Quickstart: From Box to First Receipt

Set up one Proxy Node Raw with one USB ESC/POS receipt printer, then print from the node's own page before connecting your point-of-sale software. Local printing does not require an account or an internet connection.

Before buying parts, read the reference setup and compatibility. An ESC/POS label alone does not qualify a printer or POS.

What you need

• Proxy Node Raw, with its antenna fitted and Nodeware installed. It is a bare board, without an enclosure. Keep it on a dry, nonconductive surface.
• A USB Y cable and matching 5 V, 2 A supply. Check the power connector on the cable before choosing the supply. Raw does not supply peripheral power.
• A USB ESC/POS printer, its USB data cable, paper, and its own power supply. Do not power Raw from the printer's USB port.
• A trusted, restricted 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network and its password. Raw has no Ethernet port and cannot join a 5 GHz-only network. Your phone may use either band if it can reach devices on the same local network.
• A phone or laptop with Wi-Fi and a browser.

Keep the node off guest or public Wi-Fi. Port 9100 accepts unauthenticated printer commands; the optional HTTP API key does not protect that port. Your network administrator must restrict access. See API authentication.

Start with one printer. Our setup policy requires a powered hub for additional peripherals or a bus-powered scanner or scale; that arrangement still needs qualification on Raw.

1. Connect and power the hardware

1. Load paper, close the printer cover, and turn on the printer using its own supply.
2. Connect the printer's USB data cable to the Y cable's USB-A socket.
3. Connect the Y cable's USB-C end to Raw.
4. Connect the Y cable's power leg to the 5 V supply.

A detected printer may print startup information. No paper by itself does not prove the node failed: check its light and continue to Wi-Fi setup. If the printer cannot print its own manufacturer self-test, resolve that before testing the node.

2. Join the setup network

1. Open Wi-Fi settings and join ProxyNodes-XXXX. For example, ProxyNodes-D938 belongs to device pn-d938. A setup receipt, if printed, also contains the network name and a join QR code.
2. Stay connected when your phone warns that the network has no internet.
3. Open http://192.168.4.1 if the setup page does not open automatically. Use HTTP.
4. Select your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, check its name, enter the password, and press Join. For a hidden network, choose Other / hidden network or use the fallback name field.
5. Wait for the node to restart, then reconnect your phone to your normal network.

The setup network is open and has no password. Configure the device while you are present. The setup address 192.168.4.1 is not its normal address after it joins your network. A saved-settings message confirms submission, not a successful Wi-Fi connection.

If new credentials never work, the node returns to setup after about three minutes. Credentials that worked previously are retried during outages; see network troubleshooting.

3. Open the node's page

Use whichever method is available:

• Scan the welcome receipt, if the printer produces one after the first successful join.
• Use the full device ID in its hostname. For pn-d938, open http://proxynodes-pn-d938.local. Replace the example ID with yours.
• Briefly tap the B button, then look in your phone's Wi-Fi list. A temporary network name such as PN-D938 @192.168.86.34 shows the node's current IP address. Read it without joining, then open http://192.168.86.34 from your normal network. A name ending in no-network means the node does not have an address yet.

Use a short tap here. Holding B for about five seconds forgets the saved Wi-Fi network. If the .local hostname does not resolve, use the IP address instead.

4. Print and check a receipt

1. On the node's page, check that the printer is connected.
2. Press Test print once.
3. Confirm paper actually prints, the text is readable, and the cut works if the printer has a cutter. A connected status or a successful HTTP response is not enough.
4. Check the receipt width. Use the printed column rulers and choose the widest bar that does not wrap; do not assume all 80 mm printers use the same column count.

If the page reports api_locked, the node requires an API key for that operation. Its page cannot accept a key: use an authenticated client with the key from your installer. A cloud claim code is a different credential. See API authentication.

If printing fails, go to troubleshooting. Keep the node ID, running firmware version and printer model for support.

5. Connect your software

Existing software with configurable raw ESC/POS network printing: test it against the node's IP address on port 9100. This is a possible integration path, not a promise that a particular POS application will accept the node. Test discovery, print and cut behavior with your actual version.

Your own application: use the local API from a native application or an on-site backend. Direct access from a hosted browser page is not a qualified integration; see the reference setup.

Cash drawer: connect it to the printer's drawer port and test POST /drawer/kick separately. Raw drawer-pulse commands are filtered on port 9100. If your POS cannot make the separate call, record the drawer as unavailable for that setup.

Optional: claim a cloud-enrolled node

If your unit includes a claim code, use it on your account page. It may arrive in the shipping email or on a separate claim slip; it is not on the node's Wi-Fi setup or welcome receipt. Keep it private.

Claiming links the node to your account. It does not configure Wi-Fi, install a cloud token, or change the local API key. A local-only unit can print without a claim code.

If you have no printer attached

The Wi-Fi setup still works, but no setup or welcome receipts print. Read the device ID from the setup network name, then use the hostname or B-button tap in step 3. Scanner-only and scale-only installations need their own compatibility and power checks.

Change networks or recover access

A long hold is not a complete factory erase or an ownership transfer. For a fixed IP, read the API guide before changing an address; a router reservation is another option for your network administrator.

FCC information

Proxy Node Raw is built on a radio module with its own FCC grant.

Contains FCC ID: Z4T-XIAOESP32S3

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. Install and operate it with a minimum distance of 20 cm between the antenna and your body.

Still stuck? Contact support with your node model, firmware version, and what happened. Include an error code if you have one.