Quick answer: Hike's desktop register runs in Google Chrome, so a Hike terminal is, precisely, a machine that runs Chrome well all day. That is a lower bar than a locally-installed POS in some ways and a higher one in others — browsers are memory-hungry, and a till is open for twelve hours.
Specify 8GB and an SSD. The NB-POS750 (15.6″ 1920×1080, 4–8GB, mSATA SSD, Windows 10/11) is the default. Hike also states its hardware must be compatible at the operating-system level and publishes a recommended list for its iPad app — if the estate is iPad-based, that is a different conversation and a different guide.
A browser POS has a different hardware profile
When the POS is a locally-installed application, the vendor usually publishes minimum requirements and the application is the only significant thing running. When the POS is a web application in Chrome, two things change.
Memory matters more than you expect. Chrome allocates per tab and per extension, and a till left open through a trading day accumulates. A terminal that is fine at 9am and sluggish at 5pm is almost always short of memory rather than short of processor.
The processor matters less than you expect. Rendering a POS interface is not demanding work. An i3 is comfortable; the money is better spent on memory and storage than on a faster CPU.
So the sizing is lopsided compared with a traditional POS terminal, and knowing that saves money in the right place.
What to specify
| Component | Specify | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | 8GB | The single most important line. Chrome across a full trading day is what consumes it. |
| Storage | SSD, 128GB+ | Not eMMC. Windows updates need staging space, and Chrome's cache is not small. |
| CPU | i3 | Sufficient. Spend elsewhere. |
| Screen | 1920×1080 | A web interface at 1024×768 means scrolling for buttons that should be visible. |
| Network | Wired where possible | Cloud POS. No connection, no till. |
Set the browser up once, properly
This is where a Hike terminal differs most from any other, and it is worth doing at commissioning rather than leaving to a busy Saturday.
Hike's printer configuration depends on Chrome's print settings — headers and footers off, paper size set to the receipt roll, margins none. Their documentation warns that setting the roll paper size without disabling headers and footers can stop the printer auto-cutting. Those settings are per browser profile.
What that means for a terminal, practically:
- Use one Windows user account for the till, not one per member of staff. Every new profile brings the print defaults back and the cutter appears to break.
- Configure Chrome to print without showing the dialog once the settings are right, so nobody can change them mid-shift.
- Set Hike as the startup page and, if you can, run Chrome in kiosk mode. It removes the address bar, which is also where stray barcode scans end up.
Do this once per terminal at imaging time and the whole class of problem disappears. Full detail is in the Hike receipt printer guide.
Do you need a Windows terminal at all?
An honest question to ask before ordering, because Hike runs on iPad too.
| Choose a Windows terminal if… | Consider iPad if… |
|---|---|
| You want a fixed counter till with a cash drawer and a wired printer | You sell at events or on the shop floor as well as at a counter |
| You want to use any printer with a Windows driver | You are content to buy from Hike's recommended hardware list |
| Staff need a physical keyboard-and-touch counter setup | Portability outweighs peripheral flexibility |
We sell terminals, and we will still say plainly: if your tills are iPads, the peripheral rules change and Hike's recommended list is the safer path. Where a Windows terminal wins is peripheral freedom — any printer with a driver, any HID scanner, a standard drawer.
Built-in printer or separate?
Some of our terminals include a printer. Tidy for a small counter, but for Hike we would usually specify a separate printer: the browser print path is documented around an ordinary Windows printer, and a separate unit is swappable when it fails. The built-in-printer models are also the 2GB, eMMC machines — below what we would specify for a browser till.
NETBYE terminals for Hike
| Model | Screen | Memory | Storage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NB-POS750 | 15.6″ 1920×1080 | 4GB / 8GB | mSATA SSD 64–512GB | The default. Specify 8GB. |
| NB-POS750D | 15.6″ 1920×1080 | 4GB / 8GB | mSATA SSD 64–512GB | Same, with a 15.6″ customer-facing second display |
| NB-POS420 | 15.1″ 1024×768 | SO-DIMM DDR4, 4 / 8 / 16GB | mSATA SSD 64–512GB | When you want an upgradeable memory slot |
Browse all-in-one POS terminals.
Ordering advice for Hike: 8GB is the line worth insisting on — it is what a browser till is short of at 5pm. Ask us to ship terminals with Chrome pre-configured for receipt printing and Hike set as the startup page; on a multi-site rollout that removes the most error-prone commissioning step.
The rest of the till
- Receipt printer — the print-dialog settings that decide whether it auto-cuts.
- Cash drawer — opened by the printer driver at End of Document, not by Hike.
- Barcode scanner — HID mode, and the cursor has to be in the search field.
Frequently asked questions
What hardware does Hike POS need on the desktop?
A Windows or Mac machine that runs Chrome comfortably. We specify 8GB memory, an SSD, an i3-class processor and a 1920×1080 touchscreen for a counter till.
Is 4GB enough?
It runs. It is also the reason a till feels fine in the morning and slow by late afternoon, because a browser open all day accumulates memory. 8GB is the cheapest performance you will buy.
Why does the receipt stop cutting after a staff change?
Chrome's print settings are per user profile. A new Windows account has the default settings, including headers and footers on, which Hike warns can prevent auto-cutting. Use a single till account.
Windows terminal or iPad?
Windows for a fixed counter with peripheral freedom; iPad for portability, accepting Hike's recommended-hardware list for peripherals.
Should the printer be built into the terminal?
Usually not for Hike. A separate printer is easier to swap and matches the documented browser print path; the built-in-printer models are also lower-specified than a browser till wants.
Wired or Wi-Fi?
Wired where the layout allows. Hike is cloud-based, so the network is not optional.
A note on this guide. The terminal side above — memory behaviour under a long-running browser, eMMC versus SSD, screen resolution, wired networking — is what we know from the products we supply, and it holds for any browser-based POS. The Hike-specific parts, including desktop operation in Chrome, the print-dialog settings and the auto-cut warning, and the recommended-hardware position for tablets, are drawn from Hike's published material. The sizing recommendations are our engineering judgement rather than published Hike minimums. If something here did not match your installation, tell us and we will correct this page. We would rather publish something accurate than something impressive.
Get pricing
NETBYE supplies distributors, system integrators and retailers worldwide. Our terminals are built by our partner factories in Shenzhen and sold under our own model range — we handle specification, quality control and support, so you deal with one supplier rather than several factories. Direct wholesale pricing, low MOQ on first orders, and OEM/ODM covering branding, packaging and pre-configuration.
Tell us how many sites, what configuration, what quantity and which country, and you will get an accurate quote in one reply. Ask about shipping terminals with Chrome pre-configured for Hike — it removes the commissioning step most likely to go wrong. Request a quote.
Related guides
These guides form a set. If you are specifying a complete till, the other hardware for Hike POS is covered here:
And if you are comparing across POS software, terminals for other systems: