Hello there @PizzeriaTasso 

I have experienced this in the past, not with Square, but with my personal computer. I wanted to connect my computer to the desktop and run USB cables across my living room (15') to connect my mouse and keyboard and for the life of me, it wouldn't work.  That's when I discovered that most USB devices will require a piece of special equipment to support longer distances. For this particular distance, you would need something like an Active USB Extension Cable (this is an example and not an actual recommendation) to be able to both power and supply data (link) from your Square Register to your printer.

I hope this information is helpful! 

[PizzeriaTasso]

Thanks JJ. We’ve actually tried 2 different USBs, one with built in repeaters and one that had a cord to plug into the wall in the middle of the usb. Neither work

[JJ_]

I'm sorry to hear that this did not work @PizzeriaTasso. 

Definitely, it would be a great idea to connect both our Hardware team with Star Micronics so we can get to the bottom of this. However, we would need that support ticket for our team to reach out to them and investigate this further.

[PizzeriaTasso]

Hi JJ, just got off the phone with Star and they will not provide me with a ticket number because the printer works when connected to another device. I tried to explain that you won’t help me unless I have a ticket but they insisted that because the printer works on a computer, that the problem is on your end and you have to provide a solution. I am out of options at this point

[JJ_]

I am sorry to hear about this experience with StarMicronics, @PizzeriaTasso. I wish I had something else to suggest here. However, I will look into this internally and report back if I find anything that could help our case here.