Hardware

There is an extensive array of point-of-sale and access control devices from all over the world available to application developers. You can rely on the engineers at  CardSmart Technologies, Inc. (CST) to recommend the right ones for your application. Our solutions utilize a large variety of different electronic transaction devices including: credit card terminals, electronic cash registers, RFID, virtual terminals, PCs, wireless, cellular, mobile and even rewritable terminals, which are capable of changing the variable printing on the face of the card. There are many other specialty devices with which CST engineers have experience.

In short, our transaction platforms and systems are designed to interact with practically any electronic transaction device.

Low cost card readers with limited intelligence require a host machine, usually a PC, to manage the instructions that are sent to the reader and card. Some have the card reader built into a keyboard as shown on the right.

Terminals and electronic cash registers (ECR's) are self-contained programmable devices which, in addition to having a built in card reader, may include a display, keypad, modem and/or receipt printer. These options are ideal for point-of-sale (POS) retail applications where counter space is at a premium. CST can help you choose from among the many variations offered by major manufacturers.

There is a wide variety of vending and kiosk style readers available, including laundry, parking, food/ beverage, copy/repro, and other self-service. The kiosk at right was developed for LoyaltyCard™ from Reynolds & Reynolds, a smart card-based customer retention solution for new car buyers, launched throughout North America.

The CST Virtual Terminal™ looks and operates like an actual terminal that might be located at the point of sale, except it runs inside an Internet browser and conforms to the same script and business rules that are in place for a physical terminal.

Some merchants rely on the CST Virtual Terminal™ as a backup in the unlikely event that a problem occurs with their POS terminal. And, of course, CST can create a customized virtual terminal interface based on your application's specific requirements.

Next generation, small, mobile readers are increasingly popular. Form factors include attachments to PDA and smart phones, built-in chip and swipe readers, as well as balance checkers and programmable multi-functional units.