> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.vori.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What to Do During an Internet Outage

> Understand how Vori behaves when your store's internet goes down, what you can still do at the register, and how to get back online.

### How Vori behaves when the internet goes down

Each lane runs on its own computer, so an internet outage does not shut your registers off. If your store has offline payments (also called Store and Forward) turned on, you can keep taking credit and debit cards. Vori holds each card securely in a queue. Once the internet is back, you process those queued payments yourself. They do not settle automatically.

A few things are normal during an outage and are not signs of a problem:

* The **first card payment after the internet drops may take a few extra seconds.** The POS checks whether the connection is truly down before switching to offline mode. This short delay is intentional. It stops the register from dropping into offline mode over a brief network hiccup.
* After that first payment, scanning, totals, receipts, and card payments work as normal.

✏️ **Note:** Offline payments have to be set up **before** an outage. The payment terminals need a working internet connection to download their setup first. You cannot turn offline payments on while the internet is already down. If you are not sure whether your store is set up for this, contact Vori Support on a normal day and ask.

### What you can and cannot do offline

| Works offline | Does not work offline |
| - | - |
| Scanning items and building the order | EBT SNAP |
| Credit card payments | EBT Cash |
| Cash payments | eWIC |
| Most debit card payments | Gift cards |
| Printing receipts | Product and price syncing from Back Office |

✏️ **Note:** Some debit cards go through offline and some do not, depending on the bank. During offline mode the terminal can only confirm that a card looks valid, such as not expired and part of a known network. The bank gives final approval when you process the queue after the internet returns, so a small number of offline payments may still be declined later.

### Confirm the internet is really down

Before troubleshooting, check whether the problem is your store's internet or just one register.

1. Pick up a phone or laptop connected to the store's network.
2. Open a browser and go to a common site such as `www.google.com`.
3. If the page does not load, your internet is down. Contact your internet service provider (ISP).
4. If the page loads normally, the internet is fine and the issue is with one lane or its equipment.

Then check how many lanes are affected. This points you to the cause:

| What you see | Most likely cause | What to do |
| - | - | - |
| Every lane is offline | Store internet outage, or the modem or main network switch lost power | Confirm the modem and back office switch have power, then call your ISP if the internet is down |
| Only one lane is offline | That lane's network switch or a loose cable | Restart that lane's network switch (steps below) |
| Everything broke right after an internet change | A new modem or provider that is not compatible, or new settings that knocked the equipment offline | Call Vori Support before changing anything else (see the caution below) |

⚠️ **Caution:** If your problems started right after you switched internet providers or installed a new modem, tell Vori Support that first. Vori POS needs a hardwired connection and is not compatible with mobile hotspots, Wi-Fi, or some 5G and satellite modems. Switching to one of these is a common cause of equipment suddenly going offline.

### Get the store back online

Work through these in order. Stop as soon as the connection returns.

1. **Restart the lane's network switch.** Under the counter, find the small network switch with several internet cables running into it. Unplug its power cable, wait 10 seconds, plug it back in, and wait up to a minute.
2. **Restart the back office switch,** then the **modem,** the same way if a single lane switch did not fix it.
3. **Restart the POS app** on any lane still showing offline. Tap the **gear** icon on the cashier screen, then **Restart App**, and log back in.

Full step-by-step with photos is in [Troubleshoot network connectivity issues with the POS](https://help.vori.com/hardware-and-peripherals/cashier-screen-and-shopper-display/troubleshoot-network-connectivity-issues-with-the-pos.md).

✏️ **Note:** If the internet is confirmed working but a **payment terminal** still will not connect, that is a terminal issue rather than an internet outage. See [Fix your POS payment terminal](https://help.vori.com/hardware-and-integrations/payment-terminals/fix-your-pos-payment-terminal.md).

### After the internet is back, process your queued payments

Queued offline payments do not settle on their own. Once the internet is restored, process them from the register:

1. Tap the **Orders** tab in the POS app.
2. Tap **Process**, then tap **Process** again to confirm.

Managers can also process them through **End of Day > Process Payments**. Full steps are in [Process offline payments in Vori POS](https://help.vori.com/point-of-sale-pos/basic-cashier-functions/process-offline-payments-in-vori-pos.md).

⚠️ **Caution:** While offline payments are processing, the payment terminal cannot take other transactions. Run the queue during a slow period or after store hours. The POS has to be on a live hardwired connection to process.

### When to call Vori Support

Reach out to Vori Support if:

* The internet is confirmed working but lanes still show offline after restarting the switches.
* Lanes went offline right after an internet or modem change.
* You want offline payments enabled (this has to be done ahead of time, not during an outage).
* Queued payments will not process from the **Orders** tab after the internet came back.
* Every offline transaction is slow, not just the first one. A one-time delay when offline mode kicks in is expected; a delay on every sale is not.

To speed things up, have this ready when you call:

* Which lanes are affected, and whether the store internet is up.
* Any error message shown on the terminal or cashier screen, word for word.
* Whether anything changed recently, such as a new ISP, modem, or cabling work.

### Prevent the next outage from stopping checkout

* **Turn on offline payments before you need them.** Ask Vori Support to enable it and run the terminal setup on a normal day.
* **Put your modem and network switches on a battery backup (UPS).** Each lane already has a UPS, but the internet equipment often does not. Adding one keeps the network alive during a short power outage so lanes can still talk to each other.
* **Keep the POS on a hardwired connection.** Do not move it onto Wi-Fi or a hotspot.

For related help, see [Process offline payments in Vori POS](https://help.vori.com/point-of-sale-pos/basic-cashier-functions/process-offline-payments-in-vori-pos.md).


## Related topics

- [Offline payments and store outages](https://help.vori.com/point-of-sale-pos/basic-cashier-functions/offline-payments-and-store-outages.md)
- [Resolve POS Data Sync Delays](https://help.vori.com/hardware-and-integrations/cashier-screen-and-shopper-display/resolve-pos-data-sync-delays.md)
- [What Customer Marketing Can Do for Your Store](https://help.vori.com/customer-marketing/best-practices/what-customer-marketing-can-do-for-your-store.md)