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Overview

The communication between the Point-of-Sale (POS) system and the payment terminal (PED – Pin Entry Device) can be established through various physical and logical interfaces, depending on the hardware configuration and the integration model. Worldline defines five standard communication setups, referred to as Solutions S1 to S5, each corresponding to a specific combination of connectivity and software architecture.

Supported communication interfaces

  • IP (Ethernet or Wi-Fi)
  • USB
  • RS232(Serial)
  • Bluetooth

For non-IP interfaces (USB, Bluetooth, RS232), a PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) tunnel is established using PCL (Payment Communication Layer). This tunnel creates a virtual IP link between the POS and the terminal, enabling standardized communication over the C3Net protocol.

The choice of communication model should be made early in the project, ideally during the pre-sales phase, in collaboration with Worldline solution managers, to ensure the selected setup aligns with the technical and operational constraints of the merchant environment.

Each solution offers a trade-off between simplicity, control, security, and flexibility. The decision should take into account:

  • Network topology and infrastructure
  • Terminal mobility and replacement needs
  • Security and compliance requirements
  • Merchant autonomy in managing terminal applications